Thanksgiving dinner can be an overwhelming event. There is so much planning, cooking, and being surrounded by relatives you haven’t seen since the year before. That is why we came up with 10 tips to make sure you have the best and the most enjoyable holiday!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and with it comes the stress of planning, shopping, and cooking! We can try to make sure everything goes smoothly but life sometimes has other plans.
That is why we came up with 10 tips to help make sure your Thanksgiving Dinner brings happy memories and not overwhelming ones.
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1. Give yourself enough time
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to plan not only your meal but seating arrangements if you need them, decor if you are doing it, and everything else in between. Saving all of the planning for the big day will not only stress you out but it is more likely that you will forget something.
2. Look out for the best deals
When you’re planning your menu, make sure you keep an eye out for the best deals on the items you need. With buying fresh veggies, you will have to get them closer to Thanksgiving but items like boxes of stuffing, brown sugar, butter, etc can last longer. I like to keep an eye out for deals happening in grocery stores around me for a couple of weeks before the big day.
3. Be picky with your dinner invitations
When we were growing up, we were taught that we should invite all of our family to Thanksgiving dinner. But the simple fact is that there are some people that we don’t want to be around. If someone is a known troublemaker or causes you and your family issues, give yourself the freedom to skip their invite. It may seem mean or rude, but in the end, it is your dinner and your home.
4. Be aware of special diets
When having people over for the holidays, you will want to ask them if there are any foods they can’t have. It could be that they are vegetarian/vegan, diabetic, gluten-free, or have an allergy to a certain food. Knowing ahead of time will give you the chance to serve a few dishes that your “special” guests can eat without worry.
Check out our post for Thanksgiving side dish recipes! There are gluten-free and vegan recipes.
5. Make it a potluck
After you have planned your menu, reach out to other families that will be attending your dinner and ask them to bring a dish from what you’ve chosen. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but having someone help cook will take a lot of the pressure off of you.
6. Keep the kids with you
A lot of families will have separate kids and adult tables when they sit down to eat, but if you want to host a memorable Thanksgiving dinner, keep the kids with the adults. They will only be this age once and by separating them, you may miss wonderful things that they say and the chance to create a one-of-a-kind memory.
7. Ask for help when making Thanksgiving dinner
Don’t do everything by yourself! Ask your loved ones to help you with the tasks that need to be done. It could be making some of the dishes, helping keep the kitchen clean, or setting up the table. Thanksgiving can be overwhelming so asking for support is never a bad thing. It is your holiday, too!
8. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect
When planning Thanksgiving dinner, it is easy to be caught up in trying to make it all perfect. Yes, it would be amazing if every single thing went the way you wanted and every dish was perfect but life sometimes has other plans. Trying to make everything perfect will cause you a lot of stress. Do the best you can and make sure to enjoy the holiday!
9. Get prep work done the night before
The day before Thanksgiving my family is doing any last-minute cleaning and doing prep work. This way when we get up on Thanksgiving morning, half of the prep will be done making the workload lighter. The prep items we do the day before are shredding the cheese, cooking green beans, cutting up onions and celery, and making the pumpkin pies!
10. Remember what the day is really about
Even though the day can be busy and sometimes stressful, do your best to have a good day. Being surrounded by loved ones and eating delicious homemade food is a wonderful thing. Give thanks and enjoy yourself!
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