If this is your first time hosting Thanksgiving, I know it can be very intimidating!

How much food should I serve? How do you make sure all the food is ready at the same time? How long do I have to cook the turkey?

That’s just a small sample of the many questions that come with playing hostess for the nation’s biggest meal of the year!

If you’re looking for guidance on how to make Thanksgiving easier and less stress-free, I have pulled together my 6 top tips for hosting!

Tip #1 – Create a timeline and master to-do list

Make Thanksgiving Day a breeze with a little extra organization and preparation. I like to make a master dinner prep timeline that includes what I should be doing 2 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving Day, along with a master shopping list. You can see my 2-week Thanksgiving dinner prep timeline here.

Tip #2 – Make as much food in advance as possible

In my opinion, the worst way for a hostess to spend Thanksgiving is spending the entire day in the kitchen without the opportunity to mingle with her guests. The solution? Make as much food in advance as possible! I like to make most of my dishes the day before Thanksgiving, but most casseroles can be frozen two weeks in advance! On Thanksgiving Day, all I have left is the turkey, a fresh salad, fresh vegetables and rolls. If you need inspiration for great dishes to make ahead of Thanksgiving, check out this list of my favorite casserole recipes.

Below are my favorite casserole dishes for Thanksgiving and anytime of year!

Tip #3 – Prep your table early

A week or two before Thanksgiving, check to make sure you have enough chairs, that your table linens are laundered and confirm that you have all the serving dishes you want to use. Growing up, we had a formal dining room in our home, and my mom would set the Thanksgiving table weeks in advance. Not only did it look beautiful in a space we rarely used, she didn’t have to scramble right before dinner to get the knives and forks on the table. My current home does not have a formal dining room, so I set the table immediately after breakfast on Thanksgiving Day.

Here are some simple tips I learned from Emily Post Institute to remember how to do a formal place setting:

• Who’s bread plate is that? Holding your hands in front of you, touch the tips of your thumbs to the tips of your forefingers to make a lowercase ‘b’ with your left hand and a lowercase ‘d’ with your right hand. This reminds you that “bread and butter” go to the left of the place setting and “drinks” go on the right.
• Picture the word “FORKS”. The order, left to right, is: F for Fork, O for the Plate (the shape!), K for Knives and S for Spoons. (Okay, you have to forget the R, but you get the idea!)

Tip #4 – Don’t turn down help!

If someone offers to help with the Thanksgiving meal, allow them! Appetizers, salads, side dishes and desserts are great to delegate to willing guests. Sometimes, all they have to do is swing by a gourmet grocer to pick up a ready-made dessert or side. I especially love Bristol Farms for desserts, because they have such a high-quality selection and everything is made with the best ingredients! Currently, they have a seasonal Maple Pecan Bundt Cake that is absolutely delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving. If you’re a guest at someone else’s Thanksgiving, I highly recommend offering to pick one of these up to bring to your host!

Tip #5 – Have a drink station ready-to-go!

Create a drink station for guests to serve themselves while you’re getting dinner prepared. If dinner is late, no one will care with a drink in hand! For wine, I love serving bottles with a story. My favorite for this Thanksgiving is Thorne Wine, as its my friend’s and neighbor’s family’s wine. The 2019 Pinot Noir is the perfect Thanksgiving dinner pairing. This vintage is the kind that will please a wide range of palates with notes full of juicy blueberry, blackberry and plum with hints of juniper and white pepper. If you’re more of a white wine lover, I recommend trying Thorne’s 2020 Chardonnay, which is full and rich with yellow apple, pineapple and lemon zest notes on entry with vanilla, clove and cream accents. Both wines are available at thornewine.com and can be at your Southern Californian home in time for Thanksgiving if you order by November 19, 2023.

If you’re into cocktails, try Bristol Farms seasonal mixers, which are made in-house daily at the Fresh Juice Bar. For Thanksgiving, the Winter Rosemary Grapefruit Mixer (great with gin) and Citrus Dragon Fruit Mixer (nice with tequila) are perfect options to impress your guests!

I also always have a pitcher of water and glasses available at our drink station, so our guests don’t have to go hunt down their own water.

Tip #6 – It’s okay to do store-bought

Look, hosting Thanksgiving can be a lot, and no one will blame you for outsourcing a few (or all!) of your dishes — especially if they taste great! When choosing where to purchase premade meals, Bristol Farms is a top choice to trust because the chain is known for its excellent quality in SoCal for over 40 years. Their meat department only serves the freshest, highest quality meats, which is hugely important when the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey. However, they do offer vegan and vegetarian options, as well! Bristol Farms is offering a wide selection of premade, read-to-heat and eat dishes, like Cornbread Stuffing, Butternut Squash Risotto and Cranberry Relish. And, don’t forget the Roasted Mary’s Turkey, of course! It’s free-range, antibiotic free, simply seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and fresh thyme, and slow roasted for full-flavored tenderness. Make sure you order your Bristol Farms Thanksgiving dinner orders by Tuesday, November 21, 2023 in time for pickup or delivery before Thanksgiving.

Now, here’s the most important tip: Relax and have fun with the people you love!

What other tips do you recommend for first-time Thanksgiving hosts? Let me know in the comments below!

I hope you’ll connect with me on Instagram and TikTok for more lifestyle tips and party hosting ideas!

XO Maggie