Simple Inspiration for Hosting Thanksgiving

You can listen to this post on Refresh Her Podcast.

What memories does Thanksgiving evoke in your mind and heart? Is there a special year that stands out to you? My very favorite memory was the year before my husband and I were married. That was the year I had the joy of hosting Dale and our parents in my humble home.

I was a school teacher living in a 14′ x70′ trailer. The kitchen was so small that if I needed to open the refrigerator while there were people at the table, someone would have to stand and scoot their chair in! Because of the size of that space, I decided to take the table into the living room and make it the “dining room” for the day. This was long before the days of Pinterest, of course, so Good Housekeeping Magazine was the source for my simple decorations, part of which included gingerbread place cards. The guest’s names were written in icing and set at their place at the table.

The menu served was just the basics of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and so on. I was grateful for the experienced hands of my mom assisting me in the kitchen with my first ever “bird.” I’m sure she also made the gravy, because that’s her expertise! I may have added a Jell-O salad in a Tupperware mold because they were the rage at the time! I recall that I tried my hand at Clover leaf Rolls, and though I don’t remember how they tasted, I was relieved that at least they rose and “looked pretty!” You eat with your eyes first, after all!

That simple meal, served in a simple manner was a feast to my heart. This first grade teacher, living on a meager income, had God’s blessings all around the table, as well as on it. How gracious He was to provide this time with the people I loved. I saw His grace gifts before my eyes. My husband-to-be was beside me. My parents had traveled to share this holiday, and my future in-laws who had welcomed me into their family, were each here and giving evidence of God’s abundant goodness to me.

Thanksgiving celebration doesn’t have to match up to all the out of this world Instagram posts, or contain all the cute ideas we find on Pinterest. It really boils down to one thing – What is our motive for celebrating/hosting Thanksgiving? We may be like the little girl who was asked to pray for the dinner meal where guests had been invited. Her response when asked to pray was,
“Daddy, I don’t know what to say!”
“Just say what you hear Mommy say” was his response.
The little girl bowed her head and said, “God, why did we invite all these people over?!”

It’s easy to feel that way, isn’t it? It’s so much work. So much preparation. It can also be added pressure that we put on ourselves because our “why” is out of place.

So we need to ask ourselves, “Why am I hosting anyone here for Thanksgiving?” Be honest. Let the Lord search your heart. May I offer some biblical motives that could refresh the way you host a group around your table?

• Psalm 100:4 says, Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. Is our motive that we really want to be thankful to God and bless His name? Our why of hosting should be from the overflow of God’s goodness to us.
• Blessing the name of the Lord with other people is another biblical motive. Psalm 145 – One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.  They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
  We need to let those gather around our table hear us speak of God’s abundant goodness. What memories can you share with others of how good your God is?
• To share the blessing of God’s provisions with other people is a third motive that brings a blessing. Sharing our simple home, our food, our possessions with a heart of gratitude can be a sweet gift to those that share the meal with us. If we fret over the holiday, the meal, and the preparations, the people that we wish to bless will instead feel your stress.

How can we keep our focus right and not zero in on all the externals? How can we keep it simple and still make it memorable? Make early decisions.

1. Decide early who will come. If you need to limit the number because of the size of your home, look intentionally for people that you can minister to. That might include unsaved neighbors, new people at church, college students away from home, or a widow or widower.
2. Decide on the menu. Don’t try to fix everything. Find a basic menu and stick with it.
3. Decide where you will serve the meal. Maybe you need to get a little creative as I did at my first time hosting Thanksgiving.
4. Decide when you should get started. Early preparation will ease the stress! Freeze breads and pie crusts. Make your gravy ahead of time! I love this recipe from King Arthur Flour. Work ahead. Find a timeline that will help you know when each thing needs to be done and how far ahead you could do those tasks.
5. Designate help. If people offer to bring something, take the help. Another way to get help may be purchasing a pie from Sam’s or a bakery.
6. Decide to keep decor simple. Use what is out in your yard. Don’t feel forced into making things elaborate. Gather leaves and branches from outside and put them in jars or vases. Add votive candles. Simplicity is sometimes the most beautiful accent!
7. Decide to Magnify Christ. This is what the day is all about! I Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing (Stressful decorations, outlandish expectations, or extravagant foods) among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Make the day about Christ. Exalt Him. Plan for a time in your celebration where everyone can offer their thanks for what God has done in their life this past year, how He was faithful, how He answered prayer, or what He taught them of Himself. You might end your gathering with prayer and a song of thanks.

Your guests can look back on this Thanksgiving as a memorable one because your focus was not on your performance, but on Christ. It won’t be a perfect holiday, but you will have spent time giving praise to the Perfect One! When your attitude is right, even the “oops” moments, like lumpy gravy, a crack in the cheesecake or the dry turkey can turn into laughable moments instead of issues that bring us to tears.

Refresh the way you prepare for, and the way you host Thanksgiving this year!

Here are some related posts on Thanksgiving that will aid your preparations:
Simple Is Better
Early Thanksgiving Preparations
My Thanksgiving Timeline
Prep the Day Before Thanksgiving
If you need menu suggestions:
Thanksgiving Dinner Favorite Recipes
Here are some suggestions for those of you who will be a guest in someone’s home.
Being the Best Guest

Happy Preparations!