The Ultimate Thanksgiving Hosting Guide

We absolutely love hosting! Thanksgiving is no exception, and we’ve done it enough to have some tips. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or just a small intimate gathering, we have some info we are so excited to share to keep your guests raving and comfortable in your home.

Thanksgiving Hosting Necessities

Obviously there are things about hosting that are certainties; cleaning, stocking bathrooms with toilet paper, etc. I have a few things I like to do to make my parties special, and these things create the mood for when your guests first walk through the door!

• Smells: Who doesn’t love to walk into a home that smells delicious? 
  • In bathrooms, I like to have a diffuser going (I don’t like leaving lit candles unattended). I use this diffuser. There are an array of essential oils you can use, but my favorite is classic eucalyptus. It smells fresh and clean!
  • In the kitchen and living area, I love having a really good smelling candle lit (supervised, of course!). My favorite for hosting are scents that aren’t overpowering but still smell like home. I’ve been buying this bread candle for the last 5 years! It smells like a bakery (but not sweet) and just adds a touch of ‘home’ to your party.
• Speaking of bathrooms- you know what I don’t like? Communal towels for hand drying. I like to put these paper towels in my guest bathrooms. They feel cleaner than a wet rag 10 other people have used!
• Another bathroom tip: have some amenities ready to go. Dental floss, mouth wash, even some hairspray is a nice touch.
• Have an area for handbags, coats and shoes. Make this easily accessible to your guests. Nobody wants to go in your master bedroom by themselves to get chapstick out of their purse!
• “Alexa, play Marc Antoine”. Have music playing when your guests arrive to fill the conversation voids. I LOVE creating playlists for parties. I do a new playlist for every party I have. My go to when I just want background music? Marc Antoine. He’s a guitarist from France with super easy listening instrumentals that are vibrant and don’t take away from conversation.

Hosting Product List:

• Monogram Hand Towels
• Bathroom Guest Book
• Mouthwash Holder
• Bathroom Amenity Holder
• Bread Candle
• Welcome Sign
• Diffuser
• Eucalyptus Oil
• Marc Antoine on Amazon Music

Setting the Table: Guide to Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

What to serve (besides turkey!)  is an entirely different blog post. We’ll just go through how to serve your meal, and whats most convenient for you and your guests.

• Buffet style is best for a crowd. You can have everything set out, and your guests can serve themselves without bumping elbows and casserole dishes at the table.
  • If you go the buffet route, having some warmers make things way easier on the cook. Here is a warming mat to keep dishes warm. You can also use this 3 piece chaffing dish (perfect for say- sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and gravy or stuffing!).
• Have silverware prerolled into napkins. You can tie little thank you notes on them, or even little favors if you want to get fancy. Each guests grabs a roll, and off they go to sit where they please.
• Real plates, glasses and silverware look the nicest. Pro tip- rent them if you don’t have enough. It’s surprisingly inexpensive and  makes such a difference in a table setting. Google party rentals near you and rent at least a month in advance!
• Serving utensils! Every year I go to host, I never have enough. $10 will get you a pack to last a lifetime of both slotted and regular serving spoons.
• Hosting kids? These coloring page placemats are so fun and will keep the littles sitting on their bottoms so the grown ups can enjoy their meal! Put out a bucket of crayons, and go to town.
  • Another options is butcher paper. Line the entire table with it and let your guests draw their hearts out. Little games are fun too. Bonus? You can just roll it all up when you’re done and toss it. Underneath is a perfectly clean table.
• Party poppers aren’t just for Christmas! These Thanksgiving party poppers are perfect for guests of all ages.
• I love me a fun napkin! Leftovers are for Quitters printed on these gives everybody a giggle.
• Host a turkey dinner winner! These turkey themed scratch tickets are super fun. Whoever wins either gets a prize, or clean up duty.
• LEFTOVERS. Big topic. Thanksgiving Dinner Goers from near and far love leftovers. I’ve devoted a whole section to dishing out leftovers below, but I linked these here too. Scroll down for a variety of options!

Thanksgiving Serving Product List

• Warming Mat
• Buffet Warmer
• Serving Spoons
• Dutch Oven
• Thanksgiving Party Poppers
• Thanksgiving Coloring Placemats
• Butcher Paper
• To Go Containers
• Tiered Appetizer Riser
• Leftovers Are for Quitters Napkins
• Turkey Scratch Off Tickets
• Thanksgiving Leftover Tins

 

Thanksgiving Leftovers: How to Send Them!

Leftovers are the center of the Thanksgiving holiday. The only bummer about not hosting is not having leftovers. We went to a family friends house last year and she had takeout containers ready for everybody to dish up to take some home. It was great! I’ve scoured Amazon for the best leftover container options. Even little cups for gravy and cranberry sauce to go!

Thanksgiving Leftover Container Product List

• Give Thanks To Go Set
• Thanksgiving Leftover Boxes
• Cupcake Boxes
• Plastic Deli Containers
• 6 inch Cardboard To Go Boxes
• Circular Thanksgiving Leftover Containers
• Sauce Containers

 

A Few More Ideas:

• Get your guests comfortable in the conversation.  Here’s a free printable with some fun ice breakers. Everybody draws one and it gets the conversation flowing! Use them at the dinner table, during cocktail hour, or dessert.  Some are quirky, some are fun, some are insightful.
• Hosting a smaller group? Skip the full turkey, and opt for a turkey breast roll! They slice up beautifully and don’t take nearly as much effort as an entire bird.
• Making everything feel a little daunting? Host a Thanksgiving potluck. Everybody signs up to bring sides, and you as the host just supply the bird! Use Evite, or SignUpGenius to stay organized on who is bringing what. 
• A signature cocktail is always fun. Here’s a Thanksgiving Margarita recipe!
• If you want to display a menu, here’s a template to use.

Wishing you the best Thanksgiving! May your turkey be plump, and your pants be stretchy!!- Kathi and Rachel

The post The Ultimate Thanksgiving Hosting Guide appeared first on Laughing Spatula.