Thanksgiving: Make it Fun

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Thanksgiving doesn't have to be stressful. Get organized for the Day of Thanks and you'll be thanking yourself when the day is done! You might be dreading the day knowing all that needs to be done ahead of time and even on the actual Day of the Turkey. Perhaps you are not looking forward to the family squabbles, noisy children, the aunt who offers to help but instead finds a comfy seat on the sofa and never lends a hand! One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving was a few years back and my sister in law Jennifer, and brother in law Eric, were hosting a group of friends and family at their home in the Bay Area. Jennifer is very creative in finding gourmet short cuts. We went to the store to buy all of the fixings the day before. Thankfully, all of the dishes were in oven safe containers. We kept the menu short and sweet, less was more (more time to sit and chat). The best part of the day was that she and I enjoyed a relaxing soak in the hot tub while dinner was warming up. The two of us had no stress and plenty of time to talk to the guests. Now when Jennifer and I host Thanksgiving no matter whose house we are at we keep it simple so we have time to go in either her hot tub or my jacuzzi!

Some times it is fun to prep and cook and if you choose to do so this Thanksgiving, here are some tips:

To make for a less stressful Thanksgiving, you should start you prepping 7 days in advance. You can start by getting out your spiral notebook/legal pad and spend 20-30 minutes now to jot down your ideas and that will save you a lot of stress later! If you are an online organized person you can do this on Evernote or Google Docs which can be shared with your guests that are contributing to the meal. All caterers use a prep list so they don't find themselves scrambling at the last minute. If you are not hosting Thanksgiving dinner you can start thinking about what type of hostess gift you'd like to purchase.

1. Create a list of foods that you would like to serve.

2. Decide which dishes you will make yourself before you contact your guests. Make it clear to everyone who is bringing what so there are no duplicate dishes made.

3. Who is going to bring what food? Is your sister bringing the pie? Is your mother in law bringing the sweet potatoes? If your guests love to make suggestions about what should be served, you can use the rule "You said it, You Make It"!

4. Be sure to let your guests know that are brining food to have food prepped and preferably cooked before they arrive at your house. More cooks in the kitchen is a recipe for stress!

5. Make a shopping list, and don't forget to include household items such as toilet paper, paper towels, candles, fancy napkins, hand soap and dish soap, sponges, wash cloths etc.

6. Are you using your nice china and silverware? Or are you making the day easy and serving on paper plates and plastic ware? There are some really fancy plastic plates that look like china that I like to use. Yes, I have a pang of guilt just throwing them away instead of reusing, but it sure is nice not to have dishes to clean. You can also buy plasticware that looks like silverware.

7. Trash- make sure your trash cans are marked clearly for "trash" and "recycle"

8. Purchase inexpensive plastic containers to send leftovers home with guests.

Here are some fun ideas to make the day memorable:

1. Name That Bird: You can't use the name Tom. Be creative and be sure to give thanks to the creature that is giving you nourishment!

2. Wish Bone: Don't forget to honor the tradition of breaking the wishbone. You can name two guests of honor to participate or you could put the guests names in a hat to see who the two lucky winners are.

3. Dress Up for the Day: Encourage your guests to wear something turkey like. Perhaps, a pair of turkey socks or a funny turkey hat. Kids love to do silly things. You could create a arts and crafts table full of Thanksgiving like crafts ( I would suggest doing this if you are not the host or if you decided to be like Jennifer and I and not cook at all, just heat up the Thanksgiving feast)!

4. Turkey Snack Bags: Purchase the plastic clear gloves and fill the fingers with Goldfish or M & M's and the part of the glove that is the palm with animal crackers or popcorn.

1. Gratitude Letters: Send a quick note of gratitude to a person serving in the military.

2. Turkey Trot: Hold your own turkey trot or relay races. This is a great way to burn off those calories!

3. Interview a Relative: Older relatives are so fun to talk to. The memories and stories we are told are sometimes lost because they are not recorded. When everyone is together or especially if you don't see your beloved Great Aunt of Uncle, take the time to let them enjoy going down memory lane while you record their voice telling the story.

4. Break Out the Board Games: Some of our family favorites are Wackee Six, Uno, Settlers of Catan, Rummikub

Until Next Time...

Keep it Sweet and Neat,

Stephanie

Please be sure to leave a comment about your Thanksgiving fun and family traditions!

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