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While hosting a family dinner may seem like an intimidating task, it doesn’t have to be. As long as you create an atmosphere of love, gratitude, and fun, there’s no reason your event can’t end up being one of those cherished moments where everyone is on their best behavior.
Here are 6 tips that can help:
Table of Contents
1. Decide in Advance Who Will Bring What
Whether it’s food or beverages or desserts, try to assign tasks ahead of time so there aren’t any last-minute issues.
Coordinate between siblings about games and entertainment for kiddos before party day.
2. Keep Decorations Simple
Your focus should be on each other, not how many paper lanterns you can hang from your ceiling fan!
3. Have Some Activities Prepared for Little Ones
It doesn’t need to be anything complicated—just something simple to occupy them while everyone eats.
4. Use Table Tents with Instructions
For large gatherings, use table tents with instructions (and maybe even pictures) if people don’t know what they’re doing.
This works particularly well for big Thanksgiving dinners when guests usually don’t know exactly what to do or which side dishes go with which meat.
5. Let Older Children/Teenagers Prepare Their Own Plate
This way, they learn basic cooking skills plus gain confidence in handling small chores around the house.
If desired, require them to take home whatever leftovers remain at mealtime!
6. Make Sure Everyone Gets Enough Food to Eat
That sounds silly, but sometimes we all get caught up in conversation and it happens too quickly without notice.
A good rule of thumb is to just set out twice as much food as usual—at least!
