Home Ready For Thanksgiving Dinner

Home Ready For Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving table setting

Now that it’s November, Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. If you are planning on having a Thanksgiving dinner this year, there are a few simple steps you should take before Turkey Day to keep things going smoothly. Whether you’re hosting the whole family or keeping it simple, follow our guide to get ready for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Make side dishes in advance

Side dishes Thanksgiving

You don’t want to cook the turkey the day before, but dishes like stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes can be prepared a day or two before the big day and kept in the refrigerator in the meantime.

Picture about bon appetite.

Sharpen your kitchen knives

to sharpen a knife

You don’t want to start carving the turkey and find that your knives are boring. Sharpen all of your kitchen knives before someone shows up hungry so you don’t have to worry about slicing and dicing once the cooking process starts.

Picture about bon appetite.

Get your china and cutlery ready

clean china polish cutlery

Like sharpening your knives, this is one of the steps that can be done about a week before your guests arrive. Cutlery always looks its best when it has recently been polished. And if you’re planning on using that china set that’s tucked in the back of your closet, be sure to dust it off before you serve Thanksgiving dinner.

Would you like to buy a new porcelain set for this year? Check out our guide to modern porcelain sets for the holidays.

Image via Dillards.

Get some Thanksgiving decorations

Thanksgiving table setting

Now that Halloween is over, replace pieces with a more welcoming atmosphere with spooky decorations. You can keep the pumpkins, but consider swapping out the ghouls and ghosts for something more suitable for a family dinner. And don’t forget to decorate the table too. Autumn motifs such as leaves, candles and foliage are ideal as table accessories.

Image via Elle Decor.

Blow up the wine

Wine Thanksgiving

Whether you and your guests prefer red, white, or sparkling wine, you should make sure you are ready to break open a bottle of wine as soon as dinner is served. And this is a department where you shouldn’t skimp on quantity. While no one will mind if you run out of green bean casseroles, if you run out of refreshments, you will have some unhappy guests on your hands.

Picture over time.

Convince your guests to bring something to eat

Guests side dishes food

Why not delegate a little bit to your guests since you will be doing most of the work? Don’t trust anyone with the turkey, but plan something ahead and ask guests to bring some side dishes. Just think about whose cooking skills are where before you start handing out requests.

Image about country life.

Get the guest room ready

Thanksgiving guest room

If you have guests spending the night, or if your guests tend to have an extra glass of wine, make sure your guest room is ready. Provide fresh linens and towels and some extra toiletries.

Image via HGTV.

Seating arrangements

Seating order place cards

Make sure you know exactly how many guests are coming in advance so you can set the appropriate number of table settings. You can even add business cards to each setting if you want to keep opposing political views apart. And if you run out of space in the dining room, consider a kids’ table!

Image about country life.