Photo credit Aria Studios — Photo credit: Aria Studios

As far as I am concerned, planning holiday gatherings is the perfect way to wet your chops for planning larger events… like your wedding. It’s how I got my start years ago and I am proud to say I picked up a lot of fantastic tips and tricks to make Thanksgiving a smashing success.

Now that we’ve just slid into November, it’s the perfect time to start planning! Below, I will share my favorite recipes, tips for planning out the necessary tasks, share some fun décor ideas and round things out with advice on how to set the tone once the party starts.

Plan the Menu

First things first! Let’s start by planning out the menu. I recommend doing this at least three weeks before Thanksgiving. You could start by diving into Pinterest for ideas, but I always find it helpful to start by making a list of ’must haves.’ Each family’s traditional dishes are different, so be sure to ask your entire household what their favorite dish is so no one is left out.

Once you start making your list, you may quickly find it is quite long… and slightly daunting if you are not a regular master of the kitchen. My best advice is to determine which dishes you want to make yourself, and then delegate, and outsource (I promise this is not cheating).

Need some ideas? Below I’ve listed out my go-to Thanksgiving menu.

Drinks

Before you go all out, I suggest assessing your crowd to determine what they are most likely to drink and then choose something that will pair well with Thanksgiving food.

Here is a link to some of my favorite Thanksgiving cocktail ideas.

If you need some help pairing wine with your menu check out this guide.

Beer drinkers in your household? Visit this site for some good suggestions.

Appetizers

Appetizers are 100% optional, especially when you have so much food planned for the main course. However, you and any early arrivals will likely need to nibble on something while you wait for the turkey to cook … especially if you are sipping on a cocktail or two. I suggest keeping it simple with something like:

A cheese or charcuterie board
Veggie platter

Main course

Next up is the centerpiece of the meal, the turkey! If you’ve never cooked a turkey before, don’t worry! It’s not as scary as everyone makes it out to be. My best advice is do some reading ahead of time so you can plan to avoid any common mistakes (forgetting to defrost it in time, not cooking it enough, over cooking it, etc..). Here is a great beginner’s recipe and guide. You can’t go wrong if you keep it simple!

Sides

Thanksgiving sides are hands-down my favorite part of the meal! With that being said, it is easy to get carried away and make every possible one you can think of. Again, I suggest you refer back to that ‘must have’ list and take it from there. Here are my ‘must have’ Thanksgiving side dishes along with some delicious and easy to follow recipes:

Mashed Potatoes - Mashed potatoes are a non negotiable at our house. Not only is this recipe simple to make, you can make it the day before and reheat right before serving.

Stuffing - I’ve had my challenges with stuffing over the years, but this recipe is the perfect balance of semi homemade to YUM.

Gravy - If you’ve never made pan gravy before, be prepared to feel like a master chef after trying this simple recipe. It’s a basic kitchen skill you can use for years to come and everyone will love you for it!

Cranberry Sauce - Cranberry sauce can certainly be purchased pre made, but if you want to feel a little ‘extra,’ I love this recipe! It’s easy to follow and you can switch up the zest and spices depending on what you have in the cupboard. I also love that this can be made several days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Side Dishes - There are SO many amazing veggie side dish options that it is hard for me to suggest just one. My best tip is to think about all the colors of the other dishes you have planned. As I am sure you’ve heard before, we eat with our eyes first. I typically opt for a simple green vegetable, like green beans. They take very little time to cook and you can simply season them with garlic and butter. Other vegetables side dishes I’ve made over the years include candied yams, roasted root vegetables (think carrots, parsnips, etc.), and butternut squash. Another important consideration is how much oven and/ or stove top space you have. There is nothing worse than planning a bunch of fabulous side dishes and finding it impossible to cook them at the same time.

Check out my Thanksgiving Recipes Pinterest board for some additional side dish ideas.

Desserts

Ok, I lied, DESSERTS are for sure my favorite part of Thanksgiving! I have a dear friend who says she has a whole other stomach for dessert on Thanksgiving...and I couldn’t agree more.

When it comes to baking as a beginner, pies can be tricky, especially when you live somewhere humid like I do. Over the years, I’ve found my three go-to recipes to cover all the important Thanksgiving dessert flavor profiles.

Apple - If you’ve never heard of it before, Dutch apple pie is a fantastic beginner apple pie. You can purchase the bottom crust from the grocery store and the top is a buttery crumble. Not only is it easier than making a traditional apple pie, but it’s even tastier!

Pumpkin - Next up is a dessert I learned about when I moved to Hawaii years ago. The first time I tasted it I was immediately obsessed and I now make it instead of pumpkin pie every year. Pumpkin crunch cake is not only the most delicious pumpkin dessert you will ever get your taste buds on, but it also falls into the ‘semi homemade’ category, saving you coveted time.

