Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday to host. I love pouring thought and care into every detail when I host, especially when it helps create memories that linger long after the dishes are done.

Since getting married to my chef husband 11 years ago, Thanksgiving has quietly become “our thing.” We host every year, and our families have always happily accepted. Mark genuinely loves cooking for a crowd, and no one complains about that arrangement. In fact, they rave about it.

His smoked turkey is legendary. This year he added sous vide turkey to the mix too, which means the turkey was slowly cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath before being finished, making it incredibly tender and juicy. He makes homemade stuffing, polenta, and pies from scratch. Everyone always says they want him to make everything, and honestly, so does he. But thankfully, everyone also brings equally delicious sides, which makes it a true win win and takes some of the pressure off.

Martie made the two best side dishes that Mark and I couldn’t stop raving to her about afterward: Instant Pot mashed potatoes (SO creamy! While You Were Sleeping, anyone?) and sweet potatoes with broiled marshmallows on top, a family must-have favorite!

A delicious display that includes those creamy mashed potatoes, marshmallow-toasted yams, sweet potatoes with a sweet crunchy topping, polenta, a winter salad, turkey, stuffing, roasted veggies, frog eye salad, and of course the smoked and sous vide turkey. Not pictured: my mom’s delicious rolls, cranberry sauce, or pies.

The food is incredible, but what I love most is the feeling in the room. The conversations that overlap. People drifting from the kitchen to the table to the couch. That sense that everyone is exactly where they should be for a few hours.

A Thoughtful Start to the Day

One of my favorite parts of hosting this year was how we welcomed everyone in.

Instead of assigned seating, I set up a small welcome table with a sign inviting guests to find their name and pick their seat. Each name card sat in a little wooden holder that looked like a tiny tree stump to give the feeling of a “cozy woodland forest”. The idea was simple. I wanted people to mingle, snack, and talk without feeling like they needed to claim a chair the second they arrived.

This is where being a graphic designer comes in handy… Picking a fancy font and making them into name cards for everyone.

I also placed mine and Mark’s name cards at the table ahead of time. That way we could sit near the head of the table and close to the food, so Mark could jump up quickly if there was ever a kitchen emergency. Which, when you’re cooking for a crowd, is always a possibility.

That welcome table also held a few appetizers and fall decor, with the same attention to detail I love bringing to the rest of the day.

Small Hosting Details That Made It Feel Special

For the table itself, I leaned into natural textures and warm colors.

I layered faux greenery, fall leaves, acorns, pumpkins, and candles down the center of the table. I used gold-trimmed plastic plates, goblets, and thick disposable napkins that still felt elevated without creating more cleanup at the end of the night.

The entire spread, with a kid’s table on its way. We usually host around 16 people each year, sometimes double that if we’re combining Mark’s family with mine.

Each place setting included a drink garnish on top of the napkin: a dried orange slice, a sprig of rosemary, and a cinnamon stick, which guests could add to their drinks if they wanted. Nearby, I set up a small drink station with a simple mocktail, a bucket of ice, and a bowl of frozen cranberries for garnish. Using separate glasses for drinks helped keep the table feeling more open and gave everyone something fun to sip while waiting for dinner, even though I completely forgot to photograph the drink station in the whirlwind of the day.

And in the background, I had a YouTube fireplace playing on the TV. It added the softest glow and made the room feel even warmer, especially as the daylight faded.

Entire table set up with all the place settings and a TV that has a YouTube video of a crackling fire — This picture was actually the previous year’s Thanksgiving since I didn’t get many pictures this year!

The Heart of it All

Like most Thanksgivings, the day itself moved fast. Some guests arrived early, the kitchen stayed busy, and I didn’t get nearly as many photos as I had hoped. On top of that, my sweet Mimi wasn’t feeling well that weekend, so a lot of my focus was on keeping her comfortable and close.

But even with the chaos, the heart of the day was exactly what I love about hosting. People laughing, lingering at the table, going back for seconds, and leaving full in every sense of the word.

That’s why I wanted to write this, even a week later. I wasn’t able to document every detail in the whirlwind of the day, but it’s the feeling of it that I’ll remember. Those are the memories that matter most to me.

A Quiet Transition Into the Holidays

I’ll share more about this soon, but I did put up our Christmas tree early this year for the Thanksgiving gathering. For years, I always swing between going all out with decorating or doing nothing at all because it felt overwhelming. Some years I haven’t put anything up. This year, I found a softer middle ground, and it made the season feel special again without the pressure.

And Lastly…

If you’re someone who loves hosting too, I hope this reminds you that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes the best gatherings are the ones that move fast, feel lived in, and leave everyone a little fuller and happier than before.