Tips for a Successful Last Minute Thanksgiving Gathering is one of the first posts I penned here on At Home With Grace blog. It’s fitting I started with an event planning post because I am VERY enthusiastic about planning and hosting (and decorating). I couldn’t begin to count the number of private and corporate events I have executed over the years. Birthdays, baby showers, conventions, graduations, holiday gatherings, and weddings… so many wonderful occasions. I am sharing these tips again with you ahead of the holiday 2022 season.
Whether you're a regular reader or you stumbled upon my blog searching for guidance, these time (and time again) tested tips can help you pull together and pull off a successful gathering.
Tips for a Successful Last Minute Thanksgiving Gathering
You’ve chosen or been nominated to host a last minute Thanksgiving gathering. Time is not your friend. Here are my tested tips in order of how I pull together last minute gatherings.
First: Location
Decide where you will entertain and feed guests, first. Be sure the space can accommodate all your company and don’t forget about the bathroom(s). In my home, it’s typically my open floor plan dining and living room area with a guest bathroom conveniently nearby.
If you have little indoor space but live in a warm area with more outdoor space, consider dining al fresco, if the weather is pleasant. Some residential complexes rent their furnished clubhouses to non-tenants for a fee. This can be great in a pinch if you find an available clubhouse.
Second: Food and Drink
Selecting the type of food and drink to serve comes second to location in my planning process because it needs to be appropriate for the location. Hors d’oeuvres aka finger foods or appetizers, are ideal when seating is limited or nonexistent. If this is the case for the location of your Thanksgiving gathering, select seasonal hors d’oeuvres and desserts that can be easily eaten without being messy or requiring a knife and fork to cut into pieces.
Presuming you aren’t having a catered plated dinner, a multi course thanksgiving meal with turkey or an alternative main dish, side dishes and desserts are best served buffet style or family style. If you are unfamiliar with family style dining, it is simply when the dishes are served directly on the dining table and passed from one person to another. I especially love family style dining for intimate gatherings of 8 or less.
Third: Menu
Coming up with the menu is my favorite part of hosting a gathering with selecting tableware coming in a very close second. Usually, there is one dish I already know I want to prepare and from that one, I chose delicious simple things to accompany it. I personally go to my Pinterest boards and scroll through the two-thousand or so recipes I’ve pinned over the years for menu inspiration. At the same time in the notes on my phone, I start a list of all the recipes that interest me and edit it down as I formalize the menu. I type a grocery list of what I need to purchase below my menu so it’s easy to refer back to. This helps to not forgot any key ingredients when you go shopping.
Another great way to get menu ideas and inspiration is to Google topics like ‘simple Thanksgiving appetizer’, easy side holiday dish, or make ahead cocktails. The internet is rich with food sites and recipe focused blogs.
If you will be doing all or some part of the cooking, I highly recommend creating a timeline in your notes of specific times each dish on your menu will be prepared and cooked or chilled. Shout out to my high school home economics teacher who taught me this in practice in tenth grade!
Frozen Turkey takes days to safely thaw in the refrigerator depending on its weight. If you menu plan for turkey last minute, check with your local grocery store or butcher to see if they offer fresh refrigerated turkey for purchase.
If you have no time to cook or chose not to, contact your local grocery store and/or favorite restaurants for their seasonal offerings. Many in my area offer a la carte dishes to complete meals that can be picked up the day of your event. You may have to mix and match from several places this way depending on availability close to the holiday.
A good rule of thumb for how much to serve is 1 lb. of turkey per adult.
Fourth: Serving Dishes and Tableware
Serving dishes and tableware can range anywhere from heirloom china to simple yet elegant disposable pieces. Take inventory of what serving dishes and tableware you own and decide which pieces will work and what if anything you need to purchase.
Set out the serving dishes and tableware before your Thanksgiving gathering to make sure they fit where you plan to have the food and drinks. You may need to adjust the placement of your pieces on your bar or table to fit the space.
This is a step well worth taking. I find it way less stressful to rearrange empty pieces before hand then when you’re trying to put food out with company arriving.
I often go for a mix of my own serving pieces with beautiful disposable tableware for gatherings at my home. I theme my tableware with my events and this can get costly purchasing traditional tableware making disposable a great option. And also (mostly) because I loathe washing dishes. Loathe.
Amazon is my go-to for its large selection of party supplies that arrive quickly and with minimal effort on my part. Notice a theme here? When the gathering is over I don't want to spend more time cleaning than I did planning.
I think it’s important to remind you here you’ll need figure out where guests will dispose of their used items and liquids.
Fifth: Finishing Touches
Finishing touches like mood music, candles, flower arrangements, or signature cocktails are the cherry on top of a successful gathering. You can’t go wrong with instrumental versions of popular songs. I plan to have instrumental Christmas classics playing and fire in our fireplace for an upcoming brunch in December with some of my colleagues. You know your company best so add finishing touches that suit your company and Thanksgiving gathering.
I enjoy sharing with you all and I wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving 2022!
Until next time, Xoxo, Grace
Originally Published 11/17/21
Updated 11/09/22
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