Holiday hosting
Timelines for the four dates between late October and New Year when the party is at your house and the date cannot move.
Halloween party checklist
Decorations, a costume contest, themed food and treat bags for a kids, adult or mixed crowd.
Thanksgiving dinner hosting timeline
Three weeks from guest list to leftovers, with the Tuesday and Wednesday jobs spelled out.
Christmas dinner hosting timeline
Five weeks from booking the delivery slot to the pudding, with crackers and settings counted.
New Year's Eve party checklist
A long evening that peaks at midnight: food in waves, a toast for everyone and a way home.
How to choose
Holiday hosting has a fixed date and shops that run short, so these four lists lean on the calendar more than any others on the site. Enter the date and each one tells you the actual day to order, shop, cook ahead and set the table.
The two dinner timelines are built differently on purpose. Thanksgiving runs three weeks and concentrates on the Tuesday and Wednesday before, on pies, and on guests who bring sides. Christmas dinner runs five weeks, starts with the delivery slot and the meat order, and moves the work into the freezer in the two weeks before. Neither gives cooking times or turkey sizes: those come from your butcher, the label and your recipes.
The Halloween checklist changes with the crowd. For children it plans games, treat bags and glow sticks; for adults a theme, a quiz or murder mystery and a hot dish late in the evening; for families it keeps one bright, calm room.
New Year's Eve is the long one. Its checklist plans food in waves and counts toast glasses, hats and noisemakers, with a family version that moves the countdown to an earlier hour.