The Easy Serving Method That'll Make Thanksgiving Dinner A Lot Less Stressful

No holiday showcases food quite like Thanksgiving. Sure, we're all supposed to contemplate what we're thankful for in life, on the big day, yet the celebration squarely centers around appetizing cuisine –- and lots of it. But those preparing the seasonal spread are guaranteed to feel stress bearing down on them. One way to make things easy is to serve all that scrumptious fare buffet-style, instead of placing the turkey and all those Thanksgiving side dishes on the dinner table.

There are multiple advantages to utilizing the buffet method for Thanksgiving dinner, not the least of which being that nobody has to pass dishes around a table full of plates and glassware. The dinner table becomes a spacious territory, with nary a worry that Uncle Joe is going to knock over your wine glass as he sends the stuffing your way. It also frees up room for more seasonal beverages and elegant centerpieces that add to the charm of the celebration.

Serving Thanksgiving dinner as a buffet also allows guests to get what they want, when they want it. No waiting to get your hands on an extra helping of crispy Brussels sprouts, or that tempting sweet potato casserole making its way around the table. And those contrarians who don't like creamy mashed potatoes topped with flavor-enhanced Thanksgiving gravy can skip it and keep working their way down the line. A buffet also gives you more time to make last-minute adjustments to a dish. Guests will already have plenty of options, so they won't mind waiting a few extra minutes for that green bean salad to hit the buffet. Everybody gets fed and enjoys each other's company, with less stress for everyone involved.

Setting up Thanksgiving dinner buffet-style doesn't just eliminate stress for everyone involved; it also provides an opportunity to make something special for guests with specific dietary restrictions or preferences. You can serve vegan or gluten-free dishes that might only appeal to a select few, while folks who are ready to chow down on anything within reach can go to town on turkey and buttery dinner rolls.

You can also make Thanksgiving desserts the day before, like Ina Garten does, and set them out after dinner. With a buffet, you'll have enough room to make sure everyone gets a slice of their favorite pie, while allowing guests to dig in whenever they like — whether that's after their first helping, or their fifth.

For an organized Thanksgiving buffet featuring various dishes, it's helpful to label items with basic ingredient cards so they're easily identified. Gluten-free and vegan guests will especially appreciate not having to ask what's in each dish before digging in. Coordinate colored templates to match seasonal accents, or just grab some sturdy construction paper and write down the name of the dish with a marker. One problem some may face when considering serving Thanksgiving dinner as a buffet is not having a separate table big enough to accommodate all that cuisine. But plenty of things can act as a table in a pinch; clear off a desk or a short bookcase, cover it up with a tablecloth, and no one will be the wiser.