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16 Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

16 Tips for a Stress Free Thanksgiving

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year, but are a little stressed about the prospect? Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year. Because of that, it usually includes a lot of food, housecleaning, work, and did I say food? In addition, sometimes it can include stress, family issues, boredom, food allergies, and more. The list can truly go on and on, but Thanksgiving is a holiday built around being Thankful, not stressed. With that in mind, I wanted to share 16 Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving!

You might be thinking, “I don’t think the List will Help!”. I know how you feel, as I have felt that way myself! I started preparing Thanksgiving Dinner for my family when I was about 12, and was usually able to pull it off. But, sometimes there was a lot of stress and tears in the early years. Over the last 38 years, I have learned what works best to take away the bulk of the stress. And to build joy into the process for you. I know that this list will help you to achieve a Stress-Free Thanksgiving, and at the end of the day, look back on all the good memories.

16 Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

1 Make it a Potluck!

For a truly stress-free Thanksgiving, make it a potluck! Ask Family and Friends to bring their favorite dishes to the party! This reduces cost on your part and helps everyone to feel much more involved. You can send out a group text where everyone shares the dish they will be bringing. Since you are starting the list, add a few basics like Turkey, Gravy, and Dressing. Then share a few ideas with your guests to round out the dinner. Let them know they are welcome to bring, Appetizers, drinks, rolls, Veggies, Salads, and Desserts. This takes the pressure off you and ensures everyone will have at least one favorite dish on the table!

2 Be Proactive about Allergies

I think it is a great idea to bring this subject up early in the planning. We have quite a few allergies in our family, and new allergies emerge every now and then. As a good hostess, I always try to ask for allergies, so that I can plan accordingly, and so that I can be careful with what I am serving and preparing. If you have a guest coming that has very serious allergies, it is always good to ask that person exactly what they need, so that they are safe, and have food to enjoy. You can also use cute chalkboard signs to ensure everyone knows which items include nuts, dairy, gluten, or any other allergen.

3 Do a Deep Clean the Week Before, and then a touch up the day before

Whenever we are having a big family dinner, I always want to give the house a deeper cleaning. I can’t stand it when we are standing looking at a fully laid buffet table, and I look up to see cobwebs on the light fixture. Ugh. So, I make up a deeper cleaning list for the week before the party, and add items to the list that are usually omitted. In our house it includes washing area rugs, washing curtains, vacuuming the furniture, etc. Maybe you do these things every week….I don’t! lol. But, plan these in for the week before. Do all of your main cleaning work the week before, so that you don’t arrive at Thanksgiving out of breath and exhausted.

4 Write out a Master List and Break it down by person

I love the Proverb, “Many hands make light work”. And, I have always found it to be very true! I sometimes make the joke that that is why I had 4 kids, so I could have an extra 8 hands! It makes me laugh, but it really is true. All you have to do is put out a house cleaning list for your family, of age appropriate tasks, and you will be surprised at how much gets done.

After you have made your master cleaning list, I find it a good idea to let your family know that you will be scheduling a specific time for everyone to work together to get the jobs done. Plan a hearty breakfast, then the cleaning, and then a fun activity to do afterward. For instance, plan in a mini Netflix binge after all of the cleaning is done. The sooner the cleaning is finished, the sooner the binge begins, and of course, the more shows that can be watched!

And remember, done is better than perfect. Especially if you are having kids help with the chores, it’s better to have most of the cobwebs down, then to try to do everything yourself. Your family will feel pride in their accomplishment.

5 Don’t go overboard on Decorations

A little goes a long way when you are talking about Thanksgiving Decorations. Personally, we don’t have enough room in our home to store loads of decorations, so ours are limited, but I work to make them special. For instance, last year I asked my Mom to cut leaves out in various fall shapes and colors. Our family wrote items we were thankful for on the leaves, and then I hung them on jute with mini clothes pins. The family loved it so much, they would not let me take it down!

This year, I cleaned out my sewing drawers and found felt and Fall material. I cut leaves out of various shades of felt, and then cut triangle banners out of the Fall material. I attached those to a white ribbon as it was the only color I had and hung it over a mirror and in a doorway. It truly has added a pop of Fall in the room and was free! And, it only needed about 15 minutes while watching TV to complete it.

Don’t Break the Bank

I say this to say, don’t break the bank with decorations. Bring out last year’s decorations, look for Fall colors, and make an effort, but don’t go into debt for it.

