Hosting for Thanksgiving? Don’t let the stress consume you. Any Thanksgiving spent with family is a happy one. That said, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure everyone enjoys themselves.

You might be wondering, “How does this relate to my landscaping given the weather outside and dinner inside?” It’s a fair question, but one that we’re ready to contest. Your outdoor space absolutely contributes to a happy Thanksgiving at home in several ways.

Warm Welcome
Fall lends itself to some of the most charming front yard décor of the year, from mums and pumpkins on the porch to colorful natural contrast on the lawn and any other favorite accents that you might keep stored away for the season. Learn more about creating holiday curb appeal, not just for Thanksgiving, but throughout the holiday season and into the new year. Also, keep in mind that a modest layer of crunchy leaves may capture that fall feeling, but too much can begin to look like more of a mess. Basic lawn maintenance is a must!

Safety First
Whether you’re having a smaller gathering with immediate family or a larger one with all the aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins, you want your guests to feel at home. That means they should be able to safely navigate inside and out with ease. Landscape lighting becomes more important in autumn—and especially while hosting on Thanksgiving—when it gets dark out so early. Walkways are also an essential part of a professionally designed outdoor space made for hosting.

Fresh Air
With all that cooking going on in the kitchen and everyone hanging out around the house, it can get a little stuffy inside. If it’s a particularly cold Thanksgiving, you might also have the heater running and/or the windows closed. Make it easy for your guests to get as much fresh air as often as they’d like by keeping some seating and standing options on your patio, perhaps with a few fall annuals for surrounding scenery. It may not be summer, but fall can be an equally outdoor season when you have the right setup.

Outdoor Elements
Look to your outdoor space for cool and creative takes on the traditional Thanksgiving get-together. Baking the outdoors into your Thanksgiving can be as simple as “porch d’oeuvres” or, if you have an outdoor kitchen and weather permits, as grand as an all-out(side) feast. If you have a fire pit, there’s nowhere better than by the fire and no time better than fall to sit fireside with the people you love most. And lastly, if you’re hosting for Thanksgiving, it’s probably not the only time you’ll want to host in style. Let High Tech make your landscape guest-ready year-round with award-winning residential landscaping services in NJ.