While each of the following ideas focuses on get-together planning, its centerpiece is what the holiday is all about: celebrating life and the people we love.
Throw a Perfect Pie Party:
Host a pie party the weekend before Thanksgiving or even the night before–just make sure there’s one person who’s an excellent pie maker so they will be there to give inside tips and instruction. Invite eight to 10 friends who like to bake. Or even better, invite people who want to learn to bake a great pie.Ask guests to bring a rolling pin, pie pan, and six to eight firm, tart apples, pears or whatever filling they want. You supply the makings for the crust and wine and cheese! Begin by having the expert pie maker give descriptions and tips on how to make the best pie then have everyone find a spot to get to work. Have everyone finish their pie but wait to bake it until they get home…they’ll want their home to have the wonderful aroma of a fresh baked pie. People will share their baking secrets and favorite memories, and it’s a great way to begin the holiday season.
Thanksgiving Parade Party:
Growing up in North Carolina we always watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, but we were even more excited to actually go to our own small town parade on Thanksgiving Day. If your town has a parade, host a parade party! It’s actually just like hosting Thanksgiving dinner with about half the work–you make the turkey, the stuffing, and the pies and let your guests bring the side dishes. The only stipulation is that everyone goes to the parade–no one is allowed to stay behind and cook. The idea is to be outside relaxing with friends, family, and kids and then to go home and finish making dinner–and it’s a more active version of Thanksgiving for everyone!Host a Good Old Wine and Cheese Party:
This is a classic for a reason. During the holidays we all get pulled in a million directions–and what’s easier than setting out some cheese, opening some wine, and having friends over? It’s also easy enough for people to stop over just for one drink and it’s inexpensive enough for friends to bring their house guests. Either way, you still get a chance to say hello to the people that mean the most to you. Choose five or six different cheeses (brie, blue, goat, Parmesan, are a few good options) and choose several different accompaniments (crackers, crusty bread and crostini). Then all you have to do is style them on platters and cutting boards with bunches of grapes, bowls of olives, and sliced pears; it’s as easy as can be but all your guests will be sure to rave about the presentation. A local wine store can help you choose suitable wine pairings based on the cheese. Then simply light some candles, put on some music, and have fun!The “I-Only-Have-24-hours-off-for-Thanksgiving” get together:
Even if you leave work Wednesday night and have to be back there Friday morning, it doesn’t mean you have to skip the whole holiday, and it also means you have more choices than just going to someone else’s house. You can actually do a paired-down version of the big feast for yourself and your friends–less work but just as much food, fun, and laughs! Find out which friends and other “strays” are in the same time constraint as you and invite them. Tell everyone to come mid-afternoon (you only have 24 hours and you may as well make the most of it)…the only thing they have to bring is a side dish, wine, and a celebratory mood. Make a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey, buy pies, and serve wine and cheese early in the day. Light candles, get some fun games going like charades and scrabble…have friends bring their iPods and take turns playing different guest’s play lists.Relax and enjoy!
Kick-Off Cocktails and Touch Down Desserts:
This is for those folks that know friends have other plans for the actual Thanksgiving feast but could make it by for a drink before or after the main event. People also eat the big Thanksgiving meal at different times during the day, so why not have an open house so pals can come and go throughout the day, catch some of the football action, enjoy a taste of chili or a bite of dessert, and toast the beginning of the holiday season? Design your invitation to look like a ticket to a football stadium and call it an open house for “Kick-off Cocktails or Touch Down Desserts” (this way guests will know they can come anytime during the day or night).Serve “un-Thanksgiving food.” Make a chili/potato bar with a big pot of chili and bake a bunch of small baking potatoes. Accompany it with all sorts of toppings to choose from and be sure to have lots of cold beer standing by. Bake a bunch of chocolate chip cookies and brownies and put them at the end of your buffet in a set of football shoulder pads turned upside down. (Line the pads with a napkin.)
