Staying Organized When Hosting Thanksgiving

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The holidays are stressful enough when you consider the social side of family and friends gathering, but throw in being the host and that’s a completely different scenario. Whether hosting or a guest, here are some tips on how to stay organized during the days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving day.

First let me start by saying, it has taken me YEARS to get this organized. There were many Thanksgivings where I felt like I had epic failures. I’ve botched gravy, burnt dinner rolls, and I even forgot a whole side dish in the extra refrigerator located in the garage.

This is your Thanksgiving so make it as easy or as creative as you want. I am a big fan of semi-homemade items so if you want to use canned yams, prepared gravy, or have your mother in law make her perfect mashed potatoes, by all means, do it! If you aren’t much of a cook but have a beautiful home, order the dinner already made from a store and create a festive location for all to celebrate.

I am a list maker. This is the only way I know to keep my thoughts organized as I often forget what I wanted to achieve from one thought to the next. Carry a notepad or make them on your phone, but a successful Thanksgiving starts with your list of notes and ideas.

Guests: If you offer or are asked to bring an item, bring it ready to eat on the serving platter. If it needs to be warmed, make sure the platter of ham or bowl of artichoke cheese dip is in an oven/microwave-proof containers so the host doesn’t need to dig through their cabinet to find one for you. Also, do not complain about where you and your children are sitting once you arrive. If you have a preference or a need, please let the host know when you RSVP.

Three Weeks to One Month Before

Extend the invitation to your guests. Maybe it’s already known because you swap locations with your cousin every year, but make sure you are in communication with everyone you want to invite. It’s nice to extend the invite personally to younger adults (age 21-25) so they feel like you really want them there and they are not just a mercy invite because they’re your sibling’s children. When newer guests RSVP, make sure there are no allergies that need to be addressed. If they offer to contribute a dish and you aren’t sure what would help you best yet, let them know you appreciate the offer and you’ll get back to them on it.

Two Weeks Before Thanksgiving

By this time, you have extended invitations to your potential guests and should have an idea of how many will be attending. If you haven’t done so already, make a list of those names to get a final number. This will give you a visual to go by when planning how much food you need.

Make a list of dishes you’d like to serve that day. Start with the obvious: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing/dressing, a vegetable, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls. Add anything that might be a tradition like your sister’s jello salad or grandmothers’ special yams. Please be mindful of any allergies a guest may have and consider alternative recipes for those who might have dairy, nut, or gluten allergies.

Create another row on this list for appetizers and do the same thing. I try to keep these on the lighter side so that the guests don’t stuff themselves before dinner and still can enjoy your holiday meal. Traditionally, my mom brings deviled eggs to most holidays. It’s her specialty and everyone loves them. That’s about as heavy as I get. Nuts, a small cheese or veggie platter are great too but try to avoid items that your guests might mindlessly eat like chips and dip or heavy items like wings that will fill them up. I usually handle the appetizers. There’s nothing worse than giving that task to someone who is notoriously late to functions and your guests are looking for something to nibble on.

Lastly, at the bottom of the page make the dessert list. Less is more here. While this is many people’s favorite part of the meal, many guests are full by the time dessert rolls around. My experience is they usually only want a small portion or pass altogether. It’s also where I usually will hand off duties to a family member who is great at baking or has a store where they can pick up a very good pumpkin pie (can you say, Costco?) or cheesecake.

Ok, so you’ve made two lists, one for food and one for guests. Now it’s time to combine them. If you’ve had a guest offer to bring a dish or do anything that can help, now is the time to delegate. Look at the list and see what you are comfortable with others bringing. If your nephew does not eat turkey and only likes ham, then ask your sister to bring that portion of the meal to ease your workload. Use the list of items you want on the table from the canned cranberry to the wine as options for others to provide. It saves you time AND money. Put their name next to the items on the food list. If a younger guest asks, maybe have them bring paper goods for the dessert or whipped cream for the pumpkin pie.

When it’s determined who is providing what items to the meal, make your grocery list. Go through all the recipes and your cabinet and make sure you have the ingredients you need for each dish and the table. Think about what beverages you want to offer from water to mixed drinks. Work your way through the entire day start to finish, from the butter to baste the turkey to the marshmallows for the yams, to the coffee and tea for dessert.

Make your “To Do” List. This is the big whopper of a list and can grow quickly. Add items like:

grocery shopping (you may have multiple stores to visit to get all those ingredients you need)
get folding chairs from storage
sweep the front steps
set the table
clean the guest bathroom

They may seem obvious but it’s the small things like ironing the tablecloth/napkins and moving the furniture around to make the tables fit that can add time to your workload. Make sure you’ve accounted for it. If you can afford it, hire someone to clean your house a few days before so that you can concentrate on the creative side.

Sit and visualize your day. Imagine the day from start to finish. Where will people enjoy appetizers? Do you need extra chairs or side tables? Should you make a seating chart for the dining room table, or are guests free to sit where they please?

Try to create areas for the guests to place their contributions like a table off to the side in the kitchen and a pop-up bar area for guests to get drinks. Take time to consider the age range of the guests attending. If there are a lot of little ones, see if there’s a room they can play, color, or watch a movie. Some older generations get anxious around a lot of commotion, try to create a sitting area by a window where they can enjoy your garden or sit to visit with others without having to talk over the cheering of the football game on TV.

One Week Before Thanksgiving

Confirm the guest list. Make sure your brother is still bringing his new girlfriend..oh wait, she has 3 kids and now they’re coming too? Also confirm items they are contributing so you’re sure your aunt can still bring her famous pecan pie.

If there is one key function to this holiday it is learning how to delegate. If your kids can grab the extra tables from the neighbor or your mom can iron the linens, put them to work! Use your brother’s mad skills from college and ask him to be the bartender for the day.

