MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP, Pa--- Thanksgiving is really one of those holidays where it is easy to miss all the fun because you are so busy cooking and preparing. This morning FOX43's Chris Garrett talked with Renee Patrone from Party Host Helpers about some ways to have a stress free Turkey Day.
First up, is our tablescape. We typically encourage our clients to start setting up their table a week to 10 days in advance. It really lets you plan everything out and see what you are missing or what you need so you are not scrambling and setting the table the day of.
We keep the décor simple since the star is the turkey and your lovely guests. At this table we have a table cloth, topped it with a burlap runner that you can get from your local crafts store and have it decorated with pumpkins and candles. It looks beautiful and less is really more. Please, skip the flowers and giant centerpieces – you want to be able to see who is sitting across from you!
We also already have the seating arranged – if you don’t want Aunt Sally sitting next to Grandpa Joe, you better have this organized. An easy way is tying a ribbon with a name tag around a mini pumpkin. We also are cutting out some fun shapes with this glittery gold card stock – write in your fanciest handwriting – and slip it through the fork. Now everyone has a seat!
Another thing we do at this time is figure out the big dishes – we have lots of serving ware and I encourage my clients to pull that out ahead of time and write on a post it what it is for. So this dish is for mashed potatoes and this platter will be for the turkey. It’s just an easy way to stay organized.