How to Throw a Day After Thanksgiving Party for the Neighbors

The day after Thanksgiving, generally known as Black Friday, is usually a day that starts with early morning shopping and ends with eating leftover turkey and then resting up from the activity of the last two days. A fun way to break up that routine and spend some time socializing with the neighbors, is to throw a Black Friday or Day After Thanksgiving Party. it is a wonderful way to extend the holiday partying, spend some bonding time with the neighbors at the beginning of the holiday season, and also share the leftovers from your Turkey Day meal. This article will offer several suggestions on how you can plan and enjoy a relaxed, but festive party with those neighborhood pals on the day after Thanksgiving.

Invitations: If you have a package of Thanksgiving invitation cards, you can use your scrap booking materials to make a slight adjustment to the type and insert the words "Day After" to the front of the invitation. You can then just take advantage of the designated spaces inside to let your neighbors know that you are hosting a special Black Friday party and that dinner will be served buffet style, comprised of any and all Thanksgiving dinner left overs the guests wish to bring. Your neighbors will love the opportunity to share their signature holiday dishes and clean the refrigerator of the excessive amount of leftovers. Ask guests to kindly give you a heads up on what dishes they will be bringing on the morning of the party so if you learn that you will have eight different types of mashed potatoes and only half a cheesecake for dessert, you can make a quick trip to the grocery store.

Necessities: Once you have an idea of what left over dishes you will have for your own contribution for the party, you will surely want to purchase a few buffet additions such as rolls, extra condiments, salad fixings and an assortment of cookies for the kids. Apple cider, coffee, tea and beer and wine should be on hand to offer the guests as well as juices and water bottles for the younger guests. Feel free to have your guests eat their meal on holiday themed disposable plates and cutlery. Not only have you surely had your fill of washing dishes the day before, these Thanksgiving themed paper products can be purchased for a song the day of your party.

Decorations: One of the beauties of this party is that all your decorations are already hung and displayed from the day before. Keep your Pilgrims and Turkeys out and simply refresh your Pumpkin Pie and Apple Cinnamon candles. If you feel inspired you can place a Christmas decoration or two out in an appropriate place to welcome the next holiday while still enjoying the last.

Buffet: Keep the extra leaves in the table from the day before or leave the long table in the corner of the dining room up and ready to hold all your party offerings. Make good use of your crock pot and warming trays for those guests who need to heat up their offerings. Lay out a few platters and trays as well as large serving bowls for the buffet items that need to be transferred before serving. Don't get too hung up on the logistics of the party buffet. This is a casual potluck and the different serving bowls and platters will give the table a nice eclectic look.

Entertainment: After all the guests have had their fill of delicious left overs, set the kids up with a Christmas DVD or playing a board game while the adults share an hour of two of cocktails and discussing the Black Friday sales as well as plans for the upcoming Christmas or Hanuka holiday.

Your neighbors will surely have such a wonderful time at your party that you just may start a new tradition, with each neighbor taking a turn at hosting the festivity for many years to come.