Top 10 Thanksgiving Tips

It's almost time to gather around the table with all of your family and friends and enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving festivities.  Are you hosting Thanksgiving in your home this season? Are you ready? Here are ten tips to help you get ready for Thanksgiving:

1. Organize Your Home

This might seem like one of the least desired tasks of preparing for Thanksgiving but it's definitely very important. It's best to get the cleaning over with as soon as possible. I recommend cleaning and organizing all common room space that will be utilized when guests arrive on Thanksgiving Day. This includes your living room, dining room, hallways, kitchen and bathrooms.  You may want to even clean out your refrigerator or freezer to make room for all of your Thanksgiving delicacies.  For more information on a prepping your kitchen this holiday season, check out Stress Free Kitchen Organization.

2. Décor

When it comes to decorating your home for Thanksgiving, the small hints of the fall season around your home will add the perfect touch. You may want to purchase decorations such as fall wreaths, center pieces, table cloths, and place mats. Some good stores to visit for your home decorations include Party City, Michaels or even your local retail department stores. If you are trying to save money this season here are some great Thanksgiving DYI projects from Better Homes and Gardens.

3. Guests

Make sure that everyone has all of the details for your Thanksgiving Day celebrations. Be sure that all of your guests know the time and have the address of your home in advance. If you are a new homeowner you may want to provide directions and parking information to your guests as well. Also, if your Thanksgiving will be potluck style you may want to confirm with each guest that they are prepared and will still be able to bring their item.

4. Food Preparation

I highly recommend writing down a complete menu of your Thanksgiving feast. This will help you stay organized this Thanksgiving and it will help you prepare your last minute shopping list. If it's possible with any of your dishes I recommend preparing some foods a day in advance and safely storing them aside to make your day easier and slightly less hectic. You may even be interested in doing a practice run if you are cooking a new challenging dish.

5. Drinks

Drinks all around! Be ready for various drink combinations that will pair best with the dishes that you will be serving and the age ranges of your guests. If you will have children in your home this Thanksgiving you may want to have some fun and easy drinks that kids are sure your love such as sparkling cider. You will also want to have a variety of soda, tea, water and wine for your guests. If you are open to being creative you can even prepare festive beverages for the adults like a pumpkin spice martini or spiked apple cider. 

6. Snacks/Appetizers

It's great to have light snacks ready to be served for your guests when they arrive. Thanksgiving can be quite hectic and it will definitely be quite the treat when your guests arrive to little delectable appetizers ready to eat. Some ideas include crackers and cheese or vegetables and fruits.

7. Main Dishes

You definitely can't go wrong with the Thanksgiving basics of Turkey, Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy and Biscuits! Be sure to have enough for at least one serving per person of each item. It's better to have too much than not enough and it's okay to have left overs. You may also want to start a new tradition in your home and add in a main non-traditional dish that everyone is sure to love and it will add a bit of character to your meal.  

8. Dessert

My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal for sure! I recommend offering a variety of desserts from pies to cookies to dessert drinks. One great idea for dessert would be for each guest to bring their favorite dessert which would give an amazing array of treats and it would even add more excitement to dessert time.

9. Entertainment

The entertainment in your home this Thanksgiving might vary based on the dynamics of your guests and the layout of your home. When you think of entertainment it's more than just the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or a great football game on TV, Thanksgiving it the opportunity to create great long lasting memories with your friends and family. A few great ideas to keep your guests entertained include: Sharing what they are thankful for, board games or even a playing a friendly game of flag football outside (weather permitting).

10. Small Gift

Thanksgiving is a time of giving and what better way to bring in the holiday season than to give all of your guests a small gift to take home and enjoy even after they have left your home. You have the opportunity to give the first gift of the season and no matter how small the gift your guests are sure to love it. Some ideas include a little candle, a holiday decoration for their home or even a little gift basket.