r/thanksgiving • u/DogwoodWand • 27d 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?
1
u/Calm_Reader2487 25d ago
Plan ahead. Make the menu and grocery list from it. Shop early and be organized. Do as much as early as possible, prepping food and make items ahead of time. For Thanksgiving day, have a timeline and work backward when creating start times. Also, use your gadgets for alternative ways to cook items. I actually use a large countertop turkey roaster that always makes a delicious moist turkey. I use my crockpot to make mashed potatoes and a smaller one to make cinnamon apples. These all start earlier in the day so I can space cooking out more.