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Thanksgiving invitations with a headcount

Invite family and friends to Thanksgiving dinner. Each household replies for everyone at once, and a dish sign-up keeps it from being five pies and no rolls.

Create your Thanksgiving dinnerSee a live demo

Free · No ads · No guest accounts

Example headcount (Four households · one Thanksgiving table): each family's reply, and 2 families still to nudge.
Example headcountFour households · one Thanksgiving table
  • The Johnsons
    Denise, Marcus, Kayla, Jordan
    4 attending

    Bringing sweet potato pie

  • Grandma June
    June
    1 attending

    Needs a ride from the station

  • Uncle Pete
    Pete, Linda
    Maybe
  • The Lees
    Min, Grace
    No reply
Families to nudge2

How do you send a Thanksgiving invitation?

Text each household its own link, or post one link in the family group chat. Each family answers for everyone and picks a dish from a sign-up list. Hejmo is free, with no ads or guest accounts.

The headcount sizes the turkey

Thanksgiving planning starts with one number: how many people are at the table. It decides the size of the turkey, the number of chairs, and whether you need the folding table from the garage.

Send each household its own link, so one person answers for the whole family, kids and grandparents included. Or post the shared link in the family group chat.

Add a free sign-up list for the sides and desserts, and guests take a dish when they say yes. Put the arrival time and when dinner is served in the details.

How big a turkey for your headcount

Hejmo gives you the count. The usual rules of thumb do the rest.

About 1½ pounds per person
That covers dinner and some leftovers. For 12 guests, buy a turkey of about 18 pounds.
Count two young kids as one adult
Small children eat less, so a family of two adults and two little ones needs about three portions.
Past about 20 guests
Two medium turkeys, or a turkey and a ham, cook faster and more evenly than one huge bird.
Thawing takes days
A frozen turkey needs about a day in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds, so lock the count early.

Who brings what

Create the event and add a sign-up list with how many of each dish you need, like Sides ×4, Pies ×2, or Rolls ×1. Start from the suggested rows or type your own.

When a household says yes, they tap what they'll bring. Each item shows how many are still needed, so nobody brings the fifth pie.

Ask one optional question with the RSVP about allergies or diets, and you'll know about the gluten-free cousin before you plan the stuffing.

Thanksgiving invitation wording

Copy one, swap in your details, and add your Hejmo link.

Family Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving at [name]'s on Thursday, November 26. Come at [time]; dinner is at [time]. Reply for your whole family and grab a dish on the sign-up list. RSVP by [date].
Friendsgiving
Friendsgiving at mine on [date] at [time]! I've got the turkey. Tap the link to RSVP and pick a side or dessert so we don't end up with three mac and cheeses.
An open table
We have room at our table this Thanksgiving. Join us at [address] on November 26 at [time]. Bring nothing but an appetite; just reply by [date] so we set enough places.

Where Thanksgiving planning gets messy

The count changes all week
Cousins decide late, a flight moves, and the turkey was bought for a different number.
Five pies and no rolls
Without a list, everyone brings their favorite dessert and nobody brings the sides.
Families reply in three words
“We'll be there” doesn't say whether that's two people or six.
Diets come up at the table
The vegetarian or gluten-free guest mentions it once dinner is served.

Three steps from invite to headcount

It works the way your family already talks: by text and group chat.

  1. Add your households

    Add each family with the people you're inviting, or skip the list and use the shared link. Add a sign-up list for the dishes you need.

  2. Share the link

    Text it or post it in the family group chat. Each household answers for everyone and takes a dish, with no account or app.

  3. Lock the count, buy the turkey

    Your dashboard shows who's coming and who's bringing what. Copy a nudge for anyone who hasn't answered and send it yourself.

Thanksgiving designs

Try a photo from last year's table or a painted design free; guests see it once the event has Plus ($12).

See all designs

Made for the host of Thanksgiving dinner

A headcount for the turkey, a dish sign-up, and ready-to-send nudges. No guest accounts.

A count you can buy a turkey for
Every household answers Yes, No, or Maybe for everyone in it, so you know the number days ahead.
Dishes without the group-chat shuffle
A free sign-up list shows what's taken and what's still needed. Guests claim a dish when they say yes.
Easy on your guests
Guests, grandparents included, open the link in any phone browser and reply in two taps, with no account. There are no ads on the invite, free or Plus.

Ask about diets before you cook

Add an optional question guests answer with their RSVP. You read every answer beside the count, so you can plan dishes everyone can eat.

One RSVP question is free. Families can answer or skip it.

Example optional RSVP question and answer.

Any allergies or diets we should cook around?

Optional

A family's answer

Kayla is vegetarian now, and Jordan can't have nuts.

Paste this in the family group chat

The date, dinner time, and one link to answer and pick a dish.

Thanksgiving at ours on Thursday, Nov 26! Come at [time], dinner at [time]. Tap the link to RSVP for your whole family and grab a dish so we're not all bringing pie. Please reply by [date], no account needed.

Questions

Common questions about Thanksgiving invitations.

Are these Thanksgiving invitations free?

Yes. Hejmo is free for unlimited events, with RSVP tracking, private links, a shared link, sign-up lists, nudges, co-hosts, and one RSVP question. There are no ads on the invite. Plus is optional: $12 for one event adds your own cover photo or an illustrated cover, invitation styles, an animated preview that plays in iMessage, a custom link, a custom RSVP confirmation, and up to five RSVP questions.

When should you send Thanksgiving invitations?

Three to four weeks ahead, so by early November for Thursday, November 26, 2026. Set the RSVP deadline about a week before, so you can buy and thaw the turkey for the real count.

What should a Thanksgiving invitation say?

The date, the arrival time and when dinner is served, the address, whether to bring a dish (and which), whether kids and plus-ones are welcome, and an RSVP date.

How do I organize who brings what?

Add a sign-up list with how many of each dish you need, like Sides ×4 or Pies ×2. Families take an item when they say yes, and your dashboard shows who's bringing what.

Can I invite people who aren't in the family group chat?

Yes. Text anyone their own private link. Private links and the shared link can go to the same event, and every reply lands on one list.

Do guests need an app or an account?

No. The link opens in any phone or computer browser, and guests reply in two taps.

Run this event, then reuse the guest list for the next one

Free for unlimited events. Plus is $12 once per event, and guests see your photo on the invite.

Create your Thanksgiving dinner

Free · No ads · No guest accounts