There’s plenty of inspiration online for celebrating Thanksgiving in the office, but much of the focus is on what your employees can do for each other rather than what you can do for your team.

This year, turn Worksgiving into a celebration that shows your gratitude for everyone’s dedication by bringing the office together — and take the work off of their plates.

Order catering for the ultimate do-nothing Worksgiving

While traditional Worksgivings are often potlucks, consider creating an event that involves less, well, work. Potlucks can be fun, but they also put the burden of feeding the masses on the people who are already working their hardest year-round. Ensure a low-stress and no-responsibility celebration by opting for catering instead.

There are tons of restaurants that offer Thanksgiving catering. Some do full spreads of traditional fare. Others will customize the menu based on your preferences. Or you can think outside the box and order Thai, Chinese, or Greek food. Surprise everyone with a seafood boil or twisted Italian classics like pumpkin risotto and asiago and spinach stuffing.

Another idea: Skip main courses that are hard to eat standing up and opt for a table full of appetizers. Bite-sized snacks and handheld treats like prosciutto-wrapped melon, stuffed mushrooms, caramelized onion crostini, and caprese skewers evoke all the fun of sharing a meal without the need for knives and forks.

Don’t forget about employees with dietary preferences or restrictions

Turkey may be the traditional centerpiece of this major November holiday meal, but vegetarianism is on the rise. Some people avoid meat and meat byproducts altogether. Others might eat fish. Some employees could have dietary restrictions that require them to avoid gluten or nuts.

Be considerate and send out an email asking about dietary restrictions. Even if no one declares themselves to be completely meat-free, you should include a few vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes and some low-starch, healthier options just to cover your bases.

Hassle-free decorating

While you’re busy making sure your staff won’t have to pull all-nighters putting together green bean casseroles and baking rolls for Worksgiving, find an alternative way to decorate for the big day, too. At the very minimum, you’ll need drinks, cups, plates, utensils, and napkins. If you want a more festive environment, you may also want garland, table decorations, and kitschy embellishments like an inflatable turkey or carved pumpkin, all of which can easily be found at craft stores or even your local dollar store.

If your company is throwing a large Worksgiving bash, you may want to consider using an outside vendor for decor, but if your internal planning team is making the office look festive, try fall garlands with maple leafs and mini-sized pumpkins.

Leave room for your employees’ own food contributions

We’re definitely pro catering over potluck to keep your office Thanksgiving celebration from being more work than celebration. But you don’t have to eliminate employee contributions entirely.

Let everyone know they can bring an appetizer, small savory dish, or dessert to be served in addition to the official catering spread. This lets people feel personally involved with the event and can help employees get to know each other’s skills and backgrounds a bit better.

If you’re expecting a lot of employee food contributions, consider posting a sign-up sheet organized by course or type of food. That way, you’re less likely to end up with a dozen baskets of cornbread without an entree or dessert in sight. Posting the sign-up sheet before you commit to catering also allows you to use your caterer to fill in the gaps, giving employees first choice as to what they cook or buy and bring.

Give thanks for your employees

Research shows that giving thanks can actually make people happier. Even better, managers who thank their employees often see a rise in productivity as a result. Use your Worksgiving event to give thanks to the people who’ve stayed late, brainstormed solutions, and landed those big clients.

You can make it formal and hand out awards, or simply give a speech where you mention major producers and morale-boosters by name. Handwritten thank-you cards passed out during the feast, a mention in the company’s Thanksgiving newsletter, or a basket of company swag presented before dessert are also solid ways to demonstrate your gratitude and tie these shows of appreciation into the holiday celebration.

Always include dessert

It’s almost required for everyone to feel uncomfortably full before the last spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy hits their mouths. But that doesn’t mean you can skimp on dessert. Pies, cobblers, and cakes are must-have Thanksgiving treats. Pumpkin pie is the obvious choice, but Boston cream pie, pumpkin trifle, apple pie, German chocolate cake, brownies, sweet potato pie, and pumpkin creme brulee are also desserts often found on Thanksgiving menus nationwide.

Thank smaller and go for the little wins

Above all, realize that Worksgiving is not an all-or-nothing endeavor. You don’t have to lay out 12 courses to impress your team. There’s no rule saying you have to order beef tenderloin and truffled mashed potatoes or the whole project is bust. In fact, there are no rules at all.

If your team’s schedule is already overflowing, it’s okay to embrace a less labor-intensive Thanksgiving celebration. You could:

• Cater in dessert and coffee for a simpler, more streamlined Worksgiving.
• Order Thanksgiving-style subs from a local deli and brown bag your work holiday so the team can keep tackling that big client presentation.

Have caterers bring just one main entree, like a pot of gumbo, and serve it yourself to save on setup, cleanup and overall fuss.

The point is that you can make a major impact without investing a ton of labor and resources. Any effort to show your gratitude and reward your employees means something to the people who’ve helped make your business a success.

Holiday celebrations don’t have to be complicated

Holiday celebrations in the office don’t have to be complicated, but they do require forethought and planning to turn a concept into a triumph.

Not sure where to start? No worries — experienced caterers are always happy to help clients brainstorm ideas for their holiday get-togethers. For more ideas, check out these top 25 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in the office.