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10-tips-tricks-for-a-happy-thanksgiving-1While Thanksgiving entertaining can be alot of work, it is super rewarding making new memories with family and friends. These 10 Tips & Tricks For a Harmonious Thanksgiving will make the holiday happy.

10 Tips & Tricks For a Happy Thanksgiving

I have been helping with Thanksgiving celebrations since I was a child.  I remember being a part of the cooking thanks to photographs.  The 10 tips are what I have developed over the years to help make the most of the Thanksgiving holiday.  I hope you will check these out and please share on social with your friend @brenhaas. The tips will be itemized into their own section because I have alot to say! 

Home Sweet Home

Let’s make it a home sweet home by tackling a few chores before the Thanksgiving event.  Here are a few chores I do the week before the big date.  If you are reading this with only a few days before the event does not panic.  The most important thing at Thanksgiving is food prep so start there.

  • Clean kitchen making room in the refrigerator.  That turkey bird is big!
  • Make sure there is clean space in the closet for guests’ coats to be hung and shoes placed.
  • Rake leaves and pick up sticks were your guest will park and enter your home. Landscape clean up is super important and will add to the celebration.
  • Look for dust bunnies – dust, sweep all floors and mop especially where you will be entertaining.
  • The bathroom should be thoroughly cleaned.  Sink, toilet, shower, tub, mirrors, and floors should be perfect!
  • Be sure to wash table linens after dusting the dining room table and chairs.

  Set-Up

The week before Thanksgiving I like to get my extra chairs out of storage and any tables I may need for the event.  I am lucky to have a nice home floor plan that is easy to walk about but in the past, my house was smaller and things needed to be moved around before Thanksgiving. Don’t wait till the last minute to move couches or chairs so your family can gather in one area.  Keep in mind, everyone ends up in the kitchen!  I like to set up and extra table in the sunroom for desserts and drinks just to allows space for folks to stand in the kitchen to chat.

Kitchen

The kitchen should have been thoroughly cleaned a week ago – right?! (wink) One of the best tips in the kitchen is to be sure any appliances you do not need are put away in storage.  I like to move my blender into storage and get out my wire plate rake so guests can easily grab a clean Thanksgiving plate for their meal.  Clean dishes as you go – thank goodness for the dishwasher! 

Guest List

The week before Thanksgiving I am sure to touch base with my family and friends to find out what everyone is up to on Turkey Day.  My family knows I love entertaining so they are sure to make time to stop out at some point of the day.  There have been years where everyone will be stopping out later in the day so I am sure to have extra desserts and of course bread for a late turkey sandwich!   Be sure to jot down the following:

  • Time guest may arrive
  • How many adults and children
  • Any special notes about food requirements

The Food

Thanksgiving turkey recipes

To make menu planning easy I basically use the same menu every year adding only a few new recipes.  I have a folder or scrapbook I have been using since my kids were toddlers.  In the notebook I have the following:

  • Menu including how to prepare turkey
  • Grocery List
  • Recipes from magazines and printed off of the web
  • Guest List

Keeping track of the recipes and notes from the Thanksgiving feast makes planning the day so much easier.  I really need to do a video showing my notebook filled with recipes plus.

Table Decor

Thanksgiving 10 tips and tricks for a happy day!

I love decorating my table!  Over the years I have collected traditional table settings and even a set of Autumn dinnerware for the occasion.  To keep things from getting hodgepodge  I try to keep to the same autumn theme and also have a few of the colors from the dining room incorporated into the setup.  In my home, having an Autumn theme on the table is easy because my house is filled with earth tones.  Below are a few of my top tips for table decor:

    • If you don’t have table setting in an Autumn theme just use WHITE plates. The food will do the decorating!
    • Go outside and collect some nature to add to the table.  Adding a few pine cones and autumn nuts make a lovely addition to a candle centerpiece.
    • Keep it Simple! Burlap from the craft store makes a fun table runner place gourds and pumpkins on.

Table From Twitter Share


From Twitter connection, I love seeing the food and decor this user shares daily.

Decoration The Home

The best Thanksgiving is when I am able to have a few Christmas decorations already in play!  As my husband and I have gotten older we like to decorate the house and trees in the garden with lights.  It is always nice to have a few decorations that can be turned on after dinner into the evening to welcome the holiday to come when we will be together again soon!

Carry-Out

I love filling up a take-home box or two especially for my nephews.   I know they have busy schedules and usually have to work on Black Friday so it is important for me to make sure I have simple containers they can take home food from Thanksgiving dinner.   I recommend foil and foil pans.  These are cheap and can be easy to take to work the next day and warm up in the oven.

Me Time

I put Me at the bottom of the list because I don’t want to seem selfish but I want to point out how important it is that you think of yourself during the holidays.  Don’t overwork yourself because it isn’t worth being achy or sick for Thanksgiving.  Be sure you are eating good and taking time to exercise in the days leading up to the event.  I worked on a cut article about Staying Healthy during the holiday season that I think you might like so check it out.

Let’s Connect

Doesn’t a coffee break sound amazing?  I hope you are able to put into action these 10 tips and tricks this Thanksgiving so you can breathe easily without a reminder. It is an honor to connect with you so please be sure to share a comment below.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

 

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