Create an Insanely Fun Friendsgiving Dinner

I love Thanksgiving and look forward to creating an unforgettable experience for our guests. These entertaining tricks will help make your Friendsgiving insanely fun and easy to create. If you missed the article in the Living Magazines here you go! Plus photos for some inspiration!!!

Plan Ahead

• Set your table in advance. Make the dining table part of your seasonal decor. Choose a theme and shop your home first before purchasing items for the table.
• Design the menu based on the number of guests attending and shop in phases. It is much easier to stay organized when you shop twice rather than make one huge haul.

            Here is my rule of thumb when shopping for a party of 10
1 12-14lb Turkey (more if you want to send home leftovers)
    2 Appetizers
    1 Green salad
    2 Vegetable sides
    2 Starchy sides
    1 Sweet side
    3 Desserts
    6 Bottles of wine
​     Beer and Hard liquor based on your guests preferences. Why not surprise them. This means you need mixers as well.  Or you could create a signature drink which adds a unique touch to your theme. Think hot buttered rum, caramel apple sangria, or cranberry mint water.

•       Gather your serving bowls and place a post-it note in each with the name of what you will be serving.

Photo by Country Living

WOW Your Guests
    The kids table is THE place to be. Make it inviting, fun and as equally special as the head table. Last year we created a turkey stuffed with popcorn for the kids to “carve” and covered their table in butcher paper, drew place settings with a sharpie and set the table with bright plastic dinnerware, and ball jars with plastic lids and straws. This year a hot chocolate charcuterie board will be the centerpiece for the kids table. In the meantime, this beautiful Hot Cocoa Buffett awaits guests until Thanksgiving. 

 

Use place cards. There are many inexpensive ways to make guests feel welcome by creating personalized place cards showing them to their special seat at the table. ​These were soooo simple. A roll of wide burlap, a hot glue gun, library tags (found in the scrapbook section of your favorite store) and pretty handwriting is all you need. ​

To learn more about this tablescape add your questions or comments here or email us at restorationharmonyhomes.com

BTW--I can't not mention this custom table. We sell them in our Mercantile and use Melissa's creations in our design stages for our flip houses. She is remarkable and reasonable. If you want a custom piece let us know. 

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    Carve out a large pumpkin and fill it with ice to chill your wine.

   Plan a Game Day! Yes, Football is a Thanksgiving tradition but for those who prefer an alternative gather several board games for some friendly competition. We recently discovered Code Names and love it! And I just bought Hunt a Killer. I know the name sounds horrible but I think it will be fun with a bunch of teens! I'll let you know. 

    Send guests home with a party favor. I like to have a pot of mulled spices on the stove during Thanksgiving. Adorn glass jars filled with mulling spices with a ribbon and directions like these from Country Living. They are easy to create and smell amazing!  You can find pre-made mulling spices on Amazon or at World Market.

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Our friends and family are a blessing. Here’s to creating a Friendsgiving they won’t soon forget! Cheers from our family to yours!