In a perfect world you'd be able to sit down and plan your Thanksgiving Dinner party, but that's not always possible. Whether you have a month or a few days, you need to know a few things.
How much money can you spend?
Your budget will determine how many people you have and what food you'll be serving. Make sure that you're comfortable with the amount you're budgeting. Don't go overboard trying to impress people. Spending too much money will only cause you to have a stressful holiday.
What type of Thanksgiving dinner party?
Do you plan on having a small family gathering or do you want to invite a large group of friends and family? Do you want to just have adults or will there be a children's table? You also need to decide what time you'll be serving dinner. Some other decisions may include what you'll serve people who come over early in the day for the game or if you'll have people stopping by after dinner.
Who's invited to your Thanksgiving dinner?
After you decide who will be invited, you need to check if anyone has dietary restrictions. Your guests may be vegetarians, diabetics or may have food allergies. It's important to have something for everyone at your Thanksgiving dinner table.
What will you serve for dinner?
Taking everything you know about your dinner party and your guests, you'll need to make a menu. How will you prepare your turkey? Think about what you want and also any traditional foods that people may expect. Creating your shopping list at this time will also help you determine if you can purchase everything while staying within your budget. You'll also need to decide if you'll serve wine and decide how much you need?
How will you serve dinner?
Think about how you'd lay out your table. Do you have enough cutlery, dishes and glasses? Do you have table linens? Do you need to make place cards or will you let people sit where they want. How will you decorate the table? Are any of your guests sensitive to certain scents or allergic to flowers?
By answering these questions, you'll be able to make a plan that will have you prepared to host a Thanksgiving Dinner party. Thanksgiving can be hectic and stressful, that's why thinking it through can make things a little easier.
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