If using them, make place cards. This will make your life a little easier as you are trying to put the finishing touches on the dinner and not be called away to show people where you planned on having them sit. Buy them already made and write the guest name on them. Or click here: Happy Healthy and Wiser_Thanksgiving Dinner Name Tags for Napkins for a free printable I created. You can type in the names, print, and use scissors to cut them out. I like to use craft style paper stock to keep it festive. These work well to punch a hole in the corner and attach to a napkin ring.

Do your grocery shopping. With the exception to a few items that won’t stay fresh 5-7 days like bread rolls, you can get 90% of your ingredients checked off. This includes the frozen turkey which can take 3-4 days to completely thaw in the fridge. I like to shop the Friday morning before Thanksgiving. Grocery stores are usually restocked and ready for the rush that comes starting Saturday morning.

5 Days Before

Pull out all the plates, glasses and serving dishes you think you want to use. Wash the plates and glasses if they haven’t been used in a while. Layout the platters, bowls, bread baskets, and gravy boats. Use a sticky note to label them with the item you want to use them for. Make sure you have enough serving utensils to use as well.

4 Days Before

Move the furniture around. Set up the dining area. Sit in the chairs to make sure people can get in and out. Be considerate of people of a larger size to make sure they are not cramped in between people next to them. Also, allow parents to sit where they can easily get up to assist their child if needed.

3 Days Before (Monday)

Set the table. Less is more here. If you have a buffet in your dining room to place the larger items of food once passed around, great. But I often find these areas are tough to access once everyone is seated. Try to allow room on the table for the turkey platter, yams, etc.

I’m not a fan of big tall fancy vases of flowers on the table. I feel it blocks conversations with those seated across one another. Try to simplify decor using some simple greens down the center of the table. Add some pomegranates and persimmons thrown in with a couple of votive candles. Napkin rings can be as simple as combing rustic twine and anything of color from the garden or local park. Think fall leaves or snip small bundles of berries off a bush.

Tips:

Omit wine glasses for those who do not drink.

If you have a long table, try to have 2 sets of butter and salt and pepper shakers. This will help to ease up the passing of items.

2 Days Before (Tuesday)

Finish grocery shopping for fresh items like dinner rolls, green beans, or dessert items. Do anything you have not completed from previous days’ lists. If you dry your own bread for the stuffing/dressing this is the day to do it. Make homemade cranberry sauce.

Set up the bar area. Put the plastic cups, napkins, ice tongs, and cooler in a place that is easy for your “bartender” to get to and serve your guest drinks upon their arrival.

The Day Before

This is food prep day. Roast the yams, make the stuffing, and peel and cut potatoes (store covered in water so they do not brown). Many recipes for mashed potatoes can be made the day before and warmed before dinner. Here’s my favorite recipe from Ree Drummond.

I also slice lemons for the water pitchers and limes for the beers/cocktails, plate the butter and all versions of cranberry sauces the day before. These are last-minute items that always seem to catch me off guard and get me flustered right before dinner.

Kevin makes his Brandied Cranberry Sauce several days before so he can make sure to stay out of my way in the kitchen during this busy time.

If you’re super ambitious, make pumpkin bread or cinnamon rolls for the family to enjoy Thanksgiving morning. It will help not having to make a big breakfast and it will put a little something in your stomach to tie you over until the food is out. Plus, it may allow you some time to enjoy yourself with your family before the guests arrive.

Thanksgiving Day

In the morning, buy ice for the cooler or beverage bucket and place beverages in it to be chilled when guests arrive.

Par cook the dressing if not stuffing the bird. Cover and bake it 75% of the way so it does not dry out. I no longer stuff the turkey as it takes a much longer time to cook overall. The turkey is dry and stuffing cannot cook all the way through in the middle. I make the dressing the day before and place it in an ovenproof serving dish. This way I can go from refrigerator to oven to table with ease.

Cook the turkey. This can take up to 3-4 hours. Time the turkey to be finished 45 minutes before you want your guests to sit down to dinner. This allows time for the meat to rest and give you oven space to warm the side dishes.

Plate last minute dishes. Set the coffee maker to brew coffee during dinner so it’s fresh for dessert.
Simmer the turkey neck and giblets to use when making the gravy. No judgment here, gravy is a tough task. If you need to buy it already prepped and warm in a sauce pot, do it. The last thing you need just before sitting down to Thanksgiving is to be stressing about if the gravy will thicken or taste like flour paste.

Take a moment to be grateful. You worked your rear off to make this celebration happen. Be thankful you had the capability to pull it off, for the family and/or friends surrounding you, for your home, and the food in front of you.

Cheers to a beautiful and organized Thanksgiving Dinner!

Some must-have tools for a successful turkey day:

Meat thermometer. Make sure the thickest part of the turkey is cooked through by using a meat thermometer. Do not depend on those little red pop-out timers. Those pop at 178 degrees and by then your turkey is overcooked and will be dry. Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh meat, just below the breast. It should read 165 degrees before you remove the turkey to rest.

Oven thermometer: All ovens are different. Uncertain of how your oven heats in relation to what you set the temperature at? This thermometer will help you determine if you need to increase or decrease the temperature for cooking the turkey.

Roasting pan: I have one of my own, but it does not have a lid, so I use foil to cover Tom when I first put him in the oven. My mom has one like this that I prefer to use. I find the lid seals in the steam and makes for a juicier bird.

Knife Sharpener: I use this easy sharpener to keep my knives in top condition which is key when carving a turkey.

To-Go Containers: One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is enjoying leftovers! I make an extra turkey the day before so I can send leftovers home with guests.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on how to stay organized when hosting your Thanksgiving. Please take a moment to leave a comment, follow me on Instagram, or Pin a photo to Pinterest.