How to Host a Thanksgiving Dinner

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: November 25, 2024

Thanksgiving inspires thoughts of large gatherings of people you love, warm candlelight and, of course, absurdly delicious food. This Thanksgiving, don't let the fact that you are hosting stress you out and ruin the excitement of this time of year. wikiHow is here to guide you through the art of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Planning Your Party

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1
Find out who is planning on coming. This means inviting your guests at least a month in advance. Call and find out who will be attending and if they plan on bringing any guests. Make sure to find out if your family or friends are bringing their kids. Knowing how many people are coming is really important. It would be horrible if the big day came and you only had enough food to feed half your guests. Family gatherings are generally a little tense--a shortage of food might invoke all out warfare.
- If you want to get a little fancy, send invitations out to your guests. You can buy invitations at the store, or you can make your own. Your guests will be impressed that you took the time to do so (and will get even more excited about your dinner.)
- Reader Poll: We asked 167 wikiHow readers how they preferred to respond to an informal dinner invitation, and only 4% of them said an in-person conversation. [Take Poll]
- If you do choose to send out invites, make sure to give clear instructions on how to RSVP to avoid any awkward in-person conversations.
2
Create a menu. While we all know Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for everything we have, we also all know that the great food may occasionally overshadow the original intention. After all, who doesn't love friends and family gathered around some really fantastically mouth-watering creations? While most families put their own flourishes on traditional dishes, or even add non-traditional dishes, here is a list of some recipes to get you started^{[1]
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- Learn how to properly roast a turkey. For weeks now, you’ve probably been bombarded with images of golden birds sitting on beautiful tables. Well now you too can create your own golden bird.
- What would a turkey be without stuffing? Check out this link to make some delicious bread stuffing.
- Another T-Day staple is mashed potatoes. And while you’re at it, why not check out how to make some awesome gravy?
- Add a splash of red to your plate with cranberry sauce. Who knows, maybe you’ll even get a little crazy and take a bite of cranberry, turkey, stuffing, and potato all at the same time! (Hint: It’s delicious.)
- And lets not forget dessert. Go for the gold medal and make a selection of pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie.
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3
Consider doing a potluck-style Thanksgiving. Just because you are playing host this year doesn't mean you have to slave away over a turkey, 12 side dishes and five pies. Plan out what you think you can handle (say, the turkey, three side dishes, and a pie) and then ask your guests to bring other items (particularly, sides, desserts, and, of course, bottles of wine.) Ask each family member/friend to pick the dish they will be bringing and tell you at least a week before Thanksgiving (so you can make the extra items people won’t be bringing.)^{[2]
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- If you are planning on doing a potluck-style Thanksgiving, you may consider creating a spreadsheet (or at the very least a list) for yourself so that you can keep organized about who is bringing what.
4
Do your shopping. This step is not limited to the ingredients for your dishes--it also means getting a new, fall-themed tablecloth, picking up an extra set of cutlery, or just buying decorations you think might be nice around the house. Plan ahead, and prep as much as possible beforehand to avoid chaos and fatigue on the day of your holiday.
- Tips for food shopping: Go through every recipe you are going to use and write down the items you don’t already have (or at least think you don’t.) Then, go through your cupboards and make sure you actually don't have that packet or allspice or that one yellow onion. You may be surprised by what you find when you dig deep. You should also keep in mind that getting perishable goods like apples (for that awesome pie you're going to make) are best bought the day before Thanksgiving.
- Tips for supply shopping: Make a list of everyone who will be in attendance. Go through all of your china and cutlery and make sure everyone will have: a dinner plate, a dessert plate, a bowl, a fork, a knife, a spoon, and a glass. You may also want to check up on the number of your wine or champagne glasses. If you find you're short on some items, go pick up what you’re missing from your local home furnishing store.
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Decorate your house and table. While you don’t have to do this a month in advance, you also shouldn't wait until the day before the dinner because there are more important things to be done the day before Thanksgiving, like baking pies. While you don’t need to get too crazy with the decorations, a few cute touches here and there won’t hurt. Here are some ideas^{[3]
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- Decorate your front door. Buy some decorative squash and place them outside your door or arranged in a basket nearby. (This is also a good way to use that pumpkin you never got around to carving.) Hang dried corn on your door (they come in amazing crimsons, maroons, oranges, and golds.)
- Decorate the dinner table. While the food you will masterfully create may be decoration enough, you can also give your table some extra flair. Buy a cute fall-colored tablecloth. Put some candlestick holders on the table, complete with beautiful orange candlesticks.
- Put little touches of fall around your house. Consider placing a bowl of fall-colored M&M’s on the coffee table, or fall-colored candles in strategic places around the house.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

