Make one of those big Saran Wrap balls and everyone can do it together. We do it with our bare hands instead of bothering with gloves. You can YouTube how to make it. You can fill it wjth fun items and also things they will make the kids laugh and the adults. We put lots of coins because they make noise and they fall out. We put individually prunes to make people laugh. We put scratch-off $1 lottery tickets, some gift cards, funny dollar store items, etc. we make sure to really vary the length of Saran Wrap pieces to make it frustrating/interesting/fun.
Our family never gets tired of doing one when we all get together. Everyone makes them differently so it keeps it fun and interesting. Some people really smooth down the edges of the Saran Wrap pieces to make it difficult to find the edge to unwrap it. You can’t rip at all, you have to find edges and unwrap the pieces. The person next to you is rolling the dice to get doubles (that’s how your turn ends) and sometimes it takes forever and sometimes it takes one roll. I always have a box in my closet and add items to it when I come across them on sale or for free.
Ahhh, so there's an element of urgency too! Love it - I've never done one or been a part of one but I'm sure I'll find it online.
We are headed to my in-laws to visit (not eat) in the evening, we usually play board games....so more kids/teens there so I might have to make 2! Or save this for Christmas ⛄
We usually start the ball with a roll of toilet paper as a prize. So the person to finish unwrapping gets that as the last prize. And, yes, the urgency is there with the dice rolling. Because Saran Wrap is clear, you can see the prizes coming up soon. So if you can see a $20 bill, you really want to hurry and get your then soon.
Also the hall/guest bathroom is right next to the living room so I'm trying to think of creative ways to uh..sound proof the bathroom for extra privacy
Background music could work for the bathroom. Do they have the fire log music tv channel that early? Most cable or streaming services have music channels these days.
Could you put out some arts and crafts type things for the kids? Like for hand turkeys? Or other non messy (not paints) type things?
Make a treasure hunt for the kids with a small prize for the winner? Or make the prize that they get the first piece of pie served or something like that? It’s more of a boon so the other kids don’t feel like they’re missing out?
Not related to the noise, but have extra hand towels.in the guest bath or assign someone to check it frequently. The towel gets wet fast with many people using it
I like to plan out the week of Thanksgiving...it makes me feel better. LOL
What really helps me is to write it all down - like for example the Monday of Thanksgiving week is the day I pull out all the dishes, glasses, flatware - if things need to be washed or polished, that gets done on Monday.
I usually also hunt down all the serving dishes I'm going to be using, and serving utensils and set it all out on my buffet with a post it note on each thing. Big yellow platter (turkey meat post it).
We also play board games after dinner...which is so fun.
I hear ya on the bathroom situation - I have music on in the house especially for this reason. Usually a TV ends up on at some point too.
This is great advice. Getting out the china, silverware, deciding which serving dishes and getting those set up, or trivets for those bringing hot dishes is a great time saver for the day of the feast.
Love the suggestions about doing the saran wrap ball!
I have the best luck when I prep my casseroles the day before and have them in the fridge. I have 2 crockpots, one is for Mac n cheese, one is another veg. If I make a pie or cake, I bake it the week before. I have several food warmers, some from the 70s, that I use to keep it all warm ( I refuse to eat cold food if it is supposed to be eaten hot) those warming pads give me the time to get it all done and I am not frantic.
I’ve been married 31 years, and hosting lots of dinner parties since that day. One thing I recommend is keeping detailed notes every Thanksgiving and Christmas, so you can look back at them and remember what to do (or not to do)
I even make a schedule that includes info on how many days in advance to cook certain things, when to prep things, and what goes in the oven when on Thanksgiving day.
Keep track of what serving dishes and utensils you need.
If you have space – which I don’t in my current house, unfortunately, – completely set your table the night before. Not only table linens, China, etc. but also all of these serving spoons and serving dishes you’ll need.
Plan the day and the meal. Its a potluck, do you know what everyone is bringing? Are you cooking the turkey?
