Why do many people stress over Thanksgiving? As the year's biggest and most elaborate event in the United States - in terms of cooking and entertaining family members and guests - there is certainly pressure to make things perfect.
Thanksgiving disasters are quite common, but they are not the end of the world. Here are some surefire ways to ensure that your Thanksgiving celebration goes without a hitch:
1) Keep calm and avoid getting overwhelmed.
Sure, there are tons to do before the dinner takes place, but if you're going to put all of your energy into what needs to be done - as opposed to actually doing it - then you could already be exhausted before starting anything.
2) Make plans way ahead of time.
You have to order your turkey at least two weeks in advance. Recommended establishments include Heritage Foods, D'Artagnan or Greenberg Smoked Turkey, which have more flavorful but slightly more expensive turkeys than the grocery kind. These establishments do deliveries too, but they have deadlines for ordering so make sure to check first.
Draw up your menu so you'll know what to shop for groceries and start checking grocery deals. Don't forget to include trash bags, paper towels and items for packing leftovers. List your ideas for decorations, too, so you'll also be able to stick with the theme and avoid wasting time when buying for these.
Slowly put decorations all over the house as needed, but do the finishing touches at least two nights before the dinner happens. If you're not into decorating, you can "outsource" and hire someone to do it, according to Psych Central, so look for prospects early too.
3) Clean your house, set up decors and prepare dinner ware and table items a few days prior.
China, silverware and wine glasses must already be cleaned and polished at least a week before the event, according to Oregon Live. Towels and sheets must be freshly laundered if you have guests staying over.
It's also a great idea to clean the fridge at this point and throw away bottles and other stuff to make room for Thanksgiving leftovers.
4) Keep dinner simple, but keep the drinks and cocktails snazzy, tasteful and interesting.
So as not to take up your time on Thanksgiving Day, you can start preparing crust for your pies or the cranberry sauce a few days ahead and just keep them in the fridge until they're ready to be cooked. Some of your guests are likely to bring food, so you don't have to cook for a battalion and tire yourself out in the kitchen. However, you do have to prepare great drinks because cocktail hour is the night's most fun part. Don't forget to stock up on Pinot Noir, which goes well with a typical Thanksgiving feast, according to The Kitchen.
5) Delegate and rest.
You don't have to do everything yourself, as you can assign some of the tasks to family members. If you're feeling overwhelmed, go ahead and take a breather or a nap. Save some of that energy to actually enjoy dinner with friends and family later.
This infographic below have more tips to make Thanksgiving preparations healthy and stress-free:
