Get my brain into hosting gear
November 20, 2024 1:57 PM   Subscribe

I'm hosting a small Thanksgiving next week and because everything is a goddamned nightmare all the time, this is legit the first moment I'm thinking about it. So if you had exactly one week to prepare for one overnight (two nights) guest and a small dinner gathering, where would you start and what would you do? I feel a bit stuck and am thinking a little checklist might help me get moving!

Notes:
-The core menu is taken care of (thanks partner) but I do need to figure out where/when some supplemental shopping happens. Maybe multiple trips, bc no car. A stable-foods trip and a fresh-foods trip?
-No turkey, so no elaborate defrosting or brining to schedule! Yay!
-Do need to manage a couple of bakes, because that's what folks expect at my house. I've chosen ones that are ~1hr apiece. One will keep, one needs to be day-of.
-I work a regular 9-5 schedule until next Wednesday and things are slammed at work, so most chores/errands need to happen at night.
-The house is generally kept visitor-clean, though maybe not "multiple day visitor clean." Would love to know what might be the biggest bang for my (time and) buck re: cleaning, guest room accoutrements, vibes.

Not looking to be Martha Stewart here but I would like things to be nice and cozy and all that shit. Yay holidays
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese to Grab Bag (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
you have a pretty good list start up there. i'd break it down into days/times and refine it that way.

think about your guest and what's important to them, and tailor their experience around that. when i am staying with friends, i don't care too much about extra stuff - a clean bed/mostly clean space, and the company of the people who i love. that's all i pretty much need. your guest may differ.

you say you don't have a car, so give yourself the grace of using a rideshare if things get overwhelming. maybe that lets you combine things efficiently and save you a bunch of time.
posted by koroshiya at 3:47 PM on November 20 [3 favorites]


Get shelf-stable groceries delivered, hire cleaners if you can for your house. All you would have to do is set out clean towels for the guests, do a fresh food shop, manage the bake.
posted by shock muppet at 3:54 PM on November 20 [4 favorites]


Ahead of time I would make sure you know the preferred morning drink of your guest, so you can add it to the grocery list if you don’t keep it stocked. I would also think through easy lunch and breakfast for Thursday. Prep breakfast and lunch stuff ahead so the big meal prep and cooking isn’t bothered.
posted by Swisstine at 4:10 PM on November 20 [3 favorites]


Strata for breakfast... STRATA FOR BREAKFAST! So adaptable! I went from using meh fresh tomatoes to canned ones and actually prefer them, you pick the cheese(es) of your choice, include meat or not. You should prep it the night before, and it keeps forever in a low oven, so it doesn't matter if people get up at different times. A word of warning, in my experience, it really is better with crusty white bread. You can put a zillion things in, but my go tos are lean bacon, mushrooms and roasted peppers, plus Swiss cheese.

You will earn my undying gratitude if you introduce it as Eggy Breakfast, in honor of the sister who introduced me to it <3
posted by kate4914 at 4:44 PM on November 20 [2 favorites]


I think the best cleaning bang for the buck is to do the bathroom(s). Nothing better than a clean toilet and sink, and windexing the mirror makes everything look fresh.

When I visit my sister I always appreciate the bed linens (actual linen) and the fresh air in the guest bedroom, and how everything smells of dried flowers and herbs (we have some hippy tendencies). She always has good bath products.

I agree with the advice to make a list of daily tasks to spread your prep out over the week. If strata isn’t your jam look into the Smitten Kitchen overnight waffle batter, which is another perfect option.

Does your guest cook? My best houseguests have always offered to cook at least once if they are staying a week. My mom was just here and she made buttermilk scones twice.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:33 PM on November 20 [5 favorites]


When I stay with friends, I care about: clean sheets, clean towel, possibly accessible toiletries (like, hey, oops, I forgot toothpaste or I need some lotion). Those things don't need to be out in the open, but just easily found.

That's about it. I'm not going through and seeing if your house is super clean. Did you vacuum fairly recently? You're good.

If you guest does coffee & gets up earlier than you, make that easy for them. Or if they have tea in the morning, also make that easy. Secondary, make breakfast items (bread for toast or whatever) easily available (also snacks for non-breakfast times).
posted by edencosmic at 5:36 PM on November 20 [2 favorites]


I haven't used King Arthur's Thanksgiving Survival Guide myself, but they have yet to steer me wrong. Their timeline might have some helpful tips about your baking schedule.

