Sure, Thanksgiving is the time of year for reflection and to be thankful for the good in our lives. However, it’s also a time for a great deal of preparation by those who organise the amazing dinners and beautifully decorated occasions. These unsung heroes put in an incredible amount of effort to pull it all off with seeming ease.

If you’ve found yourself in the situation where you won’t be making it to your traditional Thanksgiving meal served by Mom. Whether because of distance you can’t travel or if you’re being forced to work through the season, there are many reasons to find oneself alone with just immediate friends in the area.

But don’t worry, If Grandma’s turkey dinner isn’t on the table for this year, you can host a non-traditional Thanksgiving yourself and invite those around you. Thankfully, we’ve compiled great decoration ideas and tips on how to throw a Thanksgiving party

Thanksgiving Event 101

Lock down your guest list. It’s important you get an accurate headcount on how many mouths you’re feeding. Once you know volume – and remember not to over extend this in terms of how much space you have – you can start to delegate. The trick is to ask each person or couple to bring with something specific to your meal plan (including drinks if you like). You as the host just need to take care of the main course then. The best route to go is to prepare a Turkey in the oven and some mash potatoes, which will be complemented by all of the dishes brought by your guests.

The “Festivities”

It’s the holidays, so libations are a wonderful side effect. Beer and wine are good staples but you can also get contributions towards a cocktail recipe or two. If you’d like to be on theme, then we’d suggest the Moscow Mule (add a sprig of mint and a slice of lime for garnish). While it’s a little early for eggnog, a hard cider or hot rum punch is always delicious and in good taste too.

Prep Time

Around two days before the party, get your place cleaned up and prepared. Consider a few initial décor elements, like holiday scented candles, garden lighting and lanterns. Also, remember to get the flowers for the centrepiece of your table. If you get them 48 hours before the event, as closed buds, they should open beautifully over the next few days.

Then why not surf Pinterest for amazing ideas for table top and general Thanksgiving decoration ideas? You’ll be able to pick up anything you need with a shopping list the next day, which is where you need to list all of your ingredients for the meal too. Remember to stock bathrooms with hand soap, fresh towels and such, as well as setting up ample wastebaskets for guests to throw stuff away. This might save you clean-up time later.

Try to setup as much as you can the day before, this way you are free to be a graceful and elegant host, while attending to the food and beverages.

Time to Party

On the day, be relaxed and enjoy the hard work that you’ve put in. As guests arrive, pop their contributing dishes either in the fridge to stay cool or in your oven to be heated when you serve the meal. This way you can prioritise what needs to be heated up and when.

Once it’s all done, sit back and marvel at the occasion you were able to pull together. We’d also recommend giving your folks a call and thanking them for the dozens of Thanksgiving events they’ve thrown.