Thanksgiving is coming up! It is a time of good food, family time, and enjoying a good turkey! Debating if you should host this year? Does the thought of it give you anxiety? Well look no further! Here we will give you a crash course of how to successfully host Thanksgiving dinner this year and every year!
ALLOW OTHERS TO HELP
Don’t feel like you have to take it all on your own. If people volunteer to bring a certain dish or want to swing by to help you cook, take the opportunity! I mean sure, you want the pride of being able to pull it all together on your own, but Thanksgiving is all about the togetherness and the extra hands will make it a lot less stressful. For the people that want to come by and help you cook, delegate tasks to make it easier, and when it is time to get washed up for dinner, you can take turns so that the food is never unattended.
START EARLY
From the turkey, to preparing all the dishes and cookware, to making sure you have enough silverware and napkins, to ironing the table cloth, to seasoning the other meats, do it all early. This will ensure that things are made in time, will be less on you, and will be a more pleasant experience. Consider making the turkey the day before. It will be just as good as day of turkey (if done right, they won’t even be able to tell!) and it will make cooking the other stuff the day of a breeze.
BUY THE LITTLE THINGS
You don’t have to cook it all. Buy the pumpkin pie, the cranberry sauce, the cookies, and all the other little things that can take up the time needed for the big stuff. I mean sure, you want the whole thing to be a home cooked meal, but it doesn’t have to be. People mostly care about the meats, the mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes etc. They won’t judge you for buying some pie. Another thing to consider is having the guests pick up these little things for you, that way you have one less thing to worry about.
MAKE A LIST AND SCHEDULE
Sure, this may sound silly, but if it is your first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner, this is essential to making sure that everything goes smoothly. First off, the grocery store list is essential to making just one trip to the store. Imagine being in the middle of cooking and realizing you forgot to pick up some butter, or some milk, or even the drinks. Besides the grocery list, also make a list of all the things that need to be cooked, and who is cooking them (if you have people helping). After making this list, make a schedule. You want to ensure that you will have time for everything, and this will help you decide what time to start cooking. Don’t forget to schedule in time to shower and get ready.
ENJOY THE HOLIDAY
You must be thinking why would I NOT enjoy the holiday? Well, between the buying, the prepping, the cooking, and the delegating, the stress can get to you. At the end of the day, don’t forget to relax! If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask, and just remember that everyone attending dinner is there to spend quality time with you, not just to eat and be entertained!
At the end of the day, hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be a doozy, but very rewarding. Again, ask for help if you need it and don’t forget to have fun! Thanksgiving only comes around once a year and it is a time to reflect on all that you’re thankful for.
