Halloween is just around the corner and we can’t be more excited about that. However, as all good things come to an end very quickly, perhaps it’s a good idea to start planning for the next big day of the year – Thanksgiving. It’s maybe not the time to start preparing for Xmas and put our Xmas spirit on (Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Xmas is You” playing in the background) yet, but let’s try and organize a perfectly cozy and comfortable Thanksgiving dinner party. Take a look at our tips and try to find some to make this year’s dinner party different, original and thus best than ever:
The planning process
So, you are here because you need some help planning this great night. The first thing that you need to do is write down all the ingredients that you have to buy for the dishes and drinks so that you don’t forget something. Moreover, make a list of guests and if you have time you can always print out some original invitations you will hand out. Unless you want this Thanksgiving dinner party to be a regular one – in other words, a night that will be forgotten a couple of days later, you need to put some effort into carefully choosing the decorations for the table, so that everything looks perfect. In order to have everything under control, it would be best if you started the planning process at least two weeks before Thanksgiving.
The (basic) decoration process
The colors that you want for Thanksgiving dinner are orange, yellow, red and brown, but make sure to put a bit of green there as well. Some of the most beautiful table decorations are branches of holly which you can pick out somewhere, put them in nice glass jars and place them in the center of the Thanksgiving buffet table. You can also choose apples, quinces or red berries and scatter them all around the room and the table. If you want your dinner to be picture perfect, make sure to pick a white cloth, as all photographs look better this way.
The menu-making process
Let’s focus on the most important things of the night – the menu. The key to a good feast is variety so choose as many different kinds of fruit and vegetables you can. First impressions really do matter, so choose good appetizers. Depending on who you’re going to invite, you can either opt for some vegan finger food, regular finger food, or mini sandwiches and brochette. Make sure to have different soups for the openers and a killer main dish – you can find online many great recipes for turkey dishes. And lastly, don’t forget to satisfy the needs of all the people who have a sweet tooth. The best would be to choose a pumpkin pie made in the traditional British way. It’s super yummy and definitely something all of you will love.
The drink selection process
It could be a great idea if you make a Thanksgiving dinner party with a twist. Apart from serving regular alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, you can also opt for a cocktail party. This is a very original idea as well, since there are hundreds of cocktail recipes that you can find online and serve them. This will definitely make your dinner party much more memorable and unique. Based on the menu you chose, do a bit of research on what the best cocktails for the food you selected are, and present them to your guests. It is definitely a different experience when you drink cocktails that match perfectly with the food you’re eating.
The (extra) decoration process
If you have time and want to go the extra mile, you can choose to add different decorations to the dinner party. Here you can go totally crazy, especially if you’re original and imaginative. One of the best decorations for a Thanksgiving dinner are dishes that are labeled with nice, leaf-shaped yellow, orange and red labels. If your guests have children, try to set a different table for them. This way, not only will you make sure you can talk over the dinner, but give the children the impression they are big enough to be sitting at a different table. To engage them even more, you can substitute the white tablecloth with a paper one and let them draw something while they’re eating.
The organization of a Thanksgiving dinner party doesn’t have to be painful at all. If you make a list and carefully plan every single detail, you’ll save yourself so much time but still be pretty successful in hosting the coziest and most original Thanksgiving party of the year!
