If you’re hosting family or friends for Thanksgiving, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed right about now. Planning the meal, cooking the food, and making sure the atmosphere is comfortable and festive can feel like a huge task. Luckily, we’ve got your back. As long as you have the right tools and flatware, you can host a holiday dinner that will impress all of your guests (even the in-laws).
Check out our hosting Thanksgiving checklist for everything you need for a successful celebration:
Serving Utensils
Turkey, gravy, stuffing, green beans – Thanksgiving meals often include a lot of dishes. That means you’ll need plenty of serving utensils to help your guests fill their plates. Be sure to consider how many foods you’ll be offering (including any dishes guests might bring). Then, determine how many serving spoons, forks, and other tools you should have on hand. Keep in mind that foods like salads often require two spoons (or a spoon and a fork) for easy serving.
Flatware
No place setting is complete without flatware, and while you might think that forks, knives, and spoons are purely functional, that’s far from the truth. There are so many ways to get creative with your utensils, especially when you opt for stylish, unique designs. To create a holiday-inspired look, set the table with glamorous copper or gold flatware. Or, make a bold statement with a multi-color flatware set that encourages mixing and matching.
Serving Boards
If you’re planning to create a charcuterie board or display other hor d’oeuvres, you need a few serving boards. Not only do they act as a chic foundation for your cheeses, olives, and other finger foods, but they’re also easy to transport from room to room – allowing your appetizers to travel wherever the party goes!
Pro tip: mix and match serving boards with different sizes, shapes, and colors to make your table pop.
Serving Bowls
When it comes to your Thanksgiving menu, the sides are just as important as the main event. From mashed potatoes to roasted butternut squash, every dish deserves to be served in style. Elevate the presentation of your sides with bowls in a cozy copper finish. Even better if your bowls can be used for both food prep and display.
Don’t forget about the salad, either! Place your greens in a gorgeous wood serving bowl that doubles as a centerpiece for your table.
Tools for Seasonings & Condiments
Sometimes the smallest details make the biggest impact – that’s why it’s important to consider how you’ll serve dips, sauces, and seasonings, too. Small bowls are the perfect place to display cranberry sauce and artichoke dip, and themed salt and pepper shakers can add a festive touch to the table.
Cake Stands
The turkey may be the main event, but the dessert is often the star of the show. Give pumpkin pies, apple coffee cakes, and any other treats you whip up the perfect perch with an eye-catching cake stand. Going for a glam look? These stands are a great way to add height to your dessert table (and make sure your creations receive all of the compliments).
Festive Decor
No Thanksgiving celebration is complete without festive, fall-inspired decor. A few small pieces can add a subtle touch of seasonality without going overboard. It’s all about balancing a festive and fashionable aesthetic!
Decor items don’t just look good on the table – use them to spice up your kitchen (especially if it’s open to the dining room), living room, and other areas of your home.
Drinkware
Whether your guests will be sipping on wine with dinner or coffee with dessert, you need plenty of drinkware to hold their beverages of choice. We recommend choosing something versatile to ensure you can accommodate every drink request. For example, coffee mugs and copper tumblers can be filled with water, apple cider, sangria, or anything else guests might sip on. Plus, you can use them to enjoy hot or cold drinks, and because you can reuse them all day, there’s less to clean after (and more time to relax).
Barware
Last (but certainly not least), you need to stock up on barware. You might already have bottle openers and shot glasses on hand, but do you have the tools your guests will need to make their favorite cocktails? Instead of stressing about all of the different barware items you have to buy, make it easy by picking up a mixology set. Featuring a shaker, jigger, stirrer, muddler, and tongs, this kit is essentially a “bar cart in a box.”
Stock Up Now and Enjoy a Successful Thanksgiving Dinner
The secret to hosting a successful (and stress-free) Thanksgiving celebration? Starting your preparations as early as possible. This is especially true this year – with major shipping delays and supply chain issues, it’s crucial to shop early and give yourself plenty of time to get ready before the big day.
Ready to start planning your perfect Thanksgiving? Find everything you need to set the scene for a memorable holiday at cambridgehome.com. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for inspo and tag us in your tablegrams!
