I just saw a bag of Thick-n-Thin at my local health food store last night....for $20.00. Now, granted, that goes a long way but I've found that guar gum works just as well and costs about 1/4th as much. You only need a teaspoon to thicken 1 cup of liquid, so it goes a long way too. One container usually lasts me several months.
Some more appetizer ideas:
Bacon wrapped shrimp or scallops
Ham or dried beef slices spread with cream cheese and wrapped around green onions or dill pickles
A cheese and sausage sampler plate (German if you can find them
)
Hot wings with celery and bleu cheese dressing for dipping
Meatballs with a couple of different dipping sauces
Mini cheese balls rolled in pecans (serve with toothpicks)
You can make a lowER carb cranberry sauce with sugar-free jello and Splenda.
Hope your early holiday meal turns out great!