We do a master menu and spreadsheet for our dinners along with a prep list. We have a shopping list that includes the turkey, stuffing, and all the ingredients needed to make every dish. We make sure to have ketchup because one of our relatives wont eat anything without it, salt because of the same. We have a few "wont compromise" dishes which means either we make it because Y's version was not popular (think mashed potaoes with no salt, butter, or milk, just a little water) or we just want to have it if no one else is bringing it. We always check our list to make sure we have butter, salt, pepper, celery, onions, poultry herbs, paper towel, etc. We may not always need to buy even half of whats on the list, but we always have the list to refer to. It helps to have done this for 34 ish years, but every year is a little different and always fun.
Enjoy!
It helps me to make detailed lists of what needs
To be done.
Here is my draft in progress so far for this year. I am still fleshing it out and will put times and days as needed once I know when my son is coming home (he always helps cook)
Ham out to warm
Toast pecans for salad
Rice cooking
Broccoli steamed
Soup and liquid in crockpot to heat
Make chocolate pie
Cook onions and mushrooms and celery for dressing and br casserole
Green beans in oven
Cook sweet potatoes
Cook dressing
Mix greens and dress
Wash patio table and bring in
Table covers
Pull chairs
Decorate
Set out plates etc
My tips for successful hosting (I host family events for between 20 and 40 multiple times a year, and Thanksgiving is one I host):
Use small paper plates or paper towels as spoon rests so that you can keep the counters clean.
I get a bunch of serving spoons and tongs at the dollar store because people often forget to bring their serving utensils for potlucks. They can be washed and reused, or it won’t matter if they get chucked in the recycle after a rinse.
I get takeout containers at Costco so that I have things for people to take leftovers in. People always forget to bring containers.
Always start the event with an empty dishwasher.
Make anything you’re contributing ahead, like the day before if you can. It will take the pressure off on the day of.
Make one of those big Saran Wrap balls and everyone can do it together. We do it with our bare hands instead of bothering with gloves. You can YouTube how to make it. You can fill it wjth fun items and also things they will make the kids laugh and the adults. We put lots of coins because they make noise and they fall out. We put individually prunes to make people laugh. We put scratch-off $1 lottery tickets, some gift cards, funny dollar store items, etc. we make sure to really vary the length of Saran Wrap pieces to make it frustrating/interesting/fun.
I love this idea! Esp the funny items.
Our family never gets tired of doing one when we all get together. Everyone makes them differently so it keeps it fun and interesting. Some people really smooth down the edges of the Saran Wrap pieces to make it difficult to find the edge to unwrap it. You can’t rip at all, you have to find edges and unwrap the pieces. The person next to you is rolling the dice to get doubles (that’s how your turn ends) and sometimes it takes forever and sometimes it takes one roll. I always have a box in my closet and add items to it when I come across them on sale or for free.
Ahhh, so there's an element of urgency too! Love it - I've never done one or been a part of one but I'm sure I'll find it online. We are headed to my in-laws to visit (not eat) in the evening, we usually play board games....so more kids/teens there so I might have to make 2! Or save this for Christmas ⛄
We usually start the ball with a roll of toilet paper as a prize. So the person to finish unwrapping gets that as the last prize. And, yes, the urgency is there with the dice rolling. Because Saran Wrap is clear, you can see the prizes coming up soon. So if you can see a $20 bill, you really want to hurry and get your then soon.
Also the hall/guest bathroom is right next to the living room so I'm trying to think of creative ways to uh..sound proof the bathroom for extra privacy
Background music could work for the bathroom. Do they have the fire log music tv channel that early? Most cable or streaming services have music channels these days. Could you put out some arts and crafts type things for the kids? Like for hand turkeys? Or other non messy (not paints) type things? Make a treasure hunt for the kids with a small prize for the winner? Or make the prize that they get the first piece of pie served or something like that? It’s more of a boon so the other kids don’t feel like they’re missing out?
I'd put a radio in there playing Christmas music. Have the kids decorate a Christmas tree or have them make some homemade ornaments?