The Day Before Thanksgiving

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Start cooking the day before Thanksgiving. This is particularly important if you are planning on baking pie(s). This is also a good time to make sure you have all the supplies and ingredients you will need--turkeys and pumpkin pie filling will be hard to find once the holiday arrives!
- If you decide to cook everything the day of, make a plan as to what will go in the oven when. Most of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes get baked in the oven, so you will need to plan a coordinated attack. Find out which recipes take longer to cook and put them in first.
- Note that usually a turkey needs 3 days to thaw in advance.
- If you are dry aging your turkey, which is essential for crispy skin, add an additional day of prep. If you are brining it, dry or wet, you will want an extra day as well.
- Overcooking is the most common reason a roast will dry out, so be careful. Keep it uncovered until the roast reaches desired doneness and let it rest for 15 minutes after removing from the oven. This allows the juices to redistribute and prevent all of the juice from leaving the roast when carving.
2
Set your table. While your guests won't be arriving until the next day, it is still extremely helpful to set your table the day before. Make your dining table as long as possible (time to break out that additional piece) or bring in an extra table if you simply can’t fit everyone at one table. Bring in all the chairs and place all the plates, napkins, cutlery, etc. on the table, spacing each setting out so that the guests won’t be bumping elbows every time they go to lift a delicious bite to their lips.
- If you happen to know which of your guests are right handed vs. left handed, keep that in mind when setting the table. Placing a rightie next to a leftie will result in two guests smacking their elbows together all dinner long.
While this is not necessary, having flowers in the house is always a nice touch. It’s important to buy them the day before your dinner because if you buy them before then, they might wilt. Pick out bouquets that are fall-themed for an extra lovely touch.
No one likes to be invited to a messy house, so tidy up the day before and make sure everything you won't need for the dinner is stored away. If you are short on time and need help with cleaning, get a family member or hire a cleaning service to assist.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Thanksgiving Day

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1
Put the turkey in the oven. Turkeys generally take three to four hours to cook, so plan accordingly. While your turkey is cooking, finish making the rest of your side dishes and desserts. If your guests are arriving at 4 pm, put the turkey in around 12:30 or 1 pm. That way, when your guests arrive the house will be filled with the delicious smells of roasting turkey and your turkey will be essentially done.^{[4]
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- When your turkey is done, you will have to carve it. Learn how to do that here.
This means putting out any last minute place settings, making sure there is enough beer and wine to go around, etc. One important thing to check is that you have enough serving dishes (if you don’t plan on serving your items directly out of the dish they were cooked in.) Ceramic pots with lids are a great way to store things like mashed potatoes and stuffing, while keeping them hot at the same time.
If possible, get a friend or family member to arrive early with appetizers. (Think light fare like cheese and crackers, olives, some nuts, etc.) Feeding your guests appetizers and providing them with drinks will promote mingling in the living room and will allow you an extra hour or so to finish up your last dishes.^{[5]
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Ask everyone to take a seat or set it up so that all of the dishes are in a line and each person can serve him or herself. Enjoy the meal!

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Question

How do you prepare turkey in advance?

Ollie George Cigliano
Private Chef & Food Educator
Ollie George Cigliano is a Private Chef, Food Educator, and Owner of Ollie George Cooks, based in Long Beach, California. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in utilizing fresh, fun ingredients and mixing traditional and innovative cooking techniques. Ollie George holds a BA in Comparative Literature from The University of California, Berkeley, and a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from eCornell University.

Ollie George Cigliano

Private Chef & Food Educator

Expert Answer

Plan about 5 days ahead when it comes to prepping your bird. Get your turkey in advance, allowing it 3 days to defrost (if it's already frozen) in the fridge. If you're dry aging your bird, add an additional day; if you're brining (dry or wet), give yourself an extra day of prep as well.

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Can I host Thanksgiving dinner as well as a football viewing party in my man cave?

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Of course! Lots of people have simultaneous dinner/football viewing parties on Thanksgiving. Just plan ahead for how you want to time things so that people aren't cooking or eating during the games (unless you don't mind people eating around the TV).

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Can I make mashed potatoes the day before?

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Yes, you can. Just store them in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave when you're ready to serve them.

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Tips

Be sure to check to see if anyone at your party has allergies to any of the food.

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If you want to make a side dish the day before, you should then heat it up in your microwave.

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Be as organized as possible. Know how long each dish should take to cook, which ones should be put in first (like the turkey), and which ones can be cooked right at the very end.

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