Crowd Pleasing Thanksgiving Party Ideas

There’s nothing better than spending Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Although it is a wonderful time of year, preparing for the big feast is exhausting and time consuming. Thankfully, Alert1 has plenty of affordable and easy solutions for your Thanksgiving preparation troubles.

Check out these inexpensive and creative ideas for an unforgettable Thanksgiving party. 

Everyone wants their home to look amazing for their family and friends. But decorations can be expensive – especially if you purchase them at a designer store. You can still “wow” your guests without breaking the bank with these inexpensive décor tips.

Inexpensive DIY Décor

• Mason jars and leaves. Collect some autumnal colored leaves right outside your doorstep. Use glue to paste the leaves onto clear mason jars. Fill the jars with Thanksgiving cookies, candles, or anything your heart desires. Now you can place them all around your home.

• Golden pumpkins and pinecones. Pinecones are a gift of nature that you can collect right outside your door. Instead of purchasing them, pick some up while you’re out on a walk. Since Halloween just passed, grab a couple pumpkins on sale from the store. Next, purchase gold paint from the dollar store and paint your pinecones and pumpkins gold to give them a touch of fall.

Scents for Your Home

• Fall scented candles. While you’re at the dollar store, pick up some vanilla or pumpkin scented candles. They’ll bring the warm fall scent into your home.
  
  
• DIY scents. Don’t want to purchase candles? You can buy cinnamon sticks and place them into the mason jars you’ve made. Embellish your home with these jars and it’s sure to smell like Thanksgiving.

Putting dinner together can be the trickiest part of Thanksgiving. It’s not easy to please everyone’s different tastes and preferences when you’ve got a big party to plan. Luckily, there are plenty of dinner options to please everyone:

Change Up a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

• Go traditional without the lengthy time and cost. Buying and preparing turkey for Thanksgiving can be expensive and time consuming. Save your time and money by ordering an inexpensive fried turkey that’s ready to go from KFC or Popeye’s.
  
  
• Stay classic, but with a twist. Try our Thanksgiving turkey meatballs with a cranberry glaze. These turkey meatballs are much quicker to prepare than a whole turkey. You’ll get a delicious traditional turkey flavor, but with a sweet kick.
  
  

Try a Fun Potluck Styled Dinner

• Ask guests to bring one dish. You might not have the time or money to put together the whole shebang – and that’s okay. A potluck styled dinner is less stress for you. There’s no need to prepare an entire dinner yourself if everyone brings one item. Invite your guests to bring their favorite dish and have a feast.
  
  

Don’t Forget About Your Vegans and Vegetarians

• Prepare a meatless main dish. Looking for a main dish to substitute for the traditional turkey? Fill a pot pie with potatoes, carrots, and any other vegetables you prefer – it’ll be just as filling and delicious as a turkey.
  
  
• Substitute your side dish. Mashed potatoes are usually made with milk and butter. To substitute for mashed potatoes, you can make mashed cauliflower. This dish is just as creamy as your typical mashed potatoes, your vegan friends will love it.

There’s always room for dessert. If you’re not confident in your baking skills, opt out of making pumpkin pie. Instead, try a do-it-yourself caramel apple bar or buttered caramel popcorn.

• DIY caramel apple bar. Slice up some Granny Smiths’ and serve with chocolate and caramel dipping sauces. Set out bowls of sprinkles and chopped nuts for toppings. Now you’ve got a dessert that your guests can customize and it’ll be inexpensive!
  
  
• Buttered caramel popcorn. If you’re craving something salty and sweet, buttered caramel popcorn is the way to go. All you need are two ingredients: microwavable buttered popcorn and caramel sauce. Pop the popcorn in the microwave and top it off with some caramel sauce when it’s done!

After dinner, what better way to spend quality family time than with fun games or a movie? Here are some fun Thanksgiving themed entertainment options to try:

• Pin the gobbler on the turkey. Go online and print out a picture of a cartoon turkey. Cut out the gobbler. Tape the picture of the turkey on the wall and attach a little pin to the gobbler. All you need is a blindfold and you’re ready to pin the gobble on that turkey!
  
  
• Create arts and crafts with leftover décor supplies. Set up a little arts and crafts station with any leftover supplies you have from decorating your home. Your friends and family members can make their own decorated mason jars or painted pinecones to take home with them.
  
  
• Watch a Thanksgiving movie. No energy for games? Another great way to relax with the family after the big meal is watching a movie. Try A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for a family-friendly Thanksgiving movie.

Sharing laughs and smiles with good company over dinner and games is a wonderful part of Thanksgiving. Although the dinner and festivities are important, that’s not what Thanksgiving is really about.

Whether you’re 6 or 60 years old, Thanksgiving is a time to show your appreciation for those around you. Cherish the time you’re able to spend with your loved ones on Thanksgiving. Let them know that you’re grateful for all the things they’ve done for you. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than family and friends.

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