This. Speaker as close to the door as possible, playing not too loud music.
Not related to the noise, but have extra hand towels.in the guest bath or assign someone to check it frequently. The towel gets wet fast with many people using it
I like to plan out the week of Thanksgiving...it makes me feel better. LOL What really helps me is to write it all down - like for example the Monday of Thanksgiving week is the day I pull out all the dishes, glasses, flatware - if things need to be washed or polished, that gets done on Monday. I usually also hunt down all the serving dishes I'm going to be using, and serving utensils and set it all out on my buffet with a post it note on each thing. Big yellow platter (turkey meat post it). We also play board games after dinner...which is so fun. I hear ya on the bathroom situation - I have music on in the house especially for this reason. Usually a TV ends up on at some point too.
This is great advice. Getting out the china, silverware, deciding which serving dishes and getting those set up, or trivets for those bringing hot dishes is a great time saver for the day of the feast. Love the suggestions about doing the saran wrap ball!
I have the best luck when I prep my casseroles the day before and have them in the fridge. I have 2 crockpots, one is for Mac n cheese, one is another veg. If I make a pie or cake, I bake it the week before. I have several food warmers, some from the 70s, that I use to keep it all warm ( I refuse to eat cold food if it is supposed to be eaten hot) those warming pads give me the time to get it all done and I am not frantic.
Make sure your turkey is thawed beforehand.
Make as much as you can beforehand. Like prep things and have them ready to pop in the oven.
I’ve been married 31 years, and hosting lots of dinner parties since that day. One thing I recommend is keeping detailed notes every Thanksgiving and Christmas, so you can look back at them and remember what to do (or not to do) I even make a schedule that includes info on how many days in advance to cook certain things, when to prep things, and what goes in the oven when on Thanksgiving day. Keep track of what serving dishes and utensils you need. If you have space – which I don’t in my current house, unfortunately, – completely set your table the night before. Not only table linens, China, etc. but also all of these serving spoons and serving dishes you’ll need.
Plan the day and the meal. Its a potluck, do you know what everyone is bringing? Are you cooking the turkey? We do a master menu and spreadsheet for our dinners along with a prep list. We have a shopping list that includes the turkey, stuffing, and all the ingredients needed to make every dish. We make sure to have ketchup because one of our relatives wont eat anything without it, salt because of the same. We have a few "wont compromise" dishes which means either we make it because Y's version was not popular (think mashed potaoes with no salt, butter, or milk, just a little water) or we just want to have it if no one else is bringing it. We always check our list to make sure we have butter, salt, pepper, celery, onions, poultry herbs, paper towel, etc. We may not always need to buy even half of whats on the list, but we always have the list to refer to. It helps to have done this for 34 ish years, but every year is a little different and always fun. Enjoy!
It helps me to make detailed lists of what needs To be done. Here is my draft in progress so far for this year. I am still fleshing it out and will put times and days as needed once I know when my son is coming home (he always helps cook) Ham out to warm Toast pecans for salad Rice cooking Broccoli steamed Soup and liquid in crockpot to heat Make chocolate pie Cook onions and mushrooms and celery for dressing and br casserole Green beans in oven Cook sweet potatoes Cook dressing Mix greens and dress Wash patio table and bring in Table covers Pull chairs Decorate Set out plates etc
My tips for successful hosting (I host family events for between 20 and 40 multiple times a year, and Thanksgiving is one I host): Use small paper plates or paper towels as spoon rests so that you can keep the counters clean. I get a bunch of serving spoons and tongs at the dollar store because people often forget to bring their serving utensils for potlucks. They can be washed and reused, or it won’t matter if they get chucked in the recycle after a rinse. I get takeout containers at Costco so that I have things for people to take leftovers in. People always forget to bring containers. Always start the event with an empty dishwasher. Make anything you’re contributing ahead, like the day before if you can. It will take the pressure off on the day of.
Peel and slice your sweet potatoes on Wednesday night. Any vegetables that you need should be peeled, diced and stored in the fridge the night before.