The best Thanksgiving Seating Arrangement

photo by marin

Thanksgiving is not only a day for thanks, but it is also a day of lively conversation and laughter, as well as delicious and tasty food. Thanksgiving meals are a great way to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy their company. If hosting a Thanksgiving get-together, the seating arrangement is important and should not take too much effort. Included are some tips to get you started and get the table settings perfect and ideal for everyone.  

First thing make sure you have enough chairs and dining tables for every guest to eat and a place for the food to sit. Can all of the guests sit at one table, or will there be a place for the adults to sit, and then the children at their own table? Sometimes this can cause a problem as children may be different ages and not always get along. Teenagers can often want to sit at the adult table, and not with the younger kids.

If there are more than two tables being used have a head of the table or a close friend, someone trusted, that can be a counter host for those tables. Meaning if somebody wants an extra biscuit, then there will be somebody to give it to them.  The best thing to do is to make sure that there is a place where all food can be reached and put aside and stay out of the way.

Another thing to consider when having a seating arrangement are the couples, meaning husbands and wives, boyfriend and girlfriend, and of course, family members. Often people seat these groups together or next to each other. One way to do this to step out of the box is by splitting up the couple and having them sitting across from each other, creating an ability for them to mingle and speak to other relatives and guests

Ultimately the goal as a host and creating a seating arrangement is to make sure that all guests are happy and enjoying themselves with no limitations or constrictions. Make sure there is enough leg room and arm room so people don’t bump in to each other.

Now, the truth is, if you have a southpaw in the family, that too is important to take into consideration. Putting a southpaw person towards the head of the tables may be better. This will prevent them from bumping elbows with a right handed eater.

All in all it is important to remember to keep everyone happy and make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. The distant cousins that never got along, they’re probably not the ones to sit next to each other. Keep in mind what is best for everyone when making a seating arrangement. If needed get seating cards, and help your guests see where they will be sitting.