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THANKSGIVING TIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME HOST

Thanksgiving is coming up fast and this year you have decided to host Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever.

While you may be excited, it is also totally natural to feel a little bit nervous.

Thanksgiving, after all, is a lot of work.

Thanksgiving themed table

THANKSGIVING TIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME HOST

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There are ways to host your first ever Thanksgiving dinner without too many roadblocks.

You just have to be organized.

And these Thanksgiving tips will help!

MAKE A LIST

And check it twice!

In order to be prepared for your first Thanksgiving dinner, you are going to need to have a plan.

The first thing you need to figure out is how many people you will have in attendance.

This will help you decide how much food to buy and what size of turkey you will need.

Then, figure out where everyone will be eating, what you will be making, and figure out what can be made ahead of time.

Make sure to write all this information down on a notepad or easily seen whiteboard to keep track.

SHOP IN ADVANCE

Don’t wait until the day before your get together to go shopping.

There are things you can purchase long in advance like flowers, wine, centerpieces, canned foods and more.

Doing this before the big day will reduce the amount of stress you feel leading up to the dinner.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE

There are so many side dishes that can be made ahead of time.

To reduce the run around on Thanksgiving Day, you can make the majority of dishes the day before and store it in the refrigerator.

In fact, you can even start chopping, measuring and washing ingredients the day before to save valuable time the day of.  Some even say the pumpkin pie tastes better Day#2!

Don’t forget to add the green bean casserole to your list!

Thanksgiving themed table

ACCEPT HELP

There is absolutely no shame in asking for or accepting offered help.

Having attendees help with simple tasks like folding napkins, setting the table or helping with clean up will make things a little easier on you.

After all, you need time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner too.

ENJOY YOURSELF

This can be easy to forget, but it’s your Thanksgiving dinner too and you should be able to enjoy yourself.

Don’t overburden yourself and make sure you find the time to truly participate in your own dinner.

Hosting Thanksgiving for the first time doesn’t have to be scary or overcomplicated.

Just make sure you make lists, shop in advance and prepare food items before the big day.

Keep in mind that there is no shame in accepting help or taking the time to enjoy yourself.

You may also like this post on HOW TO GET ORGANIZED FOR THE HOLIDAYS:

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