Hosting Thanksgiving When You Have Just Moved

Moving around major holidays can be unavoidable. Especially if you’re accustomed to who hosts family and friends for dinner, there’s no reason to alter your plans just because you have relocated. With a bit of planning, organization and out of the box thinking, your first Thanksgiving at your new home can be a hit. There’s no better way to show off your new home to family and friends than by having a festive feast!

Depending on how your move is planned, you might have weeks to get settled in your new place and set up for Thanksgiving. But usually, your regular Thanksgiving plans will need modified to accommodate your move. Don’t be caught with surprise turkey day troubles. Plan, adapt, and prepare for some new memories in your new home!

Planning Ahead

Prior to your local moving company or long-distance movers deliver into your new house, you need to have a plan ready to go for creating a perfect Thanksgiving for you and your family. Before you start packing at your old home, you’ll need to write a list of your holiday essentials. Whether it is an heirloom set of china, your grandma’s recipe for candied yams, or decorations for your tablescape, make sure to think through the eventthoroughly, and create a list of all the items you typically use.

Once you determine what you’ll need for the event, now you can begin to pack. If you are using your local moving company or long-distance mover’ packing services, share your list with the movers. The crew can make sure your holiday items are packed together and labeled accordingly. Labeling with “Thanksgiving- recipes,” “Thanksgiving- cookware,” or “Thanksgiving- decorations”, will make your unpacking easier once you get to your new home. Everything you’ll need for your dinner will be together and ready for you. Or take pics of your family recipes, just in case you forgot where you packed your favorite cookbook!

If you can fully unpack prior to your guests arriving into town, this is is always the ideal situation. Especially if you are planning to houseguests staying for several days, prioritizing unpacking important items and getting guest rooms set up should be the highest priority.

If you’re limited on time and guests are arriving soon, then you have to prioritize! Main areas of the home should be set up, such as living rooms, kitchen and bathrooms. Other rooms like home offices, garages and outdoors spaces can be set up later. Your guests will understand if the whole home isn’t ready for a house tour yet!

Keep it Simple

You probably have your Thanksgiving dinner prep ready to go! However, if you’re not completely unpacked or settled into your new place, it might be time to think about other plans. Finding options to ease your move-in process and meal preparations while still letting you host a meal that’s a hit is easier than you think.

The key to any successful relocation is communication. Moving near the holidays is no exception! When you get to your new home, you probably already have come up with a plan with your local moving company or long-distance movers. Tell the crew to put any boxes labeled “Thanksgiving” in a central place, making your unpacking and setup tasks much easier.

If you must alter your cooking plans because of your relocation situation, there are a few simple and inexpensive options to explore.

Grocery Store Mean Boxes- Many grocery stores sell complete Thanksgiving meals in a box, complete with a turkey and all the fixin’s already cooked and ready. This is a fantastic option because they often come with their own serving containers and are already to eat.

Meal Kits and Delivery Services- These days, there are so many boxed meal companies, and most will curate a Thanksgiving box. These businesses can ship your main and side dishes to your house, complete with all the ingredients and recipes to cook each dish.

Slow Cooker- Are you aware that you can cook a whole ham in a crock pot? Leveraging your small appliances will free up your cooktop, save time and effort. This leaves you more time to spend on what is really important, your family and friends!

Leftovers- You no doubt haven’t unpacked any food storage containers, so how will you send people home with leftovers? Disposable muffin tins! These are cheap, and a wonderful way to let each guest leave with the right size of every main and side dish..

Borrow From Neighbors

Part of the joy of moving to a new home is getting to know your new neighbors. Seeing as the opportunity is there, asking your neighbors if they’ll let you borrow items that you have not unpacked yet may be a good fix. Asking for a casserole dish, extra chairs or wine glasses will save you from unpacking. Earn some bonus points with your neighbors by bringing them some of your food or a slice of pie when you give back the items you borrowed!

If your move is to Pittsburgh is a new city or area for your, be sure to chat and get to know your long-distance mover. The staff aiding the driver with delivering your household goods will be local and familiar with your new town and they can absolutely help you find local Pittsburgh thrift stores, grocery stores and many other locations to find your holiday essentials!

Call Corrigan

Because we are a family owned and operated Pittsburgh local moving company and long-distance movers, Corrigan understands the importance of family. When you hire Corrigan as your local moving company, it usually means your family and friends are still nearby, easing the transition to your new place. But, we also understand that long-distance movers may seem to be the closest feeling to family you have right now. Corrigan treats every customer like our family and we will go above and beyond to ensure a smooth, stress-free move. Whatever your situation, you can count on Corrigan Moving Systems to keep your holiday season warm with outstanding service!