Tips on how to Lower Stress During Holiday Meals
How to Keep your Sanity While Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving lands on the fourth Thursday of November every year; we all know that.
Although it seems like this holiday sneaks up on us every year. This is why you should start
preparing now. Planning your Thanksgiving dinner in advance can help you feel confident and
calm in the kitchen. These useful Thanksgiving tips will help you stay stress free and help keep
you organized. All it takes is a little planning. Because I want you to have a great Thanksgiving
dinner, let’s get started.
The first thing you need to do is simple; clean your home. Give your house a good deep
cleaning from top to bottom. Be sure to dust, don’t forget your ceiling fans and light fixtures. Clean
out the refrigerator to make room for more food. Wash all bed linens just in case you have
unexpected guest that may want to spend the night. While you are at it, go ahead and steam
clean carpets and wash your curtains or drapes. Once you have cleaned everything until it
sparkles, add some type of scented air freshener in a nice fall festive fragrance, such as pumpkin
spice. This is my families favorite scent for Thanksgiving. Most people feel very relaxed and
welcome in a clean fragrant home, I know I do.
The second thing you need to do is create a guest list. You need to know how many
people will be attending. The number of people coming to dinner is the deciding factor on how big
the turkey needs to be and how many table settings you will need. Be sure and ask yourself these
three questions when creating your guest list. One, does anyone have food allergies? Two, how
many children are attending? Three, do I have any picky eaters?
Next, consider a potluck dinner. Do you want to ease the workload on yourself? You are
the host, you decide. The host should always provide the main meat dish. You could make the
traditional turkey or cook a ham and ask the guest to bring the rest of the trimmings. Ask your guest to bring things like mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and so on.
One of the most obvious tips to staying stress free this Thanksgiving is to use traditional
recipes. Don’t spend time hunting or searching for new recipes. Use only the recipes that you
have already taste tested. You know the dishes that your friends and family love. Give your guest
their all time family favorites, don’t bother trying to impress them with some new fancy dish. I
say if it’s not broke don’t fix it.
The next step to keeping this day of feasting stress-free is to plan a menu. There are
several things to consider when planning a menu. You will need a list of foods that you are going
to serve. Making sure you have enough food gets top priority. A good rule of thumb, my mom
always says “It is better to have too much food, than not enough.” Remember all items do not
have to be homemade. Save time by filling in with store bought items such as bread, desserts, or
a cheese plate appetizer. This will help you to free up some of your valuable time. Now you have
more time to focus on other dishes or decorating.
Many hostesses stress over table settings and décor. However, I have discovered that
most guest don’t even seem to notice. This is a day for family, friends and football. Don’t get your
turkey knotted up, just keep it simple. Choose a centerpiece, this can be a floral arrangement,
candle lit dinner, or something your child hand crafted. Decide if you want to use China or paper,
silverware or flatware. Are you going to use cloth or paper napkins? Once you have made your
choices go to the store and purchase the things you need to complete your table settings and
home decorating items.
Do you need to rent, buy, or borrow items? Do your dinner guest exceed your seating
capabilities? If you have more guest than chairs, you can always set up a card table for the
children invited. Plastic tables and folding chairs are very handy during the holidays. They can also
be quite expensive . Are these items something you need to invest in? Would you be better off
renting or borrowing these things?
Now let’s talk turkey, what size turkey do I need? You will need to allow one and a half
pounds of turkey per person. This formula has never let my mom down. She uses this formula to
make sure there is always enough. Trust me, if you use this formula, you will have plenty of
leftovers.
Choose your serving style in advance. Are you going to have a buffet style meal or sit
down dinner? I prefer a sit down meal because it is cozy. Sit down meals let guest share a relaxed
and warm atmosphere as they dine. If you choose a buffet style meal be sure and clean off your
counter tops for extra space. Decide if you will need food warmers, buffet trays, or extra plates.
Part of planning in advance is getting your cooking gear together. You want to make sure
you have all of the basic cooking tools needed. You will need a meat thermometer, oven mitts,
trivet, casserole dishes and the like. Make sure you have a large enough roasting pan. Don’t wait
until you get ready to put the turkey in the oven to discover that your roasting pan is too small.
At last, we are ready to make a grocery list. We will use our menu plan to design a
detailed grocery list. Refer to each dish listed on your menu plan, make a note of any or all
ingredients you need to purchase, in order to make that dish. Make a note of the grocery store
aisle the products can be found on. This tip will help save you some time while shopping.
Shop early and often. This is how to avoid the crowds. Stock up early on basic essentials
like flour, butter, chicken stock, salt, and other seasonings. Don’t wait until the last minute when
everything is picked over. Order in advance. Call and reserve things like rolls, bread, and cakes.
Don’t fight over the last pecan pie!
In conclusion, this is your party. You set the tone. Don’t forget, your guest will notice if you
are stressed out. Your behavior and actions will show it. Seeing you stressed out will most likely
make your guest uncomfortable. Hopefully, these tips and techniques on how to host a stress-free
Thanksgiving dinner will be useful. Simply follow my advice to reduce your stress this
Thanksgiving and enjoy your holiday.
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