5 Easy Tips for Thanksgiving Preparation

Whether you are cooking for a few people or a lot of people, preparation is key!  From creating a guest list to a grocery list, these 5 easy tips will help you plan and prepare for Thanksgiving Day. 

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Each year, I host a large gathering of family and friends at The Everyday Home.  Anywhere from 25-30 guests are present, some years more.  That’s a lot of people to feed and a lot of dishes to plan for.  I work off of a series of lists.  I make lists of lists.  I have learned that the more prepared I am the less issues arise on Thanksgiving Day.  I learned a long time ago that putting in a little time and effort in advance will allow you to enjoy your day more. 

Here is my first tip…

1.) Create a Guest List :   

If you will only have 4-5 people attending on Thanksgiving Day, this is a step you can skip.  But, if you are having 8-10 or more people, and especially if others are bringing dishes, this can be immensely helpful to your planning process.  It is also handy if certain guests have special dietary needs, so you can prepare as needed when figuring out your dinner menu.

I have created a free Thanksgiving Guest List Printable to help with this step.  You can click here to download your free printable. 

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2.) Plan Your Menu / Shop Early:

Yes, I know you have your yearly stand-by dishes each year.  Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy.  But, in the past when I thought I had my act together and my menu was safely and securely “all in my head” – I must have made at least a half dozen trips to the grocery store to get everything I had missed the previous trips. 😀  So now, I prepare a menu and create a shopping list to go along with it.  I created a THANKSGIVING DINNER MENU PLANNER and a THANKSGIVING DINNER GROCERY LIST.  You can use these to plan and organize your shopping list, too.

CHECK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS DINNER CHECKLIST

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS GROCERY LIST PRINTABLE

Also, when you are cooking for as many people as I do, it can be quite costly.  Spreading the food purchases out as much as possible helps with the budget so you don’t take such a hit all at the same time. I have already purchased most of my non-perishables such as chicken and vegetable stocks, pasta, etc.  I also allocated a special basket in my pantry marked “Thanksgiving” to place these items as they are purchased.  

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3.) Plan Your Seating:

Again, this step may not be needed if your guest list is small.  But, even with a small number of guests, you can always make everyone feel super special by creating a personalized placecard with their name on it.  I created these easy DIY Pumpkin Pot Placecards.  These would be cute on any table. 

If you are having a larger crowd, I can assure you that your guests will appreciate not having to play the guessing game when it comes to where to sit.  I know I have been a guest at other’s homes, and I am always hesitant to sit down anywhere without knowing.  So, you don’t have to spend a lot of time crafting a handmade placecard – just a simple tag tied with a ribbon around your napkins.  Or, how about writing their name on a mini pumpkin sitting at their plate?

(Via BHG)

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4.) Plan Your Serving Pieces:

Okay, you have your guest list. You have planned your menu. You even have your seating arrangement figured out.  You have shopped and you have every dish planned out to a T.  The last thing you want to do Thanksgiving Day is to find yourself running around and digging through your cabinets trying to find Grandma’s Turkey platter.  Several days before Thanksgiving, I pull out our china and silverware and stemware, and plan out where it will all be placed for the buffet.  You may want to go ahead and set your table if you’re having a small sit-down dinner.  I also gather together my serving platters, my decorative serving bowls and all the necessary serving pieces.  

(via Party City)

Once you have everything all laid out, here is a little tip I use which helps out immensely on Thanksgiving Day when you are getting ready to serve.   I use small Post It Notes to mark each platter and bowl, so I know exactly what food item goes where.  I also place the serving spoon or fork on the platter or in the bowl, also.  It’s all about organizing and being prepared.  

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5.) Cook and Prep As Much In Advance As You Can: 

I cannot stress this enough…spread out the work and the preparation.  Several days in advance, I will bake the cornbread for the Cornbread Dressings.  (stale cornbread works best anyway.)  I will chop the celery and onions and peppers and place them in airtight containers.  I will chop fruits and slice cheeses and pre-make as many hor-dourves, as possible.  

I will even bake as many cakes and pies in advance as I can.  The idea is that I want to have at least 60% or more of the prep work and cooking/baking done as I can. On Thanksgiving Day, all I have to do is heat things up, bake and place the food in pretty platters and bowls.  

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There will always be things that don’t go right.  It is a running joke in my family that as we are cleaning up and putting away the food, someone finds a dish in the fridge that didn’t get put out.  One year, it was my Homemade Baked Mac ‘n Cheese still in the oven. 😀  Recipes will not turn out right, you may not have enough ice…the ice cream may be a bit too soft and the coffee too strong.  None of that matters.  

 

What matters is you are together with family and friends on a day to thank Our Father for our many blessings. Your family won’t remember that the potatoes were a bit lumpy.  Your friends will not take away the fact you slightly burned the pie crust. But, they will remember the laughs and the love and the memories shared.  So when you are creating your Thanksgiving menu… on that first line… write in “Forgiveness.”  Don’t be hard on yourself… you will be just fine!

Thank you for letting me share my 5-Tips for Planning Thanksgiving.

xxoo, Barb 

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Some of my favorite serving pieces for Thanksgiving:

Click through using the arrows to see all of these items. 

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