Lessons learned from hosting 35 large-scale Thanksgiving dinners


11 Mistakes to Avoid When You're Hosting Thanksgiving and 10 Things to Look Out For If You're Having A Small Involvement in Childrearing
My family hosts Thanksgiving dinner every year, and I've learned a lot about hosting from these events. There have never been fewer than 20 guests present and often more than 30. As hosts, we've learned from certain mistakes made throughout the years, even if they're just minor hiccups in planning or execution.

Don't tamper with success

On Thanksgiving, warm comfort reigns supreme. Your guests are probably looking for a taste of the familiar. It's fine to stick with what works if you know your visitors enjoy good old-fashioned sausage stuffing. On Thanksgiving, aim for broad crowdpleasers at all costs.

Perform the baby math

How many people will you need to seat for your Thanksgiving dinner? A baby is not the same as a 10-month-old or a busy toddler. Don't be scared to inquire whether your niece requires a high chair or a regular chair. You don't want to have too little food on the table because you believed half the kids were still bottle-fed.

Regarding pets, be realistic

Even the most well-behaved dog will lunge at morsels dropped from guests' forks on the floor. Cats can easily gain access to any surface containing green bean casserole. If you have animals that cannot be around human food, it is best to send them somewhere else while you host your gathering.

Be explicit about what you want your guests to bring

"Let me know what I can bring!" may appear to be helpful, but it really adds to the host's workload. "Oh, just bring anything you want," results in 65 napkins and 39 bottles of wine. This is an excellent approach to make your visitors feel appreciated and to make Thanksgiving meal feel like a team effort.

Make a strategy for oven space

A week before Thanksgiving, try placing all of the pans and baking dishes you want to use into a cold oven together. Remember not to let the pans touch, as this can cause hot spots and burns. Because things can get hectic in the kitchen, you should politely decline any guest's offer to bring a dish that requires attention at the stove.

Keep everyone out of the kitchen

On Thanksgiving, even the largest and most beautiful house kitchens will seem a bit cramped. The goal of a host is to keep kitchen traffic to a minimum while maintaining optimal maneuvering space. The solution: Keep everything that guests might require out of the kitchen. If possible, arrange glassware on a sideboard.

Make it plain where the waste may be found

Our garbage cans are often hidden away in small drawers and cubbies in the twenty-first century. You can simply place extra garbage cans in each room for maximum convenience. You can always keep a large garbage and recycling bin on your porch.

Begin the celebration with an empty dishwasher

The less cluttered your countertops are, the more at ease you'll be when you open your door to the guests who are about to destroy your home.

Keep the kids occupied (and mess-free)

They'll ruin your carpet and hardwood by hardening into miniature cow patties that are dangerous to dig out from the floor with your fingernails. Stick to crayons or colorforms, which can only be broken into so many pieces and still manage to amaze children today.

Make a buffet

Convert your kitchen counter into a buffet station, allowing guests to grab a plate and go straight to the baking dishes. This saves you the trouble of washing additional serving ware, but it also allows people to relax once they've been seated. A buffet allows any of your less mobile guests to stay out of the way while someone else prepares their plate.

Remember what is truly important

Dinner is never going to be exactly planned, so don't be concerned if you're not seated at the same time. Some people may still be making their way to the back of the buffet line as others finish their first dish. Some visitors may slap a turkey sandwich together with one hand while sprinting after their children. It's genuine hospitality at its finest.

#Thanksgiving #Buffet #Dishwasher

SOURCE: thetakeout

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