We’ve all attended an event, gone to lunch with a friend, or gone on a date that we wanted to go well. Those feelings are amplified when you are the host, especially if it's a holiday event. There’s so much pressure around the holidays to have the “perfect” everything – family pictures, decorations, food, entertainment. You want everyone to leave talking about how incredible the holiday was, not that you burned the turkey and there was a massive sibling fight.
While we may not all be in control of our family members or end up with the perfect family photo around the turkey to share on social media, your Thanksgiving can still be rave-worthy. What makes it rave-worthy? There are a few things - the ambience being set, entertainment, getting the kids involved (if you want to), and, of course, what we all look forward to – the scrumptious food.
Ambience: Sights, Smells & Sounds
From the moment family and friends arrive, they are invited into whatever type of ambience you have created for the day. This can set the tone for what kind of atmosphere this is. Is this going to be a fancy seven-course Thanksgiving dinner set around the dining table? Is this going to be a grab-a-paper plate and shovel everything on as you mill about and talk to everyone, moving from conversation to conversation and room to room? Those are two very different vibes, with a plethora of party atmospheres in between.
What sets the mood for those coming in? Decor, smells, sounds, and more. Whether you’re a decorator with a few seasonal nods or turkey and pumpkins are on every surface, having some type of set ambience helps draw your guests into the spirit of the event. Smells are mostly covered for Thanksgiving as there’s pies baking and intermingling with so many other food aromas, however, having a seasonal candle or a simmer pot on the stove can enhance the fall ambience, especially if you’ve opted for a non-traditional dinner. Sounds can be anything from music playing in the background to a football game or parade on TV. Just make sure you fill the space with some kind of sound so as guests arrive it doesn’t feel silent.
Entertainment
I believe the primary entertainment at Thanksgiving is getting together with friends and family. Catching up and revisiting some of your favorite highlights of the year is more than enough entertainment, especially for those who don’t have the privilege of getting together as often as they would like. For those that may need a little more than conversation or want something to help bolster conversation, there’s the parade and football games on TV, as well as some holiday favorite movies. I’d also suggest strategically placing a deck of cards and a few board games around, as well as some index cards with conversation starters on them. The entertainment doesn’t have to be formal or even thought out beforehand. Read the room and grab something to do if you can feel the mood of the space could use some more camaraderie. There’s always playing football in the backyard or going on a walk to see if you can find any trees with elusive fall leaves here in Houston.
Getting the Kids Involved
A great way to get the kids involved and possibly relieve some of the cooking stress depending on your family dynamic is to let the kids be involved in the kitchen. Whether it’s Thanksgiving morning and they’re in charge of breakfast or making their dishes the night before, it’s a great way to provide them with some ownership over the event and allow themselves to work on and show off their skills.
The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook
If you’d rather leave the cooking to the adults, there are still ways for the kids to be involved, from preparing the space, setting the table, and welcoming friends and family as they come in. Some fun touches to your decorations can be done by the kids like turkey hand place cards. This works especially well if you want the kids to focus on this and decorating the space while watching the parade rather than being in the kitchen while you’re making sure all of the food preparation is done.
Food: The Star of the Show
Let’s finally talk about the real star of the Thanksgiving show here, the food. It’s the part of Thanksgiving we all focus on when we’re not screaming for our football teams or browsing early Black Friday sales. It’s the dish that your Aunt makes once a year that gets devoured within the first 10 minutes of the holiday or the discovery of the new “best pie” recipe that you’ll try to top next year that rings true for this holiday. Whether you’re doing a meal with full courses or a day of grazing, you’re sure to astound your family with some of the recipes you find within our catalog.
Part of setting the tone for a Thanksgiving meal is having drinks on hand upon arrival. It allows everyone to pitch in and grab something to start the day off whether they’re reaching for a glass of water or putting their bartender skills to work. It’s always fun to designate someone who enjoys making drinks to be a bartender for a little bit during the 30 minutes around arrival. Some family members will always be early no matter what time you give them so they can either take on the role of bartender themselves or have something to do while they’re waiting for other family and friends to show up.
