Holidays are a time for food and family. In many cases, that means a lot of food and a lot of family. For many of us, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner just would not be the same without everyone there. For those who are hosting large groups, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but planning ahead and breaking it down into individual tasks makes the overall project less daunting.
Look at your space. You have 40 people coming to dinner, but your table only seats 8, now what? If you are like my grandfather, you haul out all of the furniture and bring in sawhorses and plywood to create makeshift tables. Then, you ask people to bring their own camp chairs so there will be enough seating. If you want to serve dinner on an actual table with actual chairs, Grandpa’s solution isn’t for you.
While moving the big furniture out of the family room may still be necessary to accommodate everyone, the sawhorses can stay in the shed. Event rental companies might be your best solution. For a reasonable fee, you can rent enough tables and chairs to comfortably seat all of your guests. You can even rent the table linens, so you won’t be stuck buying table cloths you’ll never use again.
Delegate tasks. Even though you’re the host, this is a family gathering, not a personal party you are throwing. It’s okay to ask others to help. Don’t feel like you have to shoulder the burden of cooking the full dinner, complete with sides, alone. Unless you have an industrial kitchen, it may not even be possible to get everything cooked. Ask family members to bring side dishes and desserts. If you feel bad about asking, at least accept any help that’s freely offered. Many family members will be thrilled to contribute to the event, and letting them help relieves stress for you.
If you can prepare something early, do it. A pumpkin pie will not suffer for being baked the day before, neither will the relish tray for having the veggies cut up on the eve of the dinner. The day of the party is going to be filled with cooking foods that couldn’t be prepared ahead and other last-minute interruptions. Setting the table and decorating your home early will create less work for you at the last minute.
Plan games and entertainment. Whenever you have a large group of people, time will be spent waiting on others, and a gracious host won’t kick out her guests as soon as they’ve finished their meal. Planning activities, including games and art projects to occupy the children, as well as activities to entertain teens and adults, will give your guests something to do during the inevitable downtime.
Enjoy the party. Remember that the party is for you, too. If you spend the entire day stressing about the food, decorations, and everyone sitting in their assigned seats, you are going to worry the day away. Before you know it, the day will be over and you won’t have any positive memories of it. Prepare ahead of time. Do your best, and accept that it’s good enough. Give yourself permission to sit and relax with your guests, enjoying the time you have with them.
