Seating Arrangements for Thanksgiving Dinner
Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner can be a difficult event to arrange. Whether it’s preparing the menu, inviting the guests or creating the perfect centerpiece; Thanksgiving dinner is more than just cooking a turkey. With all the extra guests, it can be difficult to arrange seating to accommodate everyone comfortably. While the majority of people don’t have grand banquet areas inside their homes or huge extended tables and chairs, it can be difficult to configure a seating arrangement that will allow for a Thanksgiving dinner for a large group of people. However, there are a few options that can allow for a united feel without separating guests uncomfortably.
Many dining room tables have the option of extension through expandable leafs or inserts. However, people can sometimes get hung up on not having matching chairs to fit the extended table. A great way to alleviate being self-conscious about not having the perfect Thanksgiving table is to use simple chair covers for mismatched chairs. Kitchen table chairs and even desk chairs can be the right height for a dining room table and adding some chair covers can hide the mismatched wood.
A great way to increase table space is by implementing a children’s table. Toys R Us offers aDisney Activity Table and Chairscombination that includes a folding table and two chairs for under $30. Covered with a simple white table cloth, not only will this be a great way to keep children seated in their own little space but the table can be used for activities for the rest of the year.
For Thanksgiving dinners with a multitude of guests and limited seating, it’s important to utilize all of your space efficiently. This can mean making use of all surfaces including island bar stool seating and the kitchen table. A great way to incorporate all of your guests is by setting up a buffet style setup. Guests can join in the beginning of the meal and the duration of the meal can involve a serve-yourself style. When needing to divide the guests, make sure to seat your guests accordingly. This can mean the kids seated at the children’s table, the teens at the kitchen table and in-laws joined together at the dining table.
Limited seating doesn’t have to ruin a Thanksgiving dinner. Finding innovative ways to join family and friends together even if guests are separated at different tables is an important part of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. Because holidays can often bring together extended family members that haven’t seen each other often, there can be some uncomfortable feelings or even tensions. It’s important to keep that in mind when configuring the seating arrangements during the actual dinner. Thanksgiving is a time for being with family and friends and being thankful for all the blessings throughout the year. Having forethought of seating arrangements can allow a stress-free Thanksgiving and a good time to be had by all.
