Whether you have years of experience or this is your first year cooking the turkey, hosting Thanksgiving is a big deal! You’re creating holiday memories your family will cherish for a lifetime, and you want everything to be perfect. That’s why Good Housekeeping has put together this list of helpful tips for throwing a cozy, old-fashioned Thanksgiving rager that is going to be lit AF.
Dishes and Decor You Can Prep Ahead of Time
- Get your Thanksgiving dinner table set up in advance. A horn-of-plenty filled with dried rainbow corn and silk flowers makes a beautiful and traditional centerpiece. For a personal and practical touch, create hand-drawn name cards so everyone knows where they’re sitting. Not only will you wow your guests with your art skills, this will prevent Mad Dog from sitting next to J-Man and getting into a fistfight about when J-Man hooked up with Mad Dog’s girlfriend over Halloween.
- Pumpkin Jello shots are a great dessert that you can easily make the night before! Pop these in the fridge before you go to bed Wednesday night. For a fun coordinated touch, make sure that you’ve got a few hollowed-out pumpkins for your guests to vomit into if they indulge in too many.
When Your Guests Arrive
- A homemade apple pie shouldn’t be the only thing getting baked in your home. As your family and friends come to the door, make sure to take their coats, and hand them a joint rolled in a festive Autumn holiday napkin.
- Be sure to also offer your guests a holiday beverage once they have settled in. We recommend using a stencil and Sharpies to draw leaves on orange Solo cups for a Fall twist on a rager classic. While of course your guests will appreciate a traditional watered-down shitty beer, we recommend pulling out the stops and offering a mulled Coors Light that you can make on the stove! Simply boil up a six-pack with a few cinnamon sticks, star anise, and a dash of nutmeg!
While You’re Eating Dinner
- Good conversation is just as important as good food! Go around the table and have everyone share what they are most thankful for this year. You can kick things off by sharing how thankful you are that you have your family and friends with you at this special time, or how thankful you are that you didn’t get a third DUI this year.
- You don’t need a big menu for big results. While it’s not Thanksgiving without a turkey, you can simplify your side dishes and still have a killer rager. Consider setting out a few bowls of greasy, off-brand potato chips, or a glass dish of expired pain pills you found in Grandma’s medicine cabinet. Also, everyone loves a classic green bean casserole!
After Dinner
- If your home has a fireplace, gather around it with some cozy blankets and mugs of hot cocoa and light that bitch up. Have on hand an assortment of festive items your guests can light on fire.
- With a little plucky know-how and some plastic tubing, your horn-of-plenty centerpiece can be emptied out and easily converted to a beer bong. It’s time to take this shit to the next level and get totally wasted.
Thanksgiving is about family, friends, and getting all kinds of fucked up. By following these helpful hints, you’ll create a special holiday night that, if done right, none of your guests will ever remember.
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