
For your
first Thanksgiving don't worry about decorating your entire house, instead make sure everything is CLEAN and light a fire if you have a fire place. Focus your energy on creating a gorgeous table setting. Start looking for table decor now — a few weeks before the dinner — and set the table several days before Thanksgiving.

Since this is your
first Thanksgiving, don't go overboard offering guests an open bar. Instead, serve beer, wine, champagne, and one specialty cocktail. A few weeks before the dinner, head to your local wine shop or Trader Joe's.

After a classic
Thanksgiving meal, offer guests two delicious dessert options. The best thing about dessert dishes is that they can usually be made in advance. Instead of serving a pie, make a pumpkin spice roll cake with cream cheese filling.

The most important thing to remember when planning your first
Thanksgiving is to stay calm. Really, Thanksgiving is just like any old dinner party, but with the menu already established. Don't try to do everything yourself and do get help from the store.

To help you prepare the most perfect
Thanksgiving dinner ever, I will be planning not one, but three fabulous Thanksgiving parties throughout the month of November!
To start things off, I'm creating a plan for those of you who are hosting your first Thanksgiving dinner. I planned and cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner the fall after I graduated from college.