We hosted our first Friendsgiving last weekend and by the end of the night both my stomach and my heart were completely full. I have been doing a lot more entertaining in the past year and have learned a few new tricks and tips along the way so I am sharing them here:
- Use your old uncarved Halloween pumpkins as table decor for any Thanksgiving or fall dinner party. You can also cut off the top of the pumpkin to make a cute floral centerpiece.
- If you invite friends who have babies/toddlers, try to provide a high chair or booster seat. I know from experience that it’s a LOT of work for parents of young children to get out of the house. Providing one last thing for them to have to bring over is a small gesture that goes a long way. You can find clip on high chair seats second hand for $10-$20 at consignment stores. We have two extra of these and keep them in our garage for when guests come.
- Also for guests with kids, a coloring sheet and a few crayons at their place setting is a nice added touch to the decor and keeps the kids busy while at the table.
- Prep all your dishes the night before/morning of so that way you can just pop them into the oven right before your guests arrive. Thirty minutes on the counter out of the fridge and then into the oven. This may sound pretty obvious but its worth it to stay up a bit later the night before so you can have extra time to relax and visit with guests at the party.
- For every 5 guests you need 1 appetizer, 1 dessert, and 3 bottles of wine. Double this amount for ten guests, 15 guests, and so on.
- Save money on table decor by using mason jars as vases and instead of napkin rings fold your napkins. I love this napkin folding tutorial from Pottery Barn.
- Put your pets in a bedroom or the back yard. Do not assume that all your friends/guests love animals as much as you do. Also kids and pets don’t always mix so this is just a safer option if you have little humans on the guest list.
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