Saturday, November 14, 2015

Tips For A Stress Free Thanksgiving

I'm hosting a small Thanksgiving this year, which I am happy to do. 
As soon as I said yes, several blogging opportunities have come up along with additional work responsibilities. 


I'm feeling a little swamped but that is okay. 
The more I had to do during my college years, the more productive I seemed to be. 
I'm counting on that in this situation. 



Here are some tips to help relieve Thanksgiving stress.

Decorate early.


The house is already decked out with turkeys and cornucopias. 
The pumpkins from Halloween continue to be put into service. 


Shop early for the food that is nonperishable.
You will avoid the crowds and you'll have time to remember what you forgot.
 Was I able to get our bird on sale?
No.


The sales on Turkeys will start either next week or the week after but I don't want to shop with every Tom, Tim and Ted Turkey. 
 I shopped in the evening hours and had the store almost to myself. 
There is a peace in knowing that I have most of the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal.


Before the big day, I'll pick up the perishables.
I'll shop late in the evening when the store is less crowded. 

Stuffing the bird is messy. What can I say?

 Stick with tried and true recipes that you've made over and over. 
There is less stress when you know how to prepare a dish.
There is less stress when you know the ingredients by rote.


 Have your guests contribute to the meal. 
Our family always shares in the preparation. 
We will have leftovers!



 Get out and organize your serving dishes and silver. 
 Polish your silver before hand. 


I use ordinary Comet for my thrifted silver and baking soda for precious items.

  
It's frustrating to pull out a black silver butter dish only to realize that your guests are almost at the door.
This has happened to me.


I'll pull out my platters and bowls early in the week and stack them on the buffet.
Don't like silver?
The thrift store has a continuous supply of crystal for not a lot of money.  


Know your dishwashers.
 

 I have the best family of dishwashers on the planet.
My siblings and I always jumped in and cleaned up after the meal. 
My kids do the same thing.

Finally, distract the first person that walks in the house. 
They are the only ones that will notice the fur ball in the corner. 


The other guests that enter the house notice the guests not the cleanliness of the house.
Genius!

Have a wonderful week, my friends.
Are you hosting Thanksgiving?
Katie 

2 comments :

  1. Some great tips here, especially about distracting the first guest. And I am, for sure, going to try baking soda on the silver pieces. Who knew?

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  2. All good tips, Katie! I've been keeping notes on what I can do ahead of time, how much of everything to prepare, and what dishes aren't popular. My best time saver is the mashed potatoes with butter and cream cheese that you can prepare a few days ahead of time and heat in the oven or crock pot. No mess on the holiday!

    Love your new table and your newly covered chair in your last post. And the cow, too!

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