Holiday Hosting Tips

Hosting Thanksgiving, or really any holiday dinner, can be such an honor and so much fun, but it can be overwhelming to anyone who hasn’t done so before. As someone who has hosted or helped host Thanksgiving dinners for my family several times, I want to give you some tips for how to make your hosting experience as successful as possible.

Holiday Hosting 101

1. Have More Than Enough Seating, Food, and Place Settings

You will want to think through and confirm attendance for all the people who plan to come, including any plus one’s and children that might be present. Then make sure you have, or acquire, the needed chairs, tables, plates, silverware, glasses, and anything else you might need for place settings.

Also, knowing how many people are in attendance will be the easiest way to make sure you prepare enough food for dinner, which brings me to my next tip.

2. Create a Holiday Meal Menu & Delegate

Once you know who is coming, it will be easier for you to create a menu. Since you now know how many you are feeding, you will have a better idea for amounts needed for each item and hopefully what dishes people prefer. You can even work with others who are willing to help to write a list of what dishes will be served for your dinner.

Then once the meal plan is made up, you can delegate accordingly to willing helpers, so that no one person is cooking the whole feast.

3. Practice New Recipes Ahead of Hosting Time

If you found a new recipe you want to try for Thanksgiving dinner, do not make your guests guinea pigs. Instead, test out the recipe with just your family and see what you think. This way if you have any tweaks you want to make or it doesn’t turn out right, you don’t flop in front of everyone.

Also, it is best to know how long something will take you in real-time to cook up. By practicing beforehand, you will know the cooking process and what to prep ahead of time, which helps with the next step. An easy one to try would be the Easy Roasted Green Beans pictured above!

4. Before the Festivities, Make Ahead What You Can

When it comes to holiday dinners, the turkey, or whatever you main dish is, usually takes up the oven space for most of the day. Because of this, it is often necessary to make ahead some foods, so they don’t have to be made on that day.

In my opinion, the best dishes to make ahead are the desserts and any breads or sides that can be saved in the refrigerator or other space without spoiling. Another idea is to chop up what you can the day before to save you time when cooking.

Need an easy make-ahead dessert recipe? Try out the No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake shown below!

5. Take Out the Turkey & Chill the Cider

These need to be said because they have ruined Thanksgivings before now. I recommend taking the turkey out 2-3 days ahead of time, depending on the size of your turkey. You can place it in the fridge or in a cooler. This will allow it to defrost, and be ready for your attentions on Thanksgiving morning.

Another item to remember is to chill your sparkling cider, or whatever else you are drinking during the meal. You can even put pitchers of water in the fridge ahead of time for refreshments during the day. If you do this beforehand, it will be one less thing you have to think about when cooking. We do this with our sparking cider or with our Easy Thanksgiving Punch.

6. Slow Cookers Are Your Friend

When it comes to Thanksgiving day, or really any holiday dinner, slow cookers (or Instant Pots) can be so helpful! You can cook items like gravy, mashed potatoes, or green beans in the morning or early afternoon, and then the slow cooker will keep them warm until serving time. Personally, I love making the gravy in my Instant Pot, and then I put it on keep warm until we need it.

7. Coordinate Your Cook Times

It can be really hard to figure out how to get everything cooked on time. However, you need to attempt to create a kind of time schedule to help you plan what needs to get done and when. This will bring some order to your day and can really help you avoid overwhelm.

8. Give Yourself Grace for the Unexpected

There will always be the unexpected. Maybe the turkey takes forever to cook. Perhaps you have an unexpected extra guest. Whatever it is, try to prepare yourself mentally for this and give yourself some grace time in the schedule you create and be prepared with a few extra supplies as well. That way you are at least a little ready for any surprises that come your way.

9. Have Snacks & Drinks Prepped and Out

Everyone gets hungry and thirsty while they wait for the holiday feast, so it is best to have snacks and drinks on hand. These do not need to be anything fancy. You could grab some veggie trays or a meat and cheese plate from the store if you want. The best thing to do though is have them ready for when people start arriving, and especially handy for anyone in the kitchen to snack on while they cook.

10. Prepare Activities for Kids (or Kids at Heart)

Kids are just as excited to celebrate as adults, if not more so! The best thing to do is keep them occupied while you cook. Some ideas are puzzles, coloring books or pages, or even simple toys like block and legos. These allow their little imaginations to go wild and that means less interruptions for you. Need an idea? Check out my Thanksgiving Art Project for Kids.

I hope these tips help you as you host for the holiday season. These tips could definitely be used for any gathering that you have! No matter when you use these, I hope your dinner festivities go well and that you feel encouraged and equipped to host again!