Hosting Thanksgiving!

Decor
Get the decor up early! As soon as you take Halloween decorations down, get those turkeys up! You will have enough to worry about on thanksgiving, don’t make the decor one of them. Plus, it just fun for everyone to have seasonal decorations up!

The Turkey
We have two. One in the oven and one on the grill. When you have about 50 people at your Thanksgiving, you do two turkeys! Purchase them early and pay attention to thawing time. They can take days to thaw, so avoid that potentially sticky situation. One less thing to worry about.

The Sides
I actually like all the sides WAY better than the turkey or even dessert. The number one strategy here is ‘delegate’. Delegate, delegate, delegate! Yes, you will make one or two, but you have the turkey(s) to worry about, so make yours simple. Maybe the fruit or veggie salads? Or the side of corn? Whatever it is, make it ahead of time. Also, this is not the time to experiment with new recipes. This could add express stress, so go with your delicious tried-and-true recipes that you know everyone will love.

Seating
This one is trickiest for us. We create new table from ones that we have and borrow borrow borrow! Whatever, your set up may be, do it ahead of time. You may be surprised (either pleasantly or unfortunately) with the number of seats or place settings that you can fit. If you lay it all our the day or two before, you have plenty of time to fine-tune.

Dessert
Keep it simple. Don’t go overboard. Assign the dessert to friend or family member to bring. Do they want to make it? Great! Pick it up from a bakery on the way? Perfect! We always have the traditional pie and ice cream, My grandmother always makes way too many pies and brings way too much ice cream. After all, not many people save room after Thanksgiving feasts.

DON’T STRESS!
Honestly, what’s the worst that can happen? You drop the turkey? Order a pizza or Boston Market! You need a couple of extra seats? A few people won’t mind vegging out on the could with some football or good conversation. Forget ice? Ask someone to pick it up on their way. Whatever it is, it can be solved. In the end, remember that this day is about being with the ones you love and giving thinks for all that you have.

Happy Thanksgiving! XO