Thanksgiving Planning Tips

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, eating turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, playing board games like Apples to Apples, glancing at the Black Friday adds, and nibbling on left-overs with whomever stops by for a visit. 

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For the past few years it has become a tradition for me to host the Thanksgiving dinner. 

Being a good hostess requires lots of organization & preparation. 
Doing as much as you can beforehand helps to make the holiday a smooth transition. 

Here Are Some Tips

Start an inbox message on Facebook including all the guests whom are invited and have them mention what they would like to bring to the dinner. So many family and friends are connected to social media, making communication easy.

Once this is done you can plan on seating arrangements such as the number of chairs and tables that will be needed.

I like for my tables and chairs to color coordinate. 

Here is a very affordable place to purchase chair and table coverings: 

http://www.tableclothsfactory.com/Folding-Chair-Cover-Round-p/chair_rnd_wht.htm

You can purchase chair coverings for as little as $1.15 per item.  I like to use sashes on some chairs and those run around $2.29. The sashes and coverings come in a variety of textures and colors.

It's nice having candles & decorations for the tables to make the atmosphere very warm and festive. 

Shopping at this time of the year is a great time to purchase candles & decorations; many stores have those items on clearance after Halloween. 

For early prep, a week or two before the holiday, bring out your chafers and make sure you have chafer fuel (sternos). It can be very frustrating if you happen to notice, after the dinner is prepared, that you are out of sternos. Locate your power strips if you will be plugging in slow cookers. 

Rearranging furniture may be necessary to make room for tables. You may need to remove a coffee table or so in advance. If that is the case, think about doing it the weekend before the big dinner.

Another early prep would be to iron table cloths ahead of time.

Take a look at your guest list and decide fun activities to do for all who are present. If you have little ones attending the dinner, you may want to bring out a few toys, puzzles, coloring books, and things to help keep them entertained.  

Even adults have fun coloring, doing word puzzles, and playing trivia games. 

You could have a word search & trivia contest; then have  prizes waiting for the winners ($5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards). There are plenty of free Thanksgiving downloads for such activities. 

The weekend before, purchase your food items. The turkey needs to begin thawing out three days in advance. It is always good to make sure you have plenty of salt & pepper for the shakers. Make a list of every ingredient that you will need such as poultry seasoning for the stuffing.

Do as much as you can the evening before like; peeling potatoes and placing them in water, breaking apart the stuffing bread, sauteing the celery & onions, making desserts, etc.

 Doing as many things leading up to the Thanksgiving Dinner as possible, makes the holiday that much more enjoyable.

When the big event arrives you are ready.  

Hosting the Thanksgiving Dinner is an honor. Your family and friends have chosen to come to your home to celebrate this special holiday. 

It is a labor of love. 

 Being organized and making sure to prep ahead will allow you to relax. 

Don't be afraid to ask for help. 

For my Thanksgiving Dinner we usually have around 25 guests. 

I cook and turkey and my brother-in-law brings a deep fried turkey. 

Every family member brings a dish or desert. Some bring both. 

I always make a huge batch of stuffing that I cook in a roaster. 

I also make enough potatoes to fill 2 crock-pots. 

Family members usually bring: beans, sweat potato casserole,salad, corn, cranberry salad, dinner rolls, and a variety of desserts.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is filled with many heartwarming memories. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you found it helpful. 

Here is a fun song that I remember singing in grade school.