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Prepare yourself: 7 tips to reduce Thanksgiving stress

November 21, 2017

By this point in the year, you’re looking at the calendar and counting the days. The holidays are creeping up, which brings all the stress of preparing for this frenzied time. If you’re hosting the annual Thanksgiving feast, you don’t need to exhaust yourself. Get organized so you can keep all the tasks under control. Here are some tips to reduce Thanksgiving stress so you can enjoy the day.

De-clutter your fridge and freezer.

You’re going to need all the room you can spare. Remove the leftovers that have been pushed to the far reaches of your refrigerator or freezer. Check the expiration dates on items and discard anything that is questionable (like salad dressing, which has a very short shelf life). Do you have a jar of grape jelly with just a few dabs left? Don’t let it take up valuable real estate this time of year.

Write out your menu.

Don’t rely on all those ideas dancing around in your head. It’s too easy to forget a dish, which means you won’t have the ingredients when you’re ready to prepare it. Start your holiday menu planning by making a list of every item, including the beverages, and make a shopping list of the ingredients.

Check your holiday tableware.

Before the clock starts ticking loudly, examine your dishes, silverware, stemware, serving pieces, and linens. Clean, polish, and wash everything. Discard anything that’s damaged so you don’t accidentally place a chipped glass in front of your persnickety relative. Add to your shopping list any pieces that need to be replaced.

Do the math on your turkey time.

Remember that you need 24 hours for every four pounds of bird to safely thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator, which is your safest option. If you wait till a day or two before Thanksgiving to pull the bird out of the freezer, you’ll face a very long day of waiting for the main course to be completely roasted.

Prep and cook as much in advance.

If you want to spend more time with your guests on Thanksgiving Day and less time tending to the meal, tackle some of the tasks ahead of time. You can, for example, make your mashed potatoes and stuffing a few days prior to the holiday and then put them in a crockpot to a few hours before serving. Make your casseroles early so you only have to slip them into the oven on Thanksgiving Day. You can even freeze your pies before baking them. Let them bake while you’re sitting down to dinner.

Delegate.

Many guests want to bring something for the holiday feast. Let them! Make a list of who has committed and what they are bringing. Three days before Thanksgiving, contact them to make sure they haven’t forgotten and are still able to bring what they promised.

Get ready for the big takeaway.

You will undoubtedly hand out leftovers as people leave. Stock up on containers for the food so you can aren’t hunting around for boxes and dishes you may never see again while your guests are ready to head out the door. There will always be stress when you’re preparing for a big event. McGuinn Homes wants to help you enjoy your friends, family, and home during this busy time. And, if you find that your current home is no longer the haven you hoped for, contact us to explore your new home communities in the Columbia area of South Carolina. By this time next year, you could be hosting your holiday gatherings in a brand new home.

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