Setting a Thanksgiving Table for Twelve

Size the table before you buy or rent anything

Do this part 2–3 weeks out, because party rental companies book up for Thanksgiving week. Allow 24 in (61 cm) of table edge per person, or 30 in (76 cm) if you want people comfortable. Leave at least 36 in (91 cm) from the table edge to the wall so chairs can pull out, and 44 in (112 cm) where people need to walk behind seated guests. For twelve on one long table that comes to about 10–12 ft (3–3.7 m), with five per side and one at each end. Most dining tables seat 6–8, so the usual fixes are:

• Extend in a straight line by butting a 6 ft (183 cm) folding table against your dining table. This is the default if the room is long enough.
• Use an L or T shape when the room is short but wide.
• Set up a separate kids' table for 4–6 children. This frees the most space but splits the group.
• Rent tables when you have no matching extra table. Two 8 ft (244 cm) rentals end to end seat twelve with room to spare, and the heights will match.

Dining tables and folding tables are usually 29–30 in (74–76 cm) tall, but measure your extra table before you commit to it. A step of more than 1/2 in (1 cm) at the seam will tip glasses. Chair seats should sit 10–12 in (25–30 cm) below the tabletop, which is 17–19 in (43–48 cm) for a standard table.

Get the food off the table

Twelve place settings plus a turkey and 6–8 sides won't fit on one table. First-timers try anyway and end up passing hot dishes over people's laps. The shortcut experienced hosts use is a buffet on a kitchen counter, sideboard or folding table. Keep only the small things on the dining table, and put a duplicate set at each end: gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls and butter, salt and pepper. If you prefer family-style serving, budget about 12 in (30 cm) down the center of the table for platters and skip a big centerpiece.

Set one place, then copy it

Build one complete setting and check it. Then use it as the model for the other eleven, so the spacing stays the same all the way down the table. A simple setting that works:

• Dinner plate 1 in (2.5 cm) from the edge
• Fork on the left, with the napkin under it or on the plate
• Knife on the right, blade facing the plate, with the spoon to its right
• Water glass above the knife and wine glass to its right

Salad plates and dessert forks are optional. Dessert plates can come out later with the pie. If you're short on dishes, you have a few options:

• Borrow from family.
• Rent plates, glasses and flatware by the piece from a party rental company, usually under $1 each.
• Use heavy-duty disposables, which saves the washing-up.

A paper or plastic banquet roll is the budget stand-in for tablecloths. Keep the centerpiece below 12 in (30 cm) so people can see each other across the table. Never put open flames near the seam where the tablecloths overlap.

How to tell it's ready

Sit in three seats: an end, the seam and a corner. Run these checks from each one:

• Can you pull the chair out without hitting a wall or another chair?
• Do your knees clear the table legs?
• Does a full glass sit level?
• Can you reach the gravy?

If all four checks pass in all three seats, the table is done.