Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays! I mean what’s not to love? The holiday is centered around food; really good food and lot’s of it that you share with family and friends! Spending the day with those you love breaking bread and reflecting on all of God’s blessings in your life. Yep, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!
I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving for several years. We typically have 12-16 at the table for dinner. The first few years were very stressful and I had a few mishaps along the way but as with most things, you get better and better with practice. I learned some very valuable lessons early on that I want to share with you today to help take the stress out of the holiday for you. If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year I want you to be able to enjoy your time with your family instead of being stressed and exhausted by the time you get the meal onto the table. Been there, done that, don’t recommend it.
It’s really never too early to start planning for the day. If you take nothing away from this post today, I want you to remember at least this: start planning early and do as much as you can beforehand. The day will go much smoother and be so much less stressful for you if you take the time to do a little planning now to get ready.
Trust me, waiting until the last couple of days to try and get all the shopping, cooking and cleaning done is a recipe for disaster! Throw in overnight guests and your stress level only increases ten fold!
If you break down all the things you need to get done and then tackle them in small manageable bits of time between now and the holiday, you will be able to stay calm and enjoy the holiday even if you are hosting a large group. You got this!
Here are my top 10 recommendations for hosting a stress free Thanksgiving and enjoying the holiday with your family:
1. Send out invitations. If that seems too formal, make a few calls, send out emails or text family to inquire if they will indeed be coming. Find out early on how many will be coming for dinner.
2. Plan the menu. Write down what you will be serving; the main dishes, sides, appetizers, desserts and drinks. Be sure to include meals for any overnight guests. What do you have planned for breakfast the next morning? Do any of your guests have food allergies or dietary restrictions that you need to be aware of?
3. Make a cooking/food prep schedule. Write down the time it takes for everything to cook and then set up a schedule for when those items need to go into the oven, or need to get going in the crockpot. The goal is get everything on the table at the same time, piping hot.
4. Label serving dishes. Identify what serving dishes you will use for each food item you are serving. Place post it notes on them so you will remember on Thanksgiving day. The last thing you want to worry about is looking in the cupboards for platters when it’s time to get all the food on the table.
5. Prepare grocery list. Go through your recipes and create a shopping list of all the ingredients you need for each item you will be making, be sure to include ingredients for left over meals. Every year I make a big crockpot of my famous split pea soup using the left over ham hock from our Thanksgiving meal so I add those ingredients to my shopping list.
6. Plan your table décor. Do you have what you need to set the table or are there items you still need? Make a trip to your favorite home décor store and pick up items you may need for your centerpiece and table.
7. Take an inventory of table clothes, napkins, dishes, glasses, flat wear and serving pieces. Do you have enough for the number of guests that are coming? Do you need to pick up a few more items?
8. Make a list of things that need attention prior to the big day. Things like ironing the tablecloth and napkins, polishing silver, collecting colorful leaves from the park for your centerpiece, setting the table, decorating, washing the bed sheets in the guest room. Get these thing knocked out early. Depending on the number of things on your list, commit to doing a few each week when you have a little time to spare.
9. Clean the house. Start now with the deeper cleaning that needs doing. Then all that you will need to do is a quick surface tidy up a few days before the big day.
10. Prepare guest room for overnight guests. If you want to know how to prepare for overnight guests without killing yourself preparing for them you can read all about how to get ready here.
If you start planning early you will have the time and energy to add a few special touches that you wouldn’t typically have the time for. Maybe crafting special DIY napkin rings for the table. You could try this project here for a beautiful fall inspired set of napkin rings that would look beautiful on your Thanksgiving table.
If you need a fall inspired wreath for your front door, you still have time before the holiday to make a beautiful one. Click here to learn how to make a stunning, unique wreath or here for another fall inspired wreath.
Take advantage of what I learned the hard way over the years. If you incorporate these tips, I promise you will have the most stress free Thanksgiving ever! And you will have time to add those special touches to your table that you may not have had time to do in the past. Just start early and take it one baby step at a time. You got this!