Tips for a Memorable Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming and this is the time to plan for it. If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, you’ll love these tips to make your Thanksgiving not only memorable, but stress-free. 
Detailed Planning:
Hosting holiday dinners without stress is simple, yet a lot of women do not know that it’s all in the details. Get out Planner Perfect and write *Thanksgiving 2010* in your November goal pages. Underneath this header are all the details of this fun time with family and friends. You should begin planning at least a month, or no less than 2 weeks, in advance. And never attempt to plan your holidays (or anything) with sticky notes and/or by memory; effective planning just can’t be done unless it’s written down. It also needs an organized place where you do all of your everyday planning with the space needed for the details. For example: instead of just writing tasks down that need to get done for Thanksgiving, write down the when and where for all your tasks. Write down what  you want your table to look like, down to the linens you’ll use, your decor you’ll need, what you and your family will wear, the guest list, and your menu. Tips for the details, follow.

Your Guest List: 
Writing down your guest list is an easy way to know how much food you’ll need. It also serves as a way to organize the dishes brought from guests by writing the dish down next to their name.

•     Write down how many children will be coming to ensure that you have what you need for them such as: table, linens, plates, cute cups, drinks and special desserts.
•     I love having my children create name cards for each guest with some cardstock, crayons and stickers. Have them help set the table and put their newly decorated name cards out, this ensures everyone knows where to sit. 
•     Call your guests and plan for them to come early to help prepare some of the food. This makes fun memories. One year, my sister and I made an amazing pecan pie together while my mom was making the relish tray. Kids were playing with their grandpa and laughter and Thanksgiving aromas filled our home. Have fun making some of the traditional foods, together…it builds memories.

Your Wardrobe:
Write out what everyone will wear. You want to plan for this so there isn’t any last minute panics with your son having nothing but high-water pants. Do not forget about yourself and your husband…even something small makes you feel good. Planning for this in advance with what pieces you’re looking for is easier on the pocketbook because you can pick-up a little at a time and look for sales.

Your Menu:
Creating your menu can be fun. Write down everything from the wine, drinks, main and side dishes, desserts and coffee. Decide what dishes you will prepare, what your friends and family can bring, and what dish or dishes you can make together at your home while the turkey is in the oven. When this is written out in advance, it makes it easy for you when making your calls to them to discuss the menu.

Your Decor:
Plan what you want your house to look like for this Thanksgiving. Get out your fall decor boxes and fill your home with them. Simple items such as orange and cream berry garland, a fall wreath on the front door, pie pumpkins and pumpkin scent candles, can go a long way. Plan and write out what you’d like to pick-up to add to your decor. I love buy a couple of new, small items every year to add to what I have. Other wonderful décor pieces are homemade crafts from my children. We make turkeys out of construction paper (or you can use foam) every year, and I use different colored construction paper for the feather shapes. On each feather they write what they are thankful for. It’s very sweet and I hang them on our front door or fridge. I love looking for different Thanksgiving craft ideas with my children on Family Fun’s website; they have all sorts of inspiring craft ideas for the holidays.

Thanksgiving Morning:
I plan for Thanksgiving morning to make it special. Every year, I love to prepare cinnamon rolls, prepared from the day before, and have eggs and sausage with juice. What is your favorite breakfast to prepare for Thanksgiving morning? Writing it down, ensures you can be prepared in advance and have a breakfast that creates memories, without stress.

It’s all in the details.  With your planner, sit back and relax with some coffee and enjoy dreaming about this special holiday to be shared with friends and family. I know that it will help you create a memorable Thanksgiving, without the stress.