Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner in Your Apartment? Follow These 11 Tips to Make It Easy and Fun
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Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together and enjoy a delicious meal. But if you’re a renter living in a small apartment, you may be wondering how to host a Thanksgiving dinner party without feeling overwhelmed.
We browsed all the guides that we could find and made a list of helpful recommendations for hosts living in apartments. So, follow these tips to make hosting Thanksgiving in your rental a success and delight guests.
Get your hosting Thanksgiving plan ready
The key to hosting a successful Thanksgiving dinner party in an apartment is to plan ahead. Actually, planning ahead is the key to success whenever you are hosting an event or aiming for a particular goal in your everyday life. So, start by making a guest list and deciding what dishes you want to serve. Once you have a plan, you can start shopping for ingredients and making arrangements for your guests.
Clean your apartment
Speaking of plans, one of the top things on your to-do list is to prepare your apartment for your guests and for the holiday seasons, in general. Not sure how to do it? Save some time for deep cleaning and decluttering your rental apartment. This will help freshen the air and make your home feel more inviting while also making room for all of the food and drinks.
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Get strategic with your guest list
Carefully curate your guest list with your space limitations in mind. For a studio or one-bedroom apartment, keep it intimate at four to six guests maximum. Let guests know it’s tight quarters so they come prepared for some coziness. Depending on how much time you have, you can even create a digital invitation to send via messaging apps.
Prep ahead with recipes
Save yourself time and stress by tackling recipes you can make one or two days before like cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pies or casseroles. Prepare a detailed game plan for what dishes to make the day-of so things run smoothly. Have a bowl of fruit punch or eggnog ready, so everyone can grab a glass as they walk in. That will keep them busy, and you’ll be able to finish your cooking. Since food is a big part of hosting Thanksgiving, we created a separate list of tips on how to nail it. Find it below.
Strategically cook and store dishes
Careful scheduling is important because you want all the components to come together on time. Since your space is limited, use those stackable cooling racks your mom gifted you years ago that you forgot about. Insulated bags and your (or a neighbor’s) fridge are great for storing side dishes as you prep them. Another great tip for hosting Thanksgiving is to use disposable dishes and utensils. This will save you time when cleaning up afterwards. Choose compostable plates, so you won’t have to worry about recycling them.
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Ask for help with hosting Thanksgiving
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your friends and family. They may be able to help you with everything from cooking and cleaning to setting up and decorating. You can also ask your guests to bring a dish to share. This is a great way to reduce the amount of work you have to do and to ensure that there is a wide variety of food for everyone to enjoy.
Create multi-purpose areas
When hosting Thanksgiving in a small rental apartment, you might need to get creative to make things work — and fit. So, make it a priority to use every inch of your apartment space efficiently. Your living room can be the dining space and your hallway can double as a cooking prep area. Invest in a quality blow-up mattress to accommodate out-of-towners.
Set the mood with decor
Make your apartment feel festive with easy DIY decor. Use fall foliage, mini pumpkins and candles to adorn your tablescape. You can even string up cute twinkle lights or garlands around doorways and windows. Play relaxing instrumental music to keep the vibe mellow.
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Style your “table” creatively
Maximize every square inch for seating. Use a compact folding table alongside your coffee table topped with boards to create a long one. Cover with a tablecloth to conceal the mishmash. Place candles and greenery as a centerpiece to tie everything together beautifully.
Another option is to set up a buffet — everyone can serve themselves and you won’t need extra chairs. If space is even more constraining, you could also set up two or three smaller tables. You could have one in the living room and another in the dining room or the balcony, especially if the weather is nice.
Send guests home with leftovers
With limited fridge space, you can prevent excessive leftovers by sending guests home with their favorite dishes or drinks. Transfer extras into reusable containers at the end for easy take-home packing. It’ll make for an effortless cleanup and a zero waste Thanksgiving.
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Be flexible
When hosting Thanksgiving, keep an open mind and open heart. Let go of high expectations and the pressure of making everything perfect. Things don’t always go according to plan, especially on Thanksgiving Day. If something unexpected happens, don’t stress out. Just roll with it and enjoy the time with your loved ones.
Extra tips for cooking when hosting Thanksgiving dinner in a small apartment:
- Use your oven wisely. If you have a small oven, you may need to cook some of your dishes in batches.
- Use your microwave. The microwave can be a great way to quickly heat up side dishes or to cook appetizers.
- Use a slow cooker. The slow cooker is perfect for cooking large cuts of meat or to make stews and soups.
- Don’t be afraid to use shortcuts. There are plenty of shortcuts you can use to save time when cooking Thanksgiving dinner. For example, you can buy pre-made stuffing or mashed potatoes.
- Buy the appetizers — or at least some of them — ahead of the event. This also helps save time when hosting Thanksgiving.
Conclusion
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, always remember to plan ahead and cook ahead. Also, to make things easier for you, ask for help and have a couple of friends over early so they can help with decorations and setting up the table. It’s alright if you still have food in the oven by the time your guests arrive. Just make sure you have drinks to offer them and some appetizers on the table. In the end, Thanksgiving is about gratitude, so make sure you give thanks for the life you are living and the wonderful people that are part of it.
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Alexandra Both is a senior creative writer with RentCafe. She has more than six years of real estate writing experience as a senior editor with Commercial Property Executive and Multi-Housing News. She is a seasoned journalist, who has previously worked in print, online and broadcast media. Alexandra has a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Community Development.
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