Reimagining Thanksgiving: Fresh, Elevated, and Very Palos Verdes
The classic Thanksgiving script is lovely—until you’ve hosted it for the fifteenth year in a row. And this is Palos Verdes: where local hosts mix elegance with adventure, where table settings often come with a story, and where no two Thanksgivings look quite the same.
Across the country, people are rethinking the holiday meal. According to Better Homes & Gardens, 2024’s Thanksgiving trends lean toward global flavors, interactive dining, and low-stress hosting—with creativity taking center stage. So if you’re ready to elevate (or completely remix) your celebration, here are eight fresh, very-doable ways to reinvent the day without offending Grandma or requiring a private chef.
1. The Global Passport Thanksgiving
Choose one country per course—curated by whoever in your group has actually been there.
Japanese otsukuri (sashimi platter) from someone’s Tokyo trip
Lebanese fattoush salad because Aunt Jen won’t stop reminiscing about Beirut
Oaxacan black mole (order authentic paste from Rancho La Puerta or a specialty market and finish it at home)
French tarte tatin for dessert—because of course
The turkey becomes optional; the stories become the main course.
2. The Sunset Grazing Picnic at the Bluff
Start at 3 p.m. and keep it casual until the sun melts behind Catalina. Picture blankets on the grass above Malaga Cove, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours on a portable speaker, and a spread like this:
Whole smoked salmon instead of turkey
Three kinds of caviar bumps (it’s a holiday)
Truffle honey and warm baguette
Mini martini glasses of pumpkin soup shooters
Plates are unnecessary. Champagne is mandatory.
3. The “No Oven, No Problem” Cold Thanksgiving
For the year you remodel the kitchen—or just can’t face another roasting pan.
Chilled lobster tail with yuzu-kosho butter
Shaved turkey porchetta (order thin-sliced from McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. in Los Angeles)
Raw beet-and-citrus salad with pistachio dukkah
Pumpkin panna cotta in tiny glasses
Temperature: 58 °F and fabulous.
4. The Interactive Build-Your-Own Station Dinner
One long table, zero plated courses. Guests move from station to station:
Hot turkey, two ways — roasted and fried nuggets for the bold
Three stuffings — sourdough-chorizo, chestnut, and vegan mushroom
Sauce flight — classic gravy, miso gravy, salsa macha cranberry
Martini ice luge carved from ice (it’s still a holiday)
Because mingling beats managing place cards.
5. The 9 a.m. “Brunchgiving”
Move the entire thing to daytime—light, lively, and done by mid-afternoon.
Duck-fat hash browns with caviar
Brioche French toast stuffing (yes, really)
Breakfast Negronis and sparkling cider for the zero-proof crowd
Football humming in the background while the kids run wild outside
Everyone’s home by 4 p.m. for a nap. Revolutionary.
6. The Zero-Proof / Low-ABV Elegance Year
Because someone is always doing Dry January early.
Smoked maple old-fashioned with Ritual Zero-Proof Bourbon
Cranberry spritz with sparkling sake
Pumpkin spice tiramisu with decaf espresso
No one misses the hangover, and the teens get to join in the mocktail fun.
7. The One-Bite Thanksgiving
For the cocktail-party version when you’re hosting forty for “drinks and dessert.” Everything fits on a spoon or skewer:
Turkey + stuffing + cranberry on a rosemary skewer
One perfect bite of mac & cheese in a mini cast-iron pan
Sweet-potato mousse in chocolate cups
Guests circulate, plates stay spotless, and Instagram rejoices.
8. The Secret “Second Thanksgiving” at 10 p.m.
After the relatives leave and the real friends show up. Fire pit glowing, records spinning, leftovers reimagined:
Turkey pho with star anise and lime
Stuffing arancini fried in duck fat
Pie milkshakes spiked with bourbon
This is the Thanksgiving you’ll actually remember in January.
The Takeaway
Whether you borrow one idea or combine a few, the spirit of the holiday is the same—connection, creativity, and just enough drama to keep it interesting.
So here’s to doing Thanksgiving, Palos Verdes-style: globally inspired, a little glamorous, and never, ever basic.