Pecan - Last but not least is my pecan pie bar recipe. The shortbread crust requires no rolling out and once it is baked, you can store it at room temperature for several days… and of course it is very tasty!

Create an Action Plan

Believe it or not, but producing a fabulous Thanksgiving meal takes time! Here is my quick guide plotting all the tasks out into bite sized chunks.

2 Weeks Out

Create a shopping list. If you are a huge nerd like me, I suggest you organize the list by the section of the grocery store. That way you can navigate all the aisles efficiently.
Read through all the recipes you’ve chosen and create a cooking timeline. Determine which items can be made several days ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated. Next, just like a restaurant, plan which dishes and ingredients can be prepped the day before (think baking pies and chopping vegetables). I love writing out my full timeline and posting it on the fridge. You can download my free template here.
Start planning out which serving dishes and utensils you plan to use. I always like to lay them out on the dining table to see how much room I have for decorations. There is nothing worse than not having enough room on the table for all the tasty food!
Order any food or décor you plan to outsource. Be sure to support your community by ordering locally whenever possible!

1 Week Out

Clean out your fridge so there is plenty of space!
Grocery shop.
Pick up the (non-perishable) decorations and start setting the table! Believe me, you will appreciate doing this ahead of time after spending all day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving!

2-3 Days Out

Start defrosting your turkey.
Bake all your desserts.

1 Day Out

Just like at a restaurant, prep and chop all your ingredients.
Make any side dishes that can easily be reheated.
Set out any final perishable decorations like flowers.
Chill your drinks.

Thanksgiving Day

Brew a big pot of coffee and start following your production schedule.

Decorate

As far as I am concerned, it’s not a holiday without a few decorations! With that being said, there is typically not a lot of space on the Thanksgiving dining table, so keep it simple.

If you’ve followed along in my timeline, you’ll remember I suggested laying out all the serving dishes for the menu you’ve chosen. It's always a good idea to use what you already have as the beginning inspiration for the rest of your design. Not only will it determine how much space you have on the table top to incorporate decorations, but it will also give you a direction to take with the colors and textures of the rest of the décor.

Place settings

When it comes to setting a table, I always get super nerdy about this! You don’t have to have a million and one pieces, but having all the necessary pieces in the right place sure does make a table look smart. Whenever possible I like to include the following:

Chargers or decorative placemats
Dinner plate
Salad fork
Dinner fork
Dinner knife
Teaspoon
Water glass
Wine glass

These might not all be typical things that you have in your cupboard. Instead of going out and purchasing all these items that you may only use once or twice a year, rent them from a company like Pacific Party Rentals! It’s so much more cost effective and they have a ton of awesome options for chargers, plates, flatware, glassware and linens! You can always arrange to do a pick up order a day or two before for everything you need. Another perk about renting is you don’t have to wash the rental items. Just wrap them up in the crates you received them in and the rental company washes them for you!

Linens

Depending on what type of table you have, you may want to consider a tablecloth as part of the décor for the table top. This is a nice way to coordinate or create contrast with your serving dishes and place settings.

In addition to a tablecloth, you will also need napkins for each place setting! I always love to add a pop of color to the tablescape through the napkins.

If you want some fun ideas on how to fold your napkins, be sure to check out this Pinterest board.

Decorations

Last but not least, don’t forget to incorporate some decorations! For Thanksgiving, a nice autumn toned flower arrangement is always a wonderful option.

Another timeless option is incorporating pumpkins and gourds. You can go traditional with natural colored pieces or get creative by painting them.

If you want to add a cozy feeling to the tablescape, candles are always a wonderful option.

Whenever possible, I always love adding a thoughtful element to the table décor when it makes sense. For Thanksgiving, incorporating cards or placemats at each place setting for guests to write down what they are thankful for would be a perfect ‘on theme’ touch.

Whatever you choose to decorate the table with, just make sure the decorations don’t get in the way or create unnecessary obstacles when dishes of food are being passed around the table.

Be sure to check out our Thanksgiving Décor Pinterest board for some great ideas!

Set the Tone

Communicate

As I mentioned before, delegating some of the tasks will make the job of hosting a whole lot easier. If you have members of your household helping cook certain dishes or decorate, be sure to share the production schedule with them ahead of time.

Make it fun

Whenever possible, I suggest playing music!

Here are two perfectly curated playlist, thanks to my DJ friend Crichton Uale (The Perfect Wedding DJs), to keep the energy going all day.

Remember your why

Pulling off your first Thanksgiving can be quite a production! With that being said, I urge you to give yourself grace and be mindful of what it is really about. As a host it is your job to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and has an opportunity to connect (including you).

I hope the tips and advice I’ve accumulated over the years serves you well! I wish you all the best this holiday season.

A Guide to Planning Your First Thanksgiving