Liquor.com Cocktails & Mocktails
Before we get to the nitty gritty of the meal and the preparation that is hopefully happening well ahead of time, unless the pressure is all on your shoulders to make all of the food for this joyous event, you can ask others to help. Often, this will help individuals to feel included; just don’t ask them to bring something impossible. If they’re traveling to your hosting location, making the turkey is probably not feasible. However, a lot of dishes can be made ahead of time and reheated on-site, such as macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes. One could also contribute desserts, cranberry sauce, a salad, and other dishes to make more of a potluck-style meal that comes together for the glorious diverse feast it is instead of burdening a single individual’s shoulders.
Guests are here! It’s always best to have something to munch on for those who can’t wait for the actual meal to commence, the toddler who needs to be fed immediately upon arrival and then again 20 minutes later, or the whole family to graze on while waiting for that one family member to finally show up so they can start eating. Nothing can kill the festive mood quicker than a hangry loved one. One of the easiest and awe-worthy ways of doing this is to create a snack board. The fun thing about boards is that although some have placed “rules” on them, it’s more of an anything-goes situation where goldfish crackers can thrive next to fig jam so everyone’s palates can be satisfied. There’s also no rule saying a dessert board can’t be done as part of the appetizers.
Turkey – there are so many ways to make it. Whether you’re going for an oven-roasted turkey, deep-fried bird, or trying the more complicated turducken route, this is arguably THE showstopper of the meal. It’s also one that is easily fretted over. You can do a dry run with a smaller bird or any aspect of the food beforehand if you are really nervous about the meal, although this does have its own drawbacks with high prices and leftovers before the day itself. Choose a recipe you feel comfortable with and go for it.
Then, focus on the sides which is what most people seem to enjoy more than the turkey itself. Whether you’re a sweet potato with marshmallows family or the family that eats the cranberry sauce straight out of the can, make sure you’ve got plenty of favorites for people to enjoy. This is where experimentation may be fun with a few sides that are tried and true alongside a new recipe or two.
Fine Cooking Thanksgiving Cookbook
The Instant Pot® Holiday Cookbook
The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook
Let’s talk dietary restrictions. This can be intimidating for even the most confident of chefs if they’re not used to cooking in this manner. Luckily, grocery stores now stock diet-friendly foods and cookbooks abound for those that need to or prefer to avoid specific food items. There are diet-friendly options from veggie trays to altered recipes that can be done by any beginner to a seasoned chef. There’s no need to let this trip you up as you’re planning, but do make sure there are a few options. No one wants to attend a party with a plethora of foods they can’t eat that look scrumptious while eating the one thing they can stomach.
Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Celebrations
How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook Collection
The Complete Plant Based Cookbook
While some may love all of the foods above, from marshmallow-covered yams to mashed potatoes drowning in gravy, my personal favorite part of Thanksgiving is dessert. Every year I make a pecan pie, a pumpkin pie, and maybe something else depending on what is requested. Although pie seems to be the seasonal favorite, there are a lot of other desserts you can do to impress your family. Some may be interested in a full slice of pie or three, while others may prefer smaller bites to nibble on or even return back to long after dinner is over.
Good Housekeeping the Best-ever Cookie Book
Whether this is your first Thanksgiving or your 31st time to host, give yourself some grace when it comes to Thanksgiving Day. Things will inevitably go wrong, and you’ll need to pivot. Your family dog will steal the turkey off the counter. You’ll come into the kitchen to find 3 of the kids sitting around a pie with spoons. (I definitely wasn’t one of those kids, but that dessert was delicious). Someone shows up unexpectedly causing your food ratios to be off and you’re left wondering if you’ll even get to try that pie. There’s a reason so many holiday comedies exist, even if they’re not centered around Thanksgiving. Deep breath, no matter what happens, it will be a Thanksgiving to remember, to celebrate, and to enjoy – even if it may take a while for the humor of it all to set in.
Add a comment to: How to Host a Rave-Worthy Thanksgiving Dinner