Always have a Thanksgiving Tablecloth

I have a Thanksgiving Tablecloth that I invested in years ago, and only use it for Thanksgiving so I will probably have it forever. It was worth the investment. I then plan a tablescape basked on how many guests, and how formal the dinner will be. Often, we make place cards out of something fun. For instance, one year my Mom made the place cards by tracing my Granddaughter’s hand. She was about 8 months old, so her hand was quite little. My mom made the pattern of her hand, and then cut out red, orange, and yellow hands. She glued them together in overlapping succession, and then put a little beak, wobble, and eyes to make little hand print Turkey’s. They were so adorable! She then wrote everyone’s name on one, and everyone knew exactly where to sit.

6 Choose a Formal Table Dinner, Buffet, Or Partial Buffet

Decide whether you want to have a Formal Table Dinner, a Buffet, or a Partial Buffet. For Thanksgiving we typically have quite a few people, but we still want to eat at the table, so we choose partial buffet. What is a partial buffet? Well, I make up a buffet line on a separate table or counter. I set a full table for everyone to sit at, but don’t include any food on it other than rolls and butter, and maybe some of the jellied cranberry and olives. We typically gather at the table, ask the blessing, and then get in line for the Buffet. Then bring it back to the table and eat. By saying grace first, the first person through the line will not have cold food by the time the 15^th person gets seated with their food.

Full Buffet

A Full Buffet is when you set a buffet table, and then guests go through the buffet and then sit wherever they would like, at a table, on the couch, in the other room, or standing. We still have a few little ones, and so it makes more sense for us to eat at the table, but this is a great option if you are having all adults.

Formal Table

Finally, you can have everyone seated at a formal table, and bring all of the food to the table. This is what we used to do when our Thanksgiving was around 6-8 people and it was really nice. But, I have found that our family and extended family are not great at passing food. There are a few people who get one or two things, and then get distracted and suddenly no food is being passed. If you do want a formal dinner where the food is passed around, I suggest letting everyone know in advance which way to pass the food. You could say something like, “let’s start passing the food, and let’s always go to the right”. Some food of course will have go around more than once, because you might get gravy before you have potatoes, or you might have butter before rolls.

7 Plan something nice for yourself.

Thanksgiving is a big day, and you should make it special! You can read about how difficult it can feel to serve your family sometimes in this post. I always think it is good to plan ahead to have a good attitude, feel cared for, and make it a festive day. We typically get out the iTunes play list and have it playing throughout the morning while all of the hustle and bustle is going on. Make sure you start your day in yoga pants and comfy shoes!

I am 50, so I always start any holiday with a dose of ibuprofen. I am not recommending that for you, as I am not a medical professional. But I know that at some point I will need it, so I might as well head off any aches. And, since you will be looking at your hands all day as you craft yummy food, put the final touches on the table, and prepare for a wonderful dinner, get your nails done! Remind yourself all day that you are taking care of everyone else, but you took care of yourself too. And of course, plan to put your comfiest jammies back on as soon as your guests have left. Plan to sit enjoy a warm beverage as you congratulate yourself on a day well prepared.

16 Tips for a Stress Free Thanksgiving 2

8 Get ahead of everything.

We don’t typically have our China, Platters, and Serviceware out, it is typically up in the high cupboards. As I plan our holiday meals, I write in the name of the dish that I will serve it on. And, when we are holding a potluck, or asking family members to bring their favorites, I plan to bring out a few extra serving dishes for those items. I bring them all down, wash them, and place them on the side counter so they are ready to serve dinner. You can also polish sliver, clean the candlesticks, and hang or iron your tablecloth.

In addition, plan to do your grocery shopping on the Monday before Thanksgiving. This will give you time to prepare your meal in advance, and you will miss the congested shopping aisles the two days before Thanksgiving. I always love waking up the day before Thanksgiving knowing that I have purchased everything I need, the Turkey is defrosted, and I can spend the day cooking and preparing my home, instead of grocery shopping. Doing this one simple think will truly help you have a Stress-Free Thanksgiving.

9 Set the Table or Buffet the Night Before, and then set up a card table for breakfast

This can sometimes be a challenge, if your family is like mine, and always eats at the table. We literally eat every single meal at the table. I still see incredible value in setting the table the night before. My suggestion is to set the table the night before, and set up a card table or two to serve breakfast on. That way, the Thanksgiving table is ready, but everyone has somewhere to hang out and eat. The card tables can also be used for helping to store extra dishes, and items that there is no room in the kitchen for. Or, you can use the card tables for setting up the buffet dinner.

10 Have a pre-made breakfast, or heat and serve.

I think that having a pre-made breakfast on Thanksgiving is a great idea! I like to make a casserole the day before, and then family members can heat up a portion in the microwave. Or, make or buy pre-made breakfast burritos. Whatever you plan, make it simple, and easy to clean up from. In our family everyone wants a special breakfast on the holidays, but no one wants to clean up from it when there are other more pressing, and or fun tasks for the day!

