Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? It can seem like a daunting task and is certainly one of the most important family meals of the year, making the stakes even higher. Before you get too intimidated by the big day, read for 7 important tips about how to pull it off with dare we say it – ease!
1. Accept Help When it’s Offered
We all want to be the host with the most, but Thanksgiving dinner has so many moving pieces you really can’t deny that it might take more than one person to pull it off successfully. So if a guest offers to bring a dish over to help out or wants to provide the centerpiece, say thank you and move on with the rest of your to-do list!
2. Stick With Tried & True Recipes
With so much riding on this day, it’s definitely not the time to experiment. Stick to recipes you’ve made before or ones that don’t require you to learn difficult techniques. You certainly don’t want your Thanksgiving meal to go awry just because you wanted to get extra fancy!
3. Make a Timeline for the Day of
Thanksgiving is infamously hard to prep for. Between the several side dishes, a whole turkey and multiple desserts, it’s a tough meal to execute well. Give yourself a ‘leg’ up on the big day by creating a timeline for the day of that blocks out time to tackle each task. Don’t forget the time to get yourself ready, set the table and tidy up your house on top of the cooking tasks!
4. Ensure You Have All the Necessary Items
Preparing and cooking a turkey, in particular, requires some tools you probably don’t use very often, if at all. A few days before, review your recipes and make sure you have everything you need such as a roasting pan, a meat thermometer and a baster. The last thing you want is to have your ingredients all ready to go only to realize you’re missing a key tool!
Pro Tip: To make clean-up easier, go the disposable way! Thanksgiving paper tableware (paper plates, cups, utensils, napkins) is a great way to relieve one of the biggest stressors of Thanksgiving hosting!
5. Do as Much Prep Ahead of Time as You Can
When at all possible, do tasks before the big day. That might be chopping vegetables, setting the table or even cooking the pie. Speaking of preparing things in advance…
6. Consider Making the Turkey the Day Before
We know – most people don’t even think of this as an option! But if you’re short on oven space or simply want to take some of the pressure off of yourself, consider cooking and carving the turkey the day before. Your guests probably won’t even know the difference unless they watch you cook it and you’ll also have the bones ready ahead of time to make into a fantastic gravy. It’s a win-win!
7. Learn How to Carve a Turkey in Advance
Usually, we think of cooking the turkey as the hardest part, but properly carving it can be just as difficult! Make sure to watch some videos beforehand so you know what you’ll be up against when the bird comes out of the oven.
Thanksgiving is no doubt one of the most popular meals of the year, and it’s also well-known as being one of the most stressful! If you’re tasked with preparing for the big day, plan ahead and you’ll be more than ready to handle everything on your plate.
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Share in the comments any tips or suggestions on how you and your guests are celebrating Thanksgiving this year!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Erika focuses on email marketing, copywriting and merchandising at Zazzle, but she has a secret obsession with all things wedding! During the week you can find her writing punny subject lines while also pinning the latest wedding trends, and outside of the 9-5, she is usually cheering on the San Jose Sharks, reading a good murder mystery, or hunting for the best Philly Cheesesteak in the Bay Area.
