5 Ways to Create a Fun and Memorable Thanksgiving Dinner

THANK YOU TO CHESAPEAKE BAY CANDLE FOR SPONSORING TODAY’S POST. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE 100% MY OWN!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and if you are hosting, I imagine you are thinking about how to create an experience that is fun and meaningful for your family and guests.

One thing I learned from my mom (who is an incredibly gifted hostess) is that the details are very important! Sometimes the smallest touches can make the most lasting impressions.

Here are my top 5 ways to create a fun evening and a meaningful table, without spending all of your money on the brand new line of Hearth and Hand products by Magnolia at Target. 🙂

Personalize

Make every guest feel at home by personalizing their place at the table with a special placecard. This simple gesture shows that you gave some thought to your guest’s visit as well as put some intentionality into who sits by who. You can print free editable ones HERE or HERE, or you can make your own. I love THESE simple Mayflower placecards that the kids can help create.

Games

Every party needs a good game or two to break the ice! Check out my favorite Thanksgiving game ideas HERE and HERE. Our family’s top choice is Don’t Eat Tom Turkey and the hilarious Name That Turkey Tune Game from THIS POST.

Conversation

Print some funny Thanksgiving joke cards, inspirational Thanksgiving Scripture verse cards, and/or hilarious Thanksgiving conversation cards and sprinkle around the table as an easy way to engage guests in meaningful and light-hearted conversation during the meal. This is a sure-fire way to avoid conversation involving politics. 😉

Favors

At the end of a holiday party, I love to send guests out the door with a little extension of our time together – a small blessing to let them know how thankful we were to have them in our home. Here are a few easy Thanksgiving favor ideas…

Candles

Finally, one of the prettiest and easiest ways to create a lovely holiday table and foster a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home is to simply light a candle. There is something about lighting a candle that is so peaceful. I love the calming effect a little flickering flame and yummy scent has on our home! Did you know that the brain’s olfactory centers are intimately linked to the limbic system — which is responsible for our emotions, fears, and memory? This means there is a big connection between smell and the way we think.

Today I am sharing some of my favorite candles from Chesapeake Bay Candle’s amazing line of holiday-inspired scents so that you can add them to your list of holiday party essentials. You will be amazed to see how these candles can help your Thanksgiving be peaceful and lovely.

Chesapeake Bay Candles are some of the nicest I have ever owned. They are packaged in beautiful frosted clear glass jars with a solid wood lid and accent of twine. Some of the scents also may be purchased in an industrial-looking galvanized tin that would make Joanna Gaines proud. The ingredients in each candle are high-quality and chosen with professional, thoughtful care.

Any of the following scents would be perfect additions to your next holiday gathering to help set the mood (and also cover up any strong scents of urine in your bathroom that is daily assaulted by your 2 boys – ahem).

Vanilla Biscotti Coffee Table Jar Candle

Vanilla is one of my all-time favorite scents to create a cozy feeling. This candle makes me feel like I am curled up in front of a crackling fire and sipping a cup of warm milk sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and toasted almonds. I don’t ever actually do that, but this candle makes me want to.

Buy one HERE.

Pumpkin Latte Large and Pumpkin Latte Small Jar Candles

This candle has a blend of praline, pecan, and pumpkin frosting aromas that will seriously send you straight to Autumn Heaven.

Buy the large candle HERE and the small version HERE.

Cinnamon Spice Double Wick Tin Candle

It’s no secret around this blog that I am in love with cinnamon brooms. This candle is basically better and the smell never runs out.

Buy yours HERE.

Balsam Fir Coffee Table Jar Candle

We have a fake Christmas tree, so I have made it my mission to find a candle that can recreate the smell of a fresh tree. This candle is the answer. I know that our holiday house guests will be completely fooled by my lack of true nature with the incredible evergreen pine scents from this candle filling the room.

Buy one HERE.

Go HERE to see Chesapeake Bay’s entire site of scented luxury candles. They make wonderful holiday gifts!

At the end of the day, though, the best thing you can do as a hostess is to simply love your guests well and included your kids in the process. Try not to fuss too much when the turkey gets overcooked or the house isn’t as clean as you would like. You opened your home. That’s awesome. Being a hostess who radiates peace is a much better hospitality practice than nailing the menu or decorations.

How will you create a fun and memorable Thanksgiving dinner party this month?

Joyfully,

Julie