Seat Yourself, and Everyone Else

Seating is constantly a problem at our house for any holiday. We have a separate dining room from the kitchen, and another dining room table that can be brought up for more space, but not everyone is this lucky. Thanksgiving is family time, but what fun is being with family if you can't be with the family or everyone is eating off their laps in order to be together. It is hard to pass around the gravy or carve the turkey without room at the table.

Kids are really easy to please. Try laying out some butcher paper or drape some paint or hardware cloth or tarp on the floor. Put out some drawing utensils for the kids to color and play with. They'll have so much fun playing and drawing their heart's content and you won't get those icky gravy stains on your carpet. The cool thing is you now have a keepsake for grandparents to receive on Christmas, assuming kids didn't spill too much food on it! Before the kids arrive make sure to warn your guests to bring extra clothes, and make sure you have some old towels and washcloths so the kids can clean up before heading home. Nothing is worse than a newly cleaned vehicle that is destroyed by a messy kid.

For your adult guests, try putting most of the dishes on side tables, TV trays or your coffee table set in strategic positions around the dinner table. You can pass these items around then place them on the extra tables, which also leaves more room for condiments and decorations. It should give you enough room to seat people a little closer together and yet they won't feel so squished. Just remember that guests who are left handed need to sit at the left end of the table!

Need more room still? Try placing some of the younger generation in the living room. This isn't as rude or distasteful if the living room and dining room are not separated by a wall or doorway. The younger generation tends to get bored with the older generation's topics of conversation anyway, just be sure to remember, these kids are part of your family and you need to try to include them in the celebration. Try periodically offering more refreshments from the table, or asking if there is anything that is needed, or asking occasional questions about what is going on; even better if you know something good that has happened recently to point it out to the others. Just remember to keep the focus on fun, if your kid's grades are slipping just do your best to avoid the subject all together. The kids will appreciate it, and maybe even help do dishes after! Okay, maybe that is hoping for a little too much, but hope and promise is the reason for the season.