For an overnight guest, I'd give the bathroom a little extra attention and check whether the guest linens seem fresh enough - they tend get a bit musty in my place, but a bit of airing or a few minutes in the dryer usually fixes it. And I'd probably try to squeeze in a little dusting but that's just because it's my most skipped chore - if you're generally on top of it, you should be fine.

If you're in a cold climate, a variety of of weights of bedding layers are nice to have set out (or pointed out) for guests. Same with toiletries they can use, if needed. Maybe put a spare toothbrush on the grocery list if you don't have one? And definitely having their preferred morning drink easily accessible, that's so welcoming.
posted by EvaDestruction at 5:43 PM on November 20


I’m always shocked by how much fresher my whole house looks when I wipe down or Magic Eraser the cabinet faces in my kitchen.
posted by stellaluna at 5:59 PM on November 20


If you’re doing pie, make the crust ahead of time, leave in the freezer in large pucks wrapped in parchment paper for upwards of months, fridge for a full day or three to thaw and roll out when assembling. You can roll out and freeze in a pie plate but that can take up way too much room in the freezer.

Do one shop with your guest after they arrive so you can grab stuff they want for breakfast/snacks plus whatever you need for cooking, and then splurge on a ride home. If that’s not something they are up for or financially unfeasible, ask them ahead of time and do grocery delivery for that plus non perishables, and pop out for fresh stuff if needed. Most thanksgiving things aren’t super perishable though, like root veggies and green beans and autumn fruits can hang out a few days.

Have a short list of movies you would enjoy watching so you don’t spend a long time hemming and hawing about what to put on the tv when you are hanging out with your guest. Or, albums or playlists of music for the same reasons. (The best Thanksgiving movie is Adam’s Family Values.)

Give your guest lots of pillows so they can pick whichever ones they like at night by themselves and chuck the rest on the floor. Avoid scented things in the guest bedroom and bathroom.

Depending on their culture your guest may insist upon helping with chores and tasks. Think ahead of time about which ones of these would be okay if they weren’t done exactly to specifications or would be simple for them to accomplish without your supervision, so you can skip the argument where you tell them no, they are a guest, they insist on washing dishes, you don’t trust that the dishes are washed so you wash them again, they see you doing this, doubt foments, etc etc etc.

Plan for some snacking and nibbling thanksgiving day, before the meal. Cheese and crackers, crudité, pretzels and dips, cut up apples and pears, nuts and seeds, all good things to set out so everybody staves off the hangry while cooking is happening. Also good to have out: mint or fennel tea for digestion and tastiness, decaf coffee, sparkling water.

For cleaning, focus on the bathroom. Have a basket or drawer with some extra toiletries in there, don’t forget menstrual supplies. Buy some Imodium and tums too and have them easily accessible, just because travel and stress are very real, not to imply anything about your partner’s cooking. Get the good toilet paper - you and your guest are worth it. If you’re sharing a bathroom, use different colored towels for the guests vs home people. Or if you’ve only got the one color, put a chip clip or clothes pin on yours and your partners’ towels. Nothing grosser than using someone else’s damp towel.
posted by Mizu at 6:46 PM on November 20 [2 favorites]


Guest room goodies - bottle of water and accessible outlet/extension cord/phone charger. Nightlight that comes on in the dark.
posted by MadMadam at 7:28 PM on November 20 [1 favorite]


When I am stuck, developing a plan helps me get started. Lists help me break things down so they don't seem overwhelming. This is how I would start - I would brain dump list of all things that need to be done.

Then sort the list by must do, should do, would be nice to do, and, maybe I don't need to do. Consider some of these items can be done after your guests have arrived?

Start listing out these tasks in the should do category for each night you have until guests arrive. If there isn't enough time to get the must do things done - figure out what to outsource or not do. If there appears to be extra time, add some items from the other categories.

Remember, these folks are coming to see you and it doesn't need to be perfect.
posted by donovangirl at 6:31 AM on November 21


She's done one for you. Martha Stewart's thanksgiving schedule.
posted by Ferrari328 at 7:57 AM on November 21 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Wow thank you all! I do indeed feel like I have somewhere to start!

Luckily, we are outsourcing like...60% of the food entirely, and not doing turkey at all, because we realized none of us even like turkey that much, and there's Important Football on during the day so nobody wants to spend the day in the kitchen. So timing everything on the day of should be exceedingly simple, fortunately -- it's the run-up, when I'm juggling prep and cleaning with my stupid job and figuring out what can be done in advance, that had me paralyzed.

But this morning I placed an order for flowers, made a tiered shopping list and a by-day cleaning list, washed the shower curtain, and just generally started moving, so thanks everyone!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:48 AM on November 21


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