Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner Party Tips

If you've experienced the typical chaos associated with holiday dinner events and don't want to see it repeated at your home, you might appreciate some handy hosting Thanksgiving dinner party tips to reduce the stress involved. Being a host for a Thanksgiving dinner party involves far more than just cooking the right meals, it also requires you to be able to maintain order and keep guests entertained while you're working in the kitchen. With the proper planning and preparation, however, you can spend less time hassling over easily avoided problems and more time enjoying dinner with your friends and family.

1. Plan a few weeks ahead. This is by far the most important tip for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner party. You will want to know what food you need to buy as well as how many guests you will have. This can also help you save money by planning to take advantage of holiday sales.

2. Make out a guest list. A guest list will tell you how much food and how many tables and chairs you will need to have for your Thanksgiving dinner party. You may want to get extra chairs and another table just in case you have more guests than you planned for.

3. Plan to alleviate parking issues. If you're going to have a lot of visitors, see if you can arrange for carpools. This is especially important if you live in an area governed by a Homeowners Association, as they may give out tickets for an excessive number of cars by your house. Plus, your neighbors may also be having a big Thanksgiving dinner party.

4. Prepare activities for the young ones. Children at a Thanksgiving dinner party will require a lot of attention unless they are properly distracted. Have some games or children's shows planned out ahead of time.

5. Plan your party layout. You'll want to know where all your tables and chairs will go, ahead of time. Also have your best table settings ready at least a few days in advance. It won't hurt to set the tables a few times beforehand just to see how it will look.

6. Have snacks ready. If you want to keep guests away from the kitchen while you're making those last minute preparations, it is best to have a few trays full of snacks around. Be sure they have enough room left over for dinner, though.

7. Decorate. Having Thanksgiving themes around the house adds a special artistic touch to your Thanksgiving dinner party, especially if you have children coming. Electric candles, pumpkins and cornucopias make great decorations, as well as a few paper Thanksgiving turkeys hanging from the ceiling. Some Thanksgiving themed tablecloths, napkins and even plates will impress your guests.

8. Have drinks ready. Having drinks available ahead of the actual Thanksgiving dinner is a necessity. You'll also want to keep them stored in a cold place far off from your work area so no one will be getting in your way.

9. Prepare your dinner. You should start thawing out your turkey about three to four days before Thanksgiving Day. Actual preparation and cooking should start around seven to ten hours before dinner is actually ready, depending on the size of the turkey.

10. Keep a lot of trash bags ready. When the dinner party is over you'll have a mess to clean up, plus food scraps. You'll want to be able to sweep it all into a few trash bags to take out immediately.