Advantages of a Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner
A progressive dinner is a unique, mobile variation of the old-fashioned potluck dinner. During a progressive dinner, people gather with friends and family for a multi-course meal, each course prepared and served by a different host in their home or other setting. It is a creative way to have an evening of culinary fellowship, a historically universal way of bringing people together. This type of entertaining dining experience is suitable to any time of year, whether for special occasions and holidays or just to liven a boring weekend.
In the United States Thanksgiving is the most popular holiday bringing family, friends and even strangers together in a group meal setting. The traditional Thanksgiving dinner consists of several courses, including a wide variety of food. A progressive potluck dinner works well for a Thanksgiving gathering for a variety of reasons:
Serving a limited amount of food requires less cooking and cleaning
Most obviously, a progressive dinner means less cooking and cleaning for individual participants. Each person chooses or is assigned one course or item to prepare. When their turn for hosting is finished, there will be less clean-up than if a large meal were cooked and served. Whether the cleaning is done quickly by the group or each participant cleans up after the party, an abbreviated version of the potluck will mean less work for each party-goer.
A progressive potluck is a chance for everyone to see different dining settings for each course
In a progressive dinner, eating is only half the fun. Many traveling potluck parties also focus on decorating for the party or the season. Thanksgiving provides endless inspiration for food creations and decorating. The party can be planned around a central theme, such as seasonal items, and each person can decorate in a different way. Alternatively, there can be a specific food theme picked, and each setting can be decorated to reflect the personality of the host. To really make things fun, the whole party can be a free-for-all of sorts, and each person can cook whatever they please, and decorate accordingly, sticking only to the dinner course they are assigned.
Carpooling from one dinner setting to another is a cost-efficient way to spend time together
Using the same vehicle to transport several participants at a time is a cost- and time-efficient way for everyone to get to the different dining locations. As the party participants travel from one dining location to the next, they can switch passengers in each car to add another element of fun. Creative question or guessing games can be played on the rides to the different dining settings. Carpooling also serves to keep the party from getting separated, thereby preventing the festivities from being put on hold to wait for late-comers.
Progressive dining is a cost-efficient way for people to have a large meal, mostly prepared by others
Potluck dinners are fairly inexpensive relative to the ultimate cost of the whole party. Everyone in the group gets a large, multi-course meal for less cost than the same lavish meal in a restaurant. To be able to feast among friends is a luxury for some, and a progressive potluck dinner is an excellent way to throw a cost-efficient party.
Anytime loved ones and friends can get together to enjoy a good meal and good times is a golden opportunity. In hard economic times, a progressive potluck is a fun, unique way to get together with friends and family, have a feast and save money all at the same time. It puts a unique and fun spin on the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and may just prove to be enjoyable enough to become a tradition itself.
