Hosting an event for your family can either turn out amazing or fiasco. However, with proper planning and execution, you can throw a successful party. The planning phase itself can be a problem if you don’t know where to start.
Lucky for you, today I will help you with the planning phase so that you can host the kind of Thanksgiving dinner that your family will always remember. Be sure to stick to the end and take notes since you’ll be needing them!
Get Your Guest List in Order
The first thing that you need to do is to finalize your guest list. This includes everyone in your family who is close to you, so you will have to list all of them down to invite them over to your place.
You may create a digital guest book using online collaboration tools, which are easily accessible through a reliable internet connection, like Xfinity Internet. This speedy internet connection will also help you send personalized digital invitations. Plus, you should plan your menu during this phase as well. If you wish to make things easier for yourself, you can also assign dishes to other family members.
Considering how you will need a Turkey in time, it is best that you order a Turkey as well so that it is delivered to your house just in time for your dinner. If you want to have some music in the background, you can also create a perfect playlist for your event.
Do keep in mind that all of this needs to be done at least two weeks before your Thanksgiving dinner.
Get to Shopping
You are going to need a lot of ingredients, so it is best to be prepared on time and avoid last-minute errands. You can leave this part to at least one week before your dinner. During this part, think of everything that you need and create an extensive shopping list for all the things. When you are done, just make a trip to the grocery store and buy everything.
Your work doesn’t just end here, you also have to get your decorations in order. You can bring ornaments to your home, or you can add something colorful to bring a pop of color to your house. This is also the part where you wash all your table linen to make sure that everything looks beautiful.
Flash Forward to Three Days Before the Dinner
Now comes the time when you have to start preparations for your Turkey. If your turkey is frozen, you leave it out to thaw before you can cook it. Remember that you need to give at least 24 hours for every 5 lbs, depending on what the overall weight of your Turkey is. This is also the time when you finally take out the dishes that you have kept for events only.
If you have any remaining groceries, then this is the time when you head out one last time to get your groceries. If you didn’t get them before, then three days earlier is perfectly fine for you to get your groceries.
A Day Before Thanksgiving
If you thought you could rest a day before Thanksgiving, then you’re mistaken. There are still some responsibilities you need to get done a day before Thanksgiving as well. While you can’t cook your Turkey just yet, you can make other dishes for your event now. This includes any kind of pie that you want to make and the sauces that you want with your Turkey.
This is also the part where you set your table and decorate it with fresh flowers to add an interesting touch to the dinner table. Remember to choose vibrant colored flowers so that they look delightful on the table. You should also chill the drinks that you will be serving the next day and restock the bar so that you don’t run out of booze.
On the Day Of Thanksgiving Dinner
When the day finally comes, you’ll still have a couple of responsibilities that you’ll have to fulfill. This mainly includes finally cooking the Turkey. You can look for online recipes for some of the best and most creative ways to cook a Turkey. Make sure to pair your Turkey with some really good sauce.
Pay extra attention to the stuffing and the gravy though, since both of them will be responsible for giving your Turkey that kick of flavor that everyone will be looking forward to! Also, remember to warm up the dishes so that everyone’s food is warm when it is served to them. Lastly, don’t forget the playlist since you’ll need a nice, homely feeling for your dinner!
A Few Bonus Pointers
You can always add fun variations to your menu since it isn’t necessary to only serve a Turkey on Thanksgiving. For instance, you can make a big Pumpkin Pie for your family to enjoy. If you feel like things get overwhelming for you, you may also order something and present it in such a way that it looks like you made it! There you go, there’s a life hack for you!
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