Our first Thanksgiving as Hosts

Hi girls,
This year, since we have finally moved into our house, we have decided to host Thanksgiving. I'm going to have about 16 people! Anyway, I have started pre-planning to make the holiday a little easier for myself and figured I would ask...
Have you ever hosted a holiday for this many people?
What advice can you give me for preparing this and keeping my sanity (especially with the Queen MIL coming! ) ?
Any tips or advice are very much appreciated!

We had almost that many our first year.

Suggestions:

Shop early - plan your menu and start buying all non-perishables ahead of time.

Clean your refrigerator - clear out all non-essential items so you have lots of room for food prepared ahead of time and leftovers.

If you buy a frozen turkey make sure you start defrosting early enough - large turkeys need a few days in the refrigerator. Go to www.butterball.com for tips on thaw and cooking times. I think they also have round-the-clock turkey counselors on Thanksgiving in case you run into problems.

Don't go crazy trying to do too many dishes. If anyone offers to bring something say YES.

Is there someone that could come early to help with some of the prep? My MIL came early and put together the antipasto platter after BIL cut the pepperoni, cheese, etc.

Determine what serving pieces will be used for each dish ahead of time - make sure you have all you need.

Try to do whatever you can early in the week. Iron tablecloths, polish silver a few weeks early, set up candles, etc. Set the table the night before.

Get up early enough to get the turkey ready an in the oven then go shower or take a bath and relax - enjoy the day!

That is EXCELLENT advice Karen!!

Karen gave some great advice!!! I agree with it all and I thank her for soem additional tips!

I also say work on your menu well in advance. I make a list of what will be served and during what course. Then I pull out any necessary recipes related to those course and make my shopping list from there. I usually shop a day or two in advance (just how I am - may not work for you) so when I get the groceries back - I try to organize what I can and what I need for what and keep it near each other. I also try to plan a night or two in advance the best order of attack and try to cook some things the night before.

Good Luck to you and have fun! Make sure to take the next day off to rest!!

here is some advice from someone who has hosted 20 people for the holidays before:
-start to buy what you can now...you would be shocked at how expensive hosting the holiday can get. use coupons and buy what you can on sale.
-never 'try' out a recipe on the day of the holiday. make a smaller version a few weeks before and see how it tastes, looks etc...don't rely on 'well the cookbook said' you need to have your recipes down pat.
-set the table the night before, turn the glasses and dishes upside down and flip them that morning. it really helps to have that all done and not have 5 people trying to set your table to 'help' you that day while you are trying to get stuff out of the oven etc....
-my stepmom cooks her turkey overnight for thanksgiving and wraps it in foil, then cuts it right before serving and just warms it up in the oven (so it doesn't dry out). Most of us do not have ovens that will hold as much as we need to cook that day and a turkey takes up A LOT of room.
-make a full turkey and a turkey breast- more people (usually) eat white meat so the breast will give you more white meat, without the 'other' stuff that you don't always need/want.
-Use sticky notes and label ALL of your serving dishes and cooking dishes 3 days prior to the event. get everything out, washed and ready to go. Put on the note: Dish Name, Cooking Time, Oven Temp and at what time you need to cook it in order to time everything. I SWEAR this has saved me big time. And I make sure to put my serving spoons/forks in each dish at that point so I know I have enough of what I need and I am not searching at the last minute for a big enough spoon.
-Make placecards- simply ones, nothing fancy. It is easier when everyone knows where to seat and you can make sure you have the seat near the kitchen.
-when people ask 'what can I bring' chose something that a) you know they can make well or b) you know you cannot make well. I find asking people to bring a dessert easier since that way I can just worry about cooking the dinner. But I ALWAYS have a dessert in the house anyway. You never know who will get sick or have to miss the party and you don't want to have nothing to serve your guests. A Sara Lee Pie in the freezer will do the trick everytime.

I hope this helps.

all good tips so far,
I second and thrid setting the table the night before.
if anyone offers, let them AMKE A DISH- not just dessert. Plenty of others can bring dessert- save it for one of your bachloer guys to bring since it's easy. Let the others make salads, make side dishes, etc

have wine/drinks chilled already and in a separate cooler...with plastic cups for drinks..glasses for wine. This way people can help themselves and wont constantly ask u where things are...

put 3 or 4 extra garbage bags in the bottom of your trash can. when it gets full, anyone can empty it and the replacement bags are right there.

place 3-4 towels at the ready for your bathroom...and an extra roll or 2 of toliet paper.. dont forget to put the plunger in there too. This saves the guests from asking where it is if they need it..saves embarassment.

also keep 5-6 kitchen towles handy- out in the open. again fewer ?s from helping guests.

turkey needs to be defrosted 2-3 days before...

HTH

I dont have nearly as many tips but my one is:

Have some snacks out when people arrive in the sitting room (like a fruit and cheese plate or something you can prepare the day before) since everyone always comes hungry. That way people can have a drink and a snack and mingle in the living room while you are getting other stuff ready in teh kitchen and you wont feel rushed to get everything on the table right away.