7 Days of Holiday Hosting: Countdown to Thanksgiving

7 Days of Holiday Hosting: Countdown to Thanksgiving

Get ready for Thanksgiving with our best table setting ideas, cleaning tips, and meal-planning hacks for a festive feast. Emily Williams

A stress-free holiday hosting season is possible. Whether it's an intimate dinner party or large gathering of all your friends and family, we've created an easy task list that will help you make the days before Thanksgiving more enjoyable.

We're sharing our best cleaning and decorating tips to help you make your home holiday-ready. We also have all the table setting ideas, meal-planning hacks, and tasty recipes you need to throw a festive feast.

Day 1: Prep Your Guest Room

Get ready for overnight visitors by giving your guest room a quick refresh before the holiday. Make sure the bed is outfitted with clean linens and extra blankets and spruce up the rest of the room as needed. If your guest room doubles as a storage space or office area, clear unnecessary clutter before guests arrive so they have a place to unpack their bags. If your guest room has an adjoining bathroom, don't forget fresh towels and toiletries, too.

Day 2: Use This Cleaning Checklist to Get Your House Ready for Guests

Cleaning your entire home can be an overwhelming task, especially if you're balancing chores with holiday cooking, baking, and decorating. We've created an easy room-by-room checklist to help you get your home ready for guests. By following our easy guide, you can rest assured that you remembered to clean the powder room toilet and hide your dirty laundry before guests arrive.

Day 3: Incorporate Seasonal Accents for a Quick Room Refresh

Thanksgiving isn't traditionally a big decorating holiday, but that doesn't mean you can't give your home a quick seasonal refresh before the big meal. Whether you want to sprinkle in some extra fall decor or wrap up an unfinished renovation project, we're sharing our best easy updates you can do now to prepare for holiday hosting.

Day 4: Prep Make-Ahead Dishes for Stress-Free Hosting

Thanksgiving is all about spending time with loved ones, so don't spend all day in the kitchen. We've compiled our best make-ahead recipes you can start making now to cut down on kitchen time on the big day. Prep mashed potatoes, pies, and stuffing ahead of time so you can spend more of the day with your friends and family.

Day 5: Set the Table for the Big Holiday Meal

The turkey might be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner, but your holiday tablescape will steal the spotlight with our festive table-setting tips. Learn how to set the table properly with our easy-to-follow guide: No more questioning where all the forks go, or which side of the plate to put the wine glasses on. Plus, get our best centerpiece ideas you can make ahead of time.

Day 6: Make Your House Smell Amazing

After all the cleaning and tidying you do to prepare for guests, you want your home to smell good when they arrive. Especially if friends and family are coming before the cooking starts, consider these easy ways to make your home smell warm and delicious. We're sharing our favorite candle scents and DIY remedies for a sweet-smelling autumn welcome.

Day 7: Put the Main Dish In the Oven and Wait for Guests to Arrive

On Thanksgiving Day, prepare your turkey (or other main dish) and put it in the oven to roast as you wait for friends and family to arrive. As the turkey cooks in the oven, mix up a Thanksgiving punch to enjoy with guests and relax knowing the rest of your feast was prepared ahead of time.

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