To add this infographic to your site, please copy the embed code from the above box and paste this code on your site.Hosting Thanksgiving at your home may seem like a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. In fact, with a little planning, you can host a memorable Thanksgiving without giving yourself more work than you can handle. Start your planning early, so that you have plenty of time to work out the details. This will also make it easier to handle the unexpected, like changes in the guest list.
Guest ListThe first thing you must do before deciding on whom you will invite to your Thanksgiving celebration is assessing how many people you plan to invite. If you want to have a big celebration with lots of people, figure out the approximate number of people you can fit for dinner. Then make sure that you have (or can arrange for) enough seating to fit everyone. For a smaller group, space probably won't be an issue.
Photo by muir_woods, sxc.hu
Once you've figured out how many people you want to invite, you can then invite whoever you'd like to. You can have a big family dinner with your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., or you could choose to invite friends over for Thanksgiving. You may even want to combine family and friends. People make plans for Thanksgiving pretty early, so make sure you invite people to your celebration as soon as possible.
InvitationsThere are several methods to choose from when sending your Thanksgiving invitations. The first is the tried-and-true method of buying premade cards to send or hand to people. Any store that sells greetings cards should have a variety of Thanksgiving-themed cards available for purchase. You could also create your own invitations. Another option is to invite people through e-mail. You can find fun, animated invitations on websites like
www.evite.com. Of course, you can always invite people face to face or over the phone.
Image by www.csuchico.edu
Once you've invited your guests, you can start setting up your home for your celebration. Decorating using a harvest theme will help set the traditional Thanksgiving mood, though you don't have to be traditional. It's up to you how you want your home to look. As the day approaches you should start arranging tables and chairs, especially if extras will be necessary to accommodate a large party. Finally, you'll want a clean and uncluttered kitchen so you can handle all of your Thanksgiving dishes.
Remember to use proper table settings. Use the diagram to the right to help you remember where each item goes. You can exclude any glasses or utensils that you won't be using.
Delegating DishesYou can make hosting Thanksgiving much easier on yourself by asking all of your invitees to bring a dish. This saves one person the hassle of doing all the cooking themselves. Ask people if they have any special Thanksgiving dishes that they'd like to share. Accommodate people's wishes as much as possible, but make sure you assign any specific dishes that you want for your party. If you're having a traditional Thanksgiving turkey, you may want to cook it yourself because it may be difficult for someone else to transport a large cooked turkey to your home. Don't forget about dessert. You might want to give this responsibility to the invitee with the best baking skills.