Several times I have even made cinnamon rolls or coffee cake the day before, and then popped them in the oven for 10 minutes to heat them up and given them that fresh baked feel. Do whatever works best for you but make it easy. The last thing you need on Thanksgiving morning is a big pile of dishes to wash.

11  Don’t make everything from scratch, just the things that matter.

One of my sons loves pies, and for his birthday in October I make him a pie, with a scratch crust. In fact, I make scratch crusts quite often, but I don’t always have time on Thanksgiving. So, I often use the Pillsbury refrigerated crusts, but then make the fillings from scratch.

Although I sometimes throughout the year make rolls or bread from scratch, on Thanksgiving I buy Bridgeford frozen dough, place them in a buttered pan to rise, brush with butter, and bake. They taste amazing and take only about 10 minutes of my time. For our family mashed potatoes are a must from scratch and I typically make them the day before and heat them in a Crock-pot on Thanksgiving. But we often use stuffing mix. You know your family’s favorites, so make what works best for you. But give yourself permission to not make everything from scratch. You need time to enjoy the day.

As I make up my menu and to do list, I typically write out how much time it will take to make each dish. This is a great help, because I can very easily see if I will be able to make everything I have planned. A realistic plan is much less daunting, than a plan that is insurmountable.

12 Cook the Day Ahead

As I have mentioned, cook the day ahead! I learned from a friend at church, that it tastes really great to cook the Turkey the day ahead, and then you are not held hostage by when the Turkey decides to be finished cooking. So, I typically cook the Turkey the day ahead. After it has rested for ½ an hour, I slice it, and take all of the meat off the bone and keep it separated as Light or Dark Meat.

The next day I heat it in a Crock Pot or Roaster in Chicken or Turkey Broth. It stays incredibly moist, and I have everything ready to make the gravy when needed. You might be thinking that I miss the grand entrance of the just roasted Turkey. Well, that is true, but I love not having to keep telling my guests that it will be another 10 minutes for the Turkey.

I also make all of my salads, desserts, and side dishes the day before, with the exception of a green salad that I prepare the day of. It makes everything so much simpler, and stress free, and most food truly tastes better on day two because the flavors are more well blended.

13 Plan to Keep Hot Food Hot, and Cold Food Cold

Our family is a little obsessed with keeping hot foods hot, and cold foods cold. We keep hot foods hot in roasters, and crock pots. This year, I saw that Amazon is offering a heating tray that holds 3 or 4 dishes and keeps them warm. To keep items cold, place a smaller bowl inside a bowl of ice. By keeping hot foods hot, and cold foods cold, everyone gets to have a wonderful dinner, and food is safely stored while it is on the buffet.

14 Plan a Game

This is a must in our family. We love to play group Pictionary, Charades, or Trivia. Whatever we plan, we get everyone involved, and make it fun. For Pictionary, we typically divide everyone into two teams, and then use a giant whiteboard on an easel to draw on. For charades, we simply cut up pieces of paper and write holiday themed clues  on them. We fold them and put them in a basked. And for Trivia, we make up clues jeopardy style, and then have an M.C. ask all of the answers to two teams. It really makes for a fun night, and plans in a little time between dinner and dessert.

15 Call it a night, And give a parting gift – Leftovers

When we were growing up, my Dad was notorious for standing up. To be more specific, he was letting everyone know that the party was over. To this day it still kind of makes me giggle. But truthfully, someone has to be the one to break up the party. I am not suggesting kicking everyone out, but you will be tired, your kids will be tired, your guests will be tired, and sometimes no one wants to be the first to go.

So, when you feel the evening has come to an appropriate closing time, stand up and say something like, “So, who would like to take some of the leftovers home”? Seriously, it’s that easy to let everyone know that the party is coming to an end. Have a few storage containers you don’t mind never seeing again ready to send home various items with your guests. Or, maybe you could say, “Would anyone like a coffee to go, I just put on a fresh pot” Then have paper disposable coffee cups ready. It really is a nice way of saying, I would like to continue taking care of you with food and coffee, but not here, I need to go to sleep! LOl

16- The next Day, Recap the day and make plans for next year

I love to take time the day after Thanksgiving to sit down with a cup of coffee, and write out what went well. I also write out what didn’t go well,  and what I want to change for the next year. It is good while it is all fresh in your mind to linger on the good portions of the day. And to plan to reconstruct any challenges. And then of course, pat yourself on the back. Thanksgiving is a big meal to put on. It can be so enjoyable with a  little planning and preparation.

I truly hope that these 16 Tips for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving will help you to plan and prepare your best Thanksgiving yet! And, since I am always looking for more great ideas on Easy Entertaining, I would love to hear your best ideas in the comments below. I hope that you have an amazing Thanksgiving!

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