With Thanksgiving a week away, we are probably all thinking “where did the time go?” Now it’s crunch time, and we’ve got to get our recipes in line, shopping list made, and get the house in dinner party shape. May seem like you’ve run out time, but here are 12 things that could take your Thanksgiving dinner party from good to great. There’s an added bonus to waiting until the last minute to get this shopping done…sales! Almost everything is on sale on this list. That should make your dinner taste even sweeter.

Setting the Table

I like to keep the placemats and napkins simple so that the dinnerware and centerpiece get all of the attention. Too many piece yelling look at me and it will all just become white noise. This Pottery Barn Classic Belgian Linen Hemstitch Place Mat in Ivory is the perfect foundation for your dinner table!

Add a soft touch of color with these Uno Mint Linen Napkins from CB2. These napkins will really make the grey, gold, copper and white color palette pop!

We all want something special for our holidays, but who wants to invest in fancy china that you only use 2-3 times a year, at best. I am obsessed with Anthropologie’s Ikat Thistle Dinnerware set. Use can pull these out for any dinner party or even add some festivity to all of your family dinners!

Place card holders are a great personal touch to any dinner party, and these Decked Out Feather Place Card Holders from West Elm are festive and chic!

Cocktail Hour

Have a little fun with your drinks and serve them in an unexpected way. These Gold Stemless Wine Glass from World Market are sure to catch people’s attention.

And if you already have wine glasses that you want to use, help people keep track of their own glass in a creative and festive way! Paint these Buzz Word Epoxy Stickers in gold and add them to each glass. You’ll create a natural ice breaker with words like “fabulous”, “party”, and “for you” sparkling on the sides of each glass. See how Hostess with the Mostess did this for her Thanksgiving dinner party here! I love how it turned out, and I will definitely be doing this at my house!

For all of those open wine bottles that will be floating around, add these brass oval Geo Bottle Stoppers from West Elm for a little touch of glam to what would otherwise go unnoticed.

Don’t let the wine have all of the fun. Dress up those cocktails too! These adorable Party Animal Cocktail Forks from CB2 will do just the trick. While you have your spray paint out for those Epoxy Word Stickers, you may also want to add a little bling to these too! I would just spray the animals though and not the fork part that goes into your drink.

If your bar setup is really lacking, you can get everything you need with this 30 Piece Barware Starter Set from West Elm. It comes with their white marble octagonal coasters and arrow cocktail picks (both of which I was going to add to this list on their own because I love them so much!)

Don’t have time to stand around mixing cocktails for your guests? Then just serve Jane St. Vodka premixed cocktails. They are all as delicious as they are pretty to look at!

With all these fun cocktails going around, your guests are going to need to hydrate too. Make your water just as enticing with this Airtight 66oz Pitcher with Infuser from Crate and Barrel. It’s the easiest way to add a little zing to your guests water!

And you can’t serve water this good in just any old pitcher. Dress that up too with the Legend Pitcher also by Crate and Barrel. The copper finish will look glamourous on your drink table or even as part of your table’s centerpiece!

You are well on your way to an amazing and gorgeous dinner party! Check out this post on some easy holiday centerpiece ideas, and this post on the easiest DIY candles you could ever try to make (that still look amazing!)

What are your favorite things for your festive dinner parties?

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