4 Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner in an Apartment

The end of the year is definitely a busy, family-oriented time. Once Halloween passes and the decorations are taken down, Thanksgiving becomes the main subject of discussion. With plans of either going to visit relatives, or having a family dinner in your own home, being fully prepared for this holiday is a must. And living in a rental often requires some additional preparations. Below are some tips to help you host a Thanksgiving dinner to remember.

Seating preparations

Chances are that living in a rental, you don’t always have a long table and a bunch of chairs laying around. However, a Thanksgiving dinner involves hosting your family – and sometimes friends – which means your living room will more than likely serve as the dining area. For this reason, it’s a good idea to have a folding table and folding chairs. They are easy to store and a much cheaper alternative than refurnishing your entire apartment. You can even dress them up with a nice tablecloth, seasonal table decorations, and colorful cushions for a special-occasion look. Also, try to make use of your couch, armchairs, or any other seating areas you have in your home to make the best use of the available space.

Borrow what you don’t have

Preparing for the holiday dinner can cause many people to spend more than they need to on things that they don’t use regularly, such as a roasting pan, decorations, and dinner plates. Even the chairs and folding table can be borrowed, unless you know you’ll be needing them another time. So, ask your relatives to help you with the roasting pan. As far as decorations go, something simple, like a colored tablecloth and some candles can do the trick. The dinner plates too, unless you have enough in your home, try to find the best deal and don’t look at the super fancy, overpriced ones- plain white dinner plates will work just fine. Alternatively, this is another detail that the relatives could help with – perhaps those who hosted Thanksgiving dinner last year.

Potluck time!

Cooking for a large group of people is not only costly; it’s also time consuming. For everything to be fresh and warm, chances are you will be cooking right up until the moment that you begin eating. Given Thanksgiving is a holiday meant to be spent with family and friends, make sure to spend most of your time doing just that – so, organize a potluck. Have everyone bring something to the get together- not only will this help everyone to feel more involved, but you might even get a new recipe or two. Also, don’t feel like you have to buy an entire turkey. Depending on how many people you’re feeding, turkey legs or half a turkey might be more than enough.

Make it kid friendly

Regardless of whether you have kids, it’s important to be aware of your friends’ or relatives’ kids by making sure they enjoy the dinner as much as their parents do. For instance, having some games or paper and colored pens available can be real life savers. And if they get bored, having a kids’ movie ready to go can help pass the time. When it’s dessert time and you’re worried that pie filling might get all over your place, cookies might be another option to help keep things less messy.

Thanksgiving dinner is a great occasion to spend time with your loved ones. Don’t stress too much about everything being perfect because chances are it’s not going to be. Just enjoy the time with family and friends, don’t stop yourself from trying all of the food, and remember the things that you are grateful for!