Hosting any kind of event around Thanksgiving eve party can seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually relatively simple! All you need are your friends and a few things to have a great time.
Thanksgiving Eve Party
Here are some of my top essentials for hosting the best Thanksgiving Eve party.
Food
I think the easiest way to host is to do a potluck style party. If you ask everyone to bring a food dish, plates, or cups, it can take a lot of the stress out of hosting.
One of my favorite things to make as the hostess is a charcuterie board because there’s something that everyone can eat and you don’t have to worry about keeping it at a certain temperature.
This board is a perfect starter because it comes with bowls and knives. I usually buy all of my ingredients at Aldi or Trader Joes, and can usually make enough charcuterie for 20 people for less than $40.
Make sure to pay special attention to your friend’s dietary preferences and adjust accordingly if anyone is vegan or has allergies!
Drinks
One of the most important things about drinks for parties is making sure you have enough. If you’re balling on a budget, there are some general guidelines you can follow for serving drinks, but honestly I always buy more knowing that it’ll get used at some point.
I also love seltzers as much as the next girl, but I think having a signature cocktail for the holidays is so much fun. There are so many amazing cocktails you can make in large batches and put in a pitcher so everyone can serve themselves quickly.
My favorite Thanksgiving cocktail is a cranberry champagne punch that tastes like a more upscale vodka cran. All you need is vodka, apple juice, cranberry juice, and champagne.
I keep everything chilled until the party is about to start, and then I mix equal parts of the vodka with the juices and put it in a pitcher. Then everyone can serve themselves and top with as much champagne as they’d like!
Tableware
Chances are you don’t have enough plates and silverware for everyone. Nothing kills a party quicker than running out of plates, especially when food is at the forefront of Thanksgiving. Using paper plates and silverware also makes cleanup way simpler.
These plates are way cuter than normal white paper plates and you can match whichever color scheme you want! After graduation, I started hosting a lot of dinner parties. I love to find mismatching plates and servers at thrift stores and that’s what I use when I host.
Decor
Having cute decor is essential for getting everyone to feel festive, and more importantly, for a cute backdrop for an Insta photo dump. This banner from Target is super cheap and reusable so you can use it for all your future Friendsgivings.
Games
Having games or activities is another important part of any party. All you need is a bunch of Solo cups and you can play almost any drinking game. I keep a stockpile of cups and ping pong balls so that I have enough for any party.
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