Organizing Tips for Thanksgiving

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A holiday with food as the main attraction is my kind of holiday! Sharing it with good company makes it even better. Nevertheless, hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be stressful. To help make your Thanksgiving a less harried one, start your planning now with these organizing tips.

  • Plan your menu early.
  • Try to keep it simple. Martha Stewart may be inspirational at this time of year; but remember, she has a whole crew of experts to make things work.
  • Don’t do it alone. Ask your guests to bring a dish.
  • Keep your Thanksgiving recipes and all other related notes in one place where they are easy to find.
  • Clean out your refrigerator and pantry early in November.
  • Buy all your dry ingredients early and keep them together on a shelf or the pantry.
  • Do your cleaning in mid-November. Have your family pitch in with the chores. Or, hire a cleaning service.
  • Check your table linens.
  • Use your tech devices for recipe, wine, and task managers.
  • The weekend before Thanksgiving set up all the tables and chairs you will need.
  • Label your serving dishes to remind you what you will be serving in them.
  • On the day before remove everything from your countertops that you do not plan to use for the dinner.
  • Have plastic containers available for your guests to take home leftovers.
  • Finally, start planning for next Thanksgiving the day after this Thanksgiving by writing down what worked and what didn’t. Keep it in a safe place for next year.

One last tip, take a break from the hustle and bustle and enjoy being with your loved ones. On Thanksgiving Eve, I relax by going out to dinner with my children and then go to a movie. It’s my favorite Thanksgiving tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving!