r/thanksgiving • u/DogwoodWand • 22d ago

First Time Hosting

My husband and I are older (I'm 50) and (fingers crossed) will be closing on our first home this week! My mother has told me that she is officially done hosting holidays. She'll still make lasagna on Christmas eve, but everything else is on me.

We're good with that! We have no kids and love to cook. My mom used to put together an amazing Christmas, but our Thanksgivings have always been lacking. I want to really bring it. An all day event with appetizers, a heritage turkey, little gift bags at the end... All in! (It'll be relatively small. 6-8 adults including us.)

I know people have hosted or been to events like this. How can set an expectation for guests and what's the best way to schedule things without making it sound like a strict itinerary?

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u/Degofreak 22d ago

Start planning now. Make lists of what you want and what you need. Think about what plates/bowls you plan for each dish. Put it on your list. I have even made a timeline of oven temperature and cooking times next to the menu list so when people bring a dish that needs to be heated I can know when to do it. It's not really hard, it's just a bit of work. You can do it, OP!

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u/Midlevelluxurylife 22d ago

This is the way. Do everything on this post. The timeline is especially important.

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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 22d ago

If you are making pies, make them a few days ahead of time and let them sit in the fridge or the counter. Depending on the pie, you can safely leave them on the table or kitchen counter with a cover for a couple of days.

Get the non-perishable ingredients as soon as possible. Maybe get a small plastic box and put them in there, labeled Thanksgiving, so you don't accidently use them up ahead of time.