Thanksgiving Guest Gameplan

How to Keep Your Guests Occupied Before the Main Event

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, and of course, food! But while everyone is eagerly waiting for those sumptuous sides and turkey dinner to be served, it’s essential to keep your guests engaged and satisfied with some delectable snacks. When my family wanders into the kitchen too early, we end up serving dishes that look like spoonfuls have been taken out of them, and I find myself frantically smoothing out and rearranging the mashed potatoes to make them look presentable before putting them on the table. If this sounds familiar, don't worry. We have a solution!

Easy Appetizers to Get the Party Started

When choosing pre-dinner snacks for Thanksgiving, it’s best to go for quick and simple options that won’t fill up your guests too much. Here’s a short list of easy appetizers that hit just right. We like to serve appetizers that aren't too carb or protein heavy so guests can keep snacking without spoiling their appetite for the main feast! This is especially helpful if your Thanksgiving dinner is more of a late lunch or early dinner and folks have skipped lunch to make room.

• Veggie Platter: A colorful assortment of seasonal vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes, accompanied by hummus can give your guests a fresh, healthy nibble.

• Cheese Board: A selection of cheeses, wafer thin crackers, and some grapes are always a great idea. To keep things light and fall-colored, I like to add small tangerines.

• Stuffed Mushrooms: These small delights can be prepared easily ahead of time and baked just before your guests arrive. Stuff them with goat cheese and herbs to pack a punch!

Ideas for the Helpful Guest

If you have some guests who like to stay busy and enjoy being helpful, why not put them to work? Here are some ideas for light tasks they can tackle:

• Setting the Table (ask the creative guest): Have a guest with a good eye? Ask them to help set the table. Since I love doing tablescapes, I generally do most of the work before anyone arrives, but sometimes I'm still running a load of dishes and haven't gotten the glasses or silverware on the table. I like to set up one place setting completely and ask my helpful guest to replicate it. This is a huge help since we usually have at least 15 guests at our table. I also put them in charge of lighting the candles and any other last minute aesthetic tweaks that help set the mood.

• Preparing Drinks (ask the chatty guest): Guests can shake and serve cocktails so that everyone has a delicious drink in hand. Sometimes we keep it simple with premade cocktails that just need to be chilled with a good shake. This is a fun job for social guests to kick off the evening. Premade drinks also don't require any bartending skills and the drinks are perfect. I love the pre-made Palomas and pre-made whisky cocktails.

• Keeping the Timeline On Track (the perfectionist guest): I often have guests who never cook, but are very organized and helpful. I love to ask them to set and track the timers for getting dishes into and out of the oven on time. Once that is finished, I also ask them to put serving spoons or forks out near each dish. I try to make things easier by placing a sticky note with the time and temperature on each dish, and they can take it from there.

Keeping your guests entertained and satisfied before the Thanksgiving feast can be delightful--especially when folks are fed and making themselves useful with tasks that play to their strengths. After all, this is the Super Bowl of meals and it takes a village!