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How to Host the Perfect Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Writer's picture: Christy McCallumChristy McCallum

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest family holidays of the year—and maybe the most delicious. There's nothing like the after-dinner food coma that evening and knowing you have leftovers to get you through breakfast, lunch, and dinner for days.


Still, Thanksgiving is much more fun if you're not the host or head chef. If the hosting baton has been passed to you this year, and it's your responsibility to prep your household's feast, we know your first instinct is to panic. It always feels overwhelming and very stressful. There are a lot of details that must be pretty synchronized.



Know Your Limits

The first rule of thumb is to know the limits of your home and not invite more guests than you or the house can accommodate. Most importantly, establish arrival and departure dates and avoid inviting friends and family for an open-ended stay. If you can't handle guests for more than a week, don't be shy about setting limits. This puts everyone on the same page and avoids surprises.


Pre-order Your Thanksgiving Feast All Ready to Bake

Curating a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner menu filled with classics like sweet potatoes, decadent stuffing, green beans, and pumpkin pie takes skill and lots of preparation. Then, there is figuring out the order in which everything should be cooked. Plus, if you want to have Thanksgiving appetizers and festive fall cocktails on deck for your guests as they wait for the big meal, that’s another additional task to add to your plate. Although the holidays can be a great time to flex your impressive culinary skills, you may just want to kick back with a hot toddy this Thanksgiving and have someone else take the reins.


Ordering Thanksgiving dinner from Fireside Catering Co. is a great way to free up time you can spend with family and friends to play Thanksgiving games and participate in Turkey Day activities – it's a win-win!


Offer Drinks on Arrival

So guests don't feel like they have to forage for food the minute they arrive, be sure to supply them with snacks and beverages on a tray.


Make the Bathroom Guest-Ready

And don't forget to spruce up the bathroom. Simple indulgences like fresh flowers and candles make guests feel welcome.


Set the Table the Night Before

Not only will this give you significant peace of mind when everyone shows up at your house, and your table is ready to go, but it’ll give you a chance to identify if you’re missing any flatware, glassware, plates, etc. Then you can ask a guest to bring a few backups or rent some (more on that later.) Most importantly, it’s one less thing to think about on the actual day, so you can focus on food, drinks, and spending time with your peeps. For Thanksgiving, I like to set name cards at each place setting—it elevates the table to special occasion status and allows you to get strategic with who’s next to whom


Chill Wine Quickly

If guests arrive way too early (or you just need a glass after a long afternoon in the kitchen) try this trick for cooling your bottle fast: Wrap it in a damp dishtowel or paper towel and stick it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also submerge your bottle in an ice bath with salt.


Keep Guests Satisfied Until Dinner

For mid-day munchies, offer a charcuterie tray, fruit platter, and a couple of warm chip-and-dip combos to keep everyone satisfied until dinner. Also, be sure to have ample bottled water so guests can grab and go.


Hit up the Rental Company

My first real job was catering for Marriot in Downtown Portland, and I quickly learned that renting glassware and silverware is the most incredible thing ever. For one thing, if you’re hosting a big group, who has 20 forks and knives lying around? But the real key to this one is in the clean-up. Just imagine the feeling at the end of the night of loading all those dirty wine glasses into a crate and putting them in your car to drop off the following day. Bliss!


Have Fun

The holidays are about being grateful for what you have—even if the turkey is burnt and the tablecloth is a mosaic of stains. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and take note of funny stories or Thanksgiving wishes to share at next year's dinner.

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Peter Pastrell
Peter Pastrell
Nov 28, 2022

I had a totally stress free Thanksgiving thanks the the amazing meal you prepared for us. My kids and I loved it and I would recommend Fireside Catering for great food.

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Christy McCallum
Christy McCallum
Nov 28, 2022
Replying to

Thank you Peter! So glad you and your family enjoyed your Thanksgiving Dinner and I'm happy we were able to make it totally stress free! 😉

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