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The end of the year is when festivities are at an all time high – from Halloween to Spring Carnival to Christmas – oftentimes, people forget about celebrating Thanksgiving amongst all the excitement of the festive period. Rather than thinking of Thanksgiving as the unique and special holiday that it is, many of us end up throwing a quick Thanksgiving dinner together last minute or simply ignoring it altogether. Why not make this year a special one by switching things up and hosting an amazing outdoor Thanksgiving feast? Here are our 7 tips for hosting an outdoor thanksgiving feast!
1. Create A Plan To Keep Food Warm
Thanksgiving is renowned for the delicious food that it has to offer. From Roast Turkey with Cranberry Sauce to delicious Mashed Potatoes, it is crucial that the food you have to serve at your outdoor Thanksgiving feast is kept warm and fresh for all your guests. If you are hosting a large gathering, your best bet will be to serve your Thanksgiving grub buffet style in chafing dishes.
If you are hosting a few friends and do not mind a more casual atmosphere, serving food inside and dining outside is a more convenient option that allows you to avoid some outdoor setup.
2. Shield Your Guests From The Elements
If you are hosting your Thanksgiving dinner outside, you have to prepare for various different weather elements that may creep up unexpectedly. Even though the end of the year usually blesses us with great weather, don’t forget about outdoor heating. The weather can be highly unpredictable sometimes and it’s always better to be safe rather than sorry. Don’t forget to provide some outdoor shelter as well, just in case light showers come your way.
3. Enlist A Little Help
There is nothing worse than stressing over your holiday meal, getting decorations put up and trying hard to execute the best holiday feast ever. Always remember that you should enjoy the entire process – not have a panic attack over the food and decorations. A great way of avoiding this strife is to enlist a little help from friends and family. Request that guests bring a nice side dish of their own to your feast, lightening the load of cooking you will have to do yourself before your feast. Getting the kids and girlfriends to help set the table and get the house ready whilst you handle other technicalities is also a great way to take a load off your own back.
4. Prepare Your Outdoor Living Area
Preparing your outdoor living areas for any social gatherings you have is crucial to create the correct atmosphere for your event, whatever it may be and whenever in the year it may be. So, really, this one is not specific to just Thanksgiving. But of course,Thanksgiving is certainly one of the special times you will want to do this.
Before your family and guests arrive, refresh gravel ground covers, clean your artificial grass, tidy up your flowerbeds, mow the lawn and spruce the area up with some freshly purchased flowers and plants to bring a little Spring magic into your Thanksgiving dinner.
5. Have A Backup Plan
Anyone who has hosted an outdoor event knows that the most essential ingredient to a successful day is to have a stellar back-up plan. The same is true when you’re planning a large outdoor feast. If for any reason you have to bring the feast inside, knowing exactly where your guests are going to sit and how the food will be served should be part of your backup plan logistics. This will save you any potential strife or stresses, should things not go exactly to plan.
6. Keep The Kids Entertained
Keeping children entertained outdoors can sometimes be a real challenge. Combat this by planning something fun for the young ones to do at the dinner. Having two or three simple activities planned for the kids such as bobbing for apples or donut eating on a string can keep the little ones entertained for ages! A few colouring book placemats and crayons never fail to keep them occupied whilst the adults enjoy their chit chat and food.
7. Make It Memorable
This Thanksgiving, change things up and give your guests a new, unique experience. Why not change up how you cook your usual turkey or other parts of the meal, such as cooking it on your enclosed grill or making beer can Turkey for a fun twist.
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With these 7 tips, we’re sure that your Thanksgiving event will be one that people will remember for years to come – until you top yourself next year, of course! Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, great food and giving thanks for what we have, so don’t stress and have an amazing time!