In the past couple of years, I finally started hosting Thanksgiving events of my very own. I took lots of notes from my mother, who can entertain a group of 50,000 and feed all of them too (I don’t think that’s that much of an exaggeration!). I also thought it was important to incorporate some of the things I like most about the Thanksgiving holiday into my own celebration as well. Let me tell you about some dishes I think are very important to serve at Thanksgiving dinner, and how I would entertain a party afterwards!
THE DINNER
One important thing that every good host should do before the dinner is to make note of how many people will be eating and if anyone has special dietary restrictions. For example, last 
Variety is good, but don’t take on more than you can handle. My mother would always bake a ham and a turkey for Thanksgiving, but who has all that time? (Or more than one oven?) If you’d like to offer ham and turkey at your Thanksgiving dinner, consider cooking one and buying another one already cooked. Since people expect the best turkey on Thanksgiving, perhaps it would be best to cook your own turkey and buy fully-cooked Virginia ham at a store like Wal-Mart or Publix.
THE PARTY
The party afterwards is crucial, because many people just use it as an excuse to retreat to the couch and fall asleep while watching football. Keep the football in the party, just make sure the volume is very low, or even muted. Turn on some of your favorite tunes and play them at a louder volume than the television. Unlike with a Christmas party, there isn’t really a big demand 
Keep things simple but also keep things “you.” After all, people are at your party because they like you and they want to know how you are going to present Thanksgiving to them. Play a game that encourages audience interaction. For example, Cards Against Humanity (available for purchase online) is a big hit with my friends and can entertain them for hours. Want to get everyone more energized? Pick a game like charades instead so people are on their feet and 
Finally, make sure that everyone has a thank you note given to them as they are leaving. Write them out in advance, be sure to address each note personally, and write to each person, telling them that you are glad they chose to be a part of your celebrations this Thanksgiving. If you like, also write one thing that you like most about each of your friends in your thank you notes. If there was any doubt that you cared about your friends before now, these notes will remove that doubt!
