Did hosting Thanksgiving fall {willingly or unwillingly} on your “plate” this year? HA … see what we did there? Ok lame yes, but I love a good word pun.
Mooooving right along, first things first – don’t stress! Okay, easier said than done, we know, but let us help ease the pressure a bit. We’ve compiled a list of our top 5 MUSTS when hosting Thanksgiving just for you. Let’s dive right in…
MUST #1: be organized
Set a schedule for cleaning, shopping, and prepping leading up to the holiday. We suggest dabbling in all the to dos as early as the weekend before, leaving yourself plenty of time to slowly get ready rather than stressfully all at once the morning of. BONUS TIP: Try your best to avoid hitting the stores the day before, especially if you have to take kids with you! Lines are LONG. Don’t worry we got your back, we created a Thanksgiving Grocery Planner to help you get everything organized. Download it here and get to planning!
MUST #2: start decorating early
If you’re able to, we highly recommend setting your tablescape {that’s what we call a designed dinner table} up the day before, or even earlier if you can. This will go a long way in ensuring you have plenty of time for curveballs day of, we all know they happen!
Click here to download our FREE DECOR CHECKLIST! Tablescapes are sorta our specialty so we created a step by step checklist to make sure you don’t miss a beat. Leave your guests in awe at your design!
MUST #3: rent the linens and dishes:
Unless you have sentimental/special linens and dishware you use as part of a family tradition, we always recommend renting everything that creates extra work for later. Don’t spend precious family time you should be using to create memories, watch football, or take turkey couch naps buried in dirty dishes and laundry isolated by yourself in the kitchen. Trust us, it’s worth the rental fees!
Rented Linens: hellooooo not doing laundry! Plus, you can switch up the design with an impressive pop from a company like La Tavola. If you haven’t gotten your order in yet be sure to do so by tomorrow, Tuesday 11/19/19, to avoid being a late/rush order!
Rented Dishes: HELLOOOO minimizing dishes! This should honestly be a no brainer. If you’re in the Northern California area we highly recommend Celebrations Party Rentals.
MUST #4: give them something to DO
Especially if you’re bringing together two sides of a family or mixing friends groups, have something else for them to do besides small talk, drink, and stare at a football game on TV. Bring out some conversation cards! We LOVE the game Would You Rather and usually make up our own on the fly. Which you could do, or you could make your own cards ahead of time. But if you’re pressed for time we did find this set on Amazon that looks fun!
MUST #5: welcome your guests with snacks and a specialty cocktail
We love a good cheese board {we got the one you see pictured below made by our local Nugget Markets, so worth it!}. Any yummy finger foods you can think of that won’t completely fill up your guests are great choices!
A specialty cocktail is just SO fun. It would blow your guests away big time if you got REAL crafty and make something really special like this Cranberry Moscow Mule by Spoonful of Flavor. Or just keep in simple and toss a couple cranberries into a glass of champagne to make it festive! Either way you’ll set the tone right away for a thoughtfully pieced together evening surrounded by family and friends.
Now, go forth and be confident! You’re hosting for a reason. You’ve got this! Cheers to you, friend
{Photographer: Carmen Salazar Photography}
{Styling + Coordination: Events By Rebecca}
{Wreath + Florals: ARVO Floral Studio}
{Banner, Name Cards, + Invitation: Cultured Card Co.}
{Epi Loaves + Apple Pie: The Upper Crust Baking Co.}
{Linens: La Tavola Linen}
Recognize these photos? That’s because we used them almost 2 years ago for a Friendsgiving Tips article!
Check it out here – it’s still up!