Depending on who you ask, hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be both a huge privilege and a great hardship. Cooking a complete menu and decorating for the holidays gives you a sense of success that makes the work worthwhile. That’s true, even if it means spending days standing over the stove and scrubbing madly.
However, it takes some practice to become a competent host. Additionally, there are a few crucial pointers that you might just forget if this is your first time entertaining this holiday season. The specifics determine how well Thanksgiving goes.
Having spent her whole childhood in a hosting home and having prepared multiple Thanksgiving dinners by myself, I’ve learnt a lot about what to do and what not to do when entertaining. Here are seven common blunders made by first-time hosts that you may avoid.
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When guests arrive, snacks are not ready.
Possibly the most crucial hosting advice for Thanksgiving as well as afterwards is to always have food available as soon as the first visitor enters the house. The biggest culinary holiday of the year is being celebrated at your house, and people are coming. Why wait till supper is served to give them that happiness?
You can prepare a turkey cheese ball or a cranberry brie pull-apart bread as a festive starter. However, there’s no need to overthink it if you’re too busy with other things and lack the capacity for a complex app. A few blocks of cheese should be thrown onto a cutting board. Transfer some roasted nuts to a platter for presentation. Pull a bag of chips open. Have some kind of snack ready; it doesn’t need to be very deep.
Not Being Thoroughly Prepared Before Time
Thanksgiving dinner preparation is not a sprint but a marathon. Getting as much food done as you can before the day of your event is the best approach to ensure success.
Sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and cranberry sauce are just a few of the classic side dishes that can (and should) be made and put together days in advance.
Cleaning, decorating, and last-minute details will take up more of your Thanksgiving day than you anticipated. In order to devote sufficient time and effort to last-minute hosting duties, prepare as much of the food as you can in advance.
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Absence of a Batched Cocktail
Thanksgiving is more than simply a meal. Having a few bottles of wine on hand for dinner is a good idea (experts recommend one to one and a half bottles per person). Giving a minimum of one cocktail choice is worthwhile, though, preferably one which can be batch-prepared.
Theoretically, a lovely, festive cocktail created to order sounds wonderful, but picture managing bartending responsibilities in addition to kitchen management. I’ve made this error before, and I’ll never do it again. Try our apple cider margaritas instead, which are a big-batch recipe that can be made in advance. So that you may concentrate more on the meal, guests can help themselves and leave you alone.
Excessive Table Decoration
Decorating for the occasion is part of the fun of hosting. Fall flowers, autumnal candles, and themed linens all combine to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the holidays. And you could be tempted to go overboard if you enjoy decorating as much as I do. However, I beg you to restrain yourself, particularly with regard to your dining table.
Silverware, serving dishes, wine glasses, water glasses, and plates are just a few of the essential elements that must be present. Making your table resemble a department shop display should not be a waste of valuable real estate. Additionally, it’s crucial to keep in mind that floral arrangements and tall taper candles obstruct the view across the table, making it more difficult for visitors to celebrate together. Choose a lovely tablecloth, a few tea lights, and a few flowers in little vases instead. Don’t touch the gourds or the ornamental pine cones.
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Making Insufficient Food
Your best bet is to prepare extra food, regardless of whether you’re having a little party or a large feast. The absence of food, particularly a beloved side dish like mashed potatoes, is one of the few things that can bring a party to a complete standstill. We recommend preparing enough so that visitors can order seconds.
Having leftovers is hardly the worst fate. Why not distribute some as a farewell gift to visitors? Better yet, save them all and turn them into something new as a treat for hosting.
Lack of fun
Hosting Thanksgiving may be a demanding task. While some of these errors may complicate your day, a bad time is a surefire way to spoil your vacation. Don’t let the tension to consume you.
Did something go wrong with one of your dishes? Need to make adjustments for unexpected visitors? If you refuse to let these things ruin your dinner, they don’t have to.
Be kind to yourself. Take a moment to relax, sip a drink, and spend time with those you love instead of cooking. Since no party can ever be flawless, you might as well enjoy the chaos and have a good time.
Not Enough Delegation
Fellow control freaks, you must confront your concerns even if you are reluctant to assign some of the duties involved with hosting. Cooking Thanksgiving on your own is nearly difficult. A brigade must be organized to handle part of the duties.
Request that some visitors bring dishes from their homes. Assign your most trusted pals to handle some of the more complex cooking duties, such as carving turkey or mashing potatoes. Assign dish duty to others, at the very least (it should begin long before the dinner is finished, by the way). Thanksgiving dinner requires a village, so welcome any assistance you may get.