Since we moved into our new house, it’s become family holiday central. We have family travel in for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year for the big family meal. Some family members stay for the holiday weekend while others just come for the day. When everyone is present, we have 20+ adults and children in the house.
It’s great fun but it can also be an awful lot of work. We have found some tips, tricks, and products that help ease the work. **This post contains affiliate links.**
Upfront Planning
Keeping a good headcount is a big help. Make sure everyone is aware of what time the meal begins. Apps like GroupMe or even a regular group text is useful for group communication. A group communication tool is also helpful for making announcements or asking for help. We use it to find out what food items everyone wants to bring and to ask people if they can loan specific items (like folding chairs).
Our big meal is served buffet style. We have folding tables and chairs tucked away just for the holidays (and maybe for a garage sale). These are incredibly useful, but if you don’t have enough and don’t want to buy them, put the call out to your guests. Usually someone has an extra folding table tucked away.
I love festive holiday tablecloths. We’ve picked these up on sale after the holiday at stores and at garage sales. Since they are inexpensive, I don’t feel bad if the tablecloth gets ruined. Something always spills.
Food Prep and Cleanup:
A staple of our holiday meal is the Chicken and Dressing. We make it from scratch and we’ve found that it’s easier if you make it ahead of time. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we mix up the giant portions, load it in disposable foil pans and freeze it, uncooked. Then we thaw it in the fridge the night before and fully cook it on the big day. For our drinks, we love slushie machine hire Sydney for special occasions.
Mashed potatoes are great on the table but they don’t have to take a ton of time. There are so many easy shortcuts like frozen Steam n’ Mash potatoes or even prepared mashed potatoes. However you make them, you can prepare them ahead of time and keep them, or other vegetables, warm in a lined crock pot. With a lot of people coming to the party, take a shortcut and spend your prep time in better ways.
Did you know you can use the crock pot to make your hot rolls, too?
Using crock pots and crock pot liners to keep food warm is a big help if you are hosting a big buffet. I love crock pot liners because I don’t have to spend hours scrubbing out the crock pot after the party.
Using a big counter top roaster can free up oven space and is a great way to cook your turkey or ham. They even sell liners for roasters!
We order a smoked turkey from a local BBQ restaurant each year. It’s fully cooked but still has to be heated up to the proper temperature. Plan hour oven time accordingly.
While you may have visions of beautiful crystal and shiny cutlery laid out on a formal tablescape, that ends up creating a lot of dishes. Washing up dishes for 5 hours after all of the festivities is not my idea of fun. For Big holidays we use disposable plates, cups, and cutlery. There are lots of environmentally friendly options out there.
Games
Have lots of kids (or kids at heart) at your holiday party? Some classic games like The Irish Lottery offer entertainment that can make lots of fun and fond memories. Spice it up with some fun prizes ranging from gift cards to fun little holiday toys.
I hope these holiday helper ideas make your entertaining easier and help you save time that can be spent better making memories.
Your Thanksgiving sounds very similar to ours. We traveled down to our sons house to share the holiday with our family and his many friends. I hope you and your family had a memorable day.
Hello, friend! I’m working on a New Year’s resolution early this year and trying to catch up with old blogging friends. Great tips here. Hope your Thanksgiving was full of family and that you have a very Happy Holiday. All the best in 2020
That’s great! I know just how you feel — trying to catch up! Glad to hear from you — merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
I like all the suggestions for saving time on here. Do you have the recipe for dressing and chicken you can share as well. I like when each friend or family brings their own dish as well to get together s. It makes everything so much easier on the host. That way everyone participates and it’s also less expensive. if they can’t cook…then they can bring the drinks, lol! Thank you for sharing. Shalom