If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the the year, Thanksgiving is the sneak peek at all the wonders headed our way. The festivities from Halloween to Christmas bring joy and and cheer, but can also be loaded with stress and anxiety.
Originally, I’m from Canada, where Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. I really, really wish that American Thanksgiving could move to October. Can someone take this project on as their life’s work, pretty please? I would seriously sign a petition! When Thanksgiving falls at the very end of November, the Christmas season feels exponentially more hectic. I would love an extra couple weeks in there to relax and enjoy my festive decor and Christmas cookies.
In any case, Thanksgiving makes my holiday top three. Technically, it’s number two, since Christmas and New Year’s tie for the number one spot on my favorite holidays list. But Thanksgiving is pretty great, and today we are talking about how to plan for Thanksgiving dinner. Unless you are dining out or ordering take-out for Thanksgiving dinner, you NEED a plan.
For most people, Thanksgiving is probably the biggest dinner party we host all year. When you combine the complex menu planning, decor, out-of-town guests, and accommodating family with multiple dinners to attend, Thanksgiving can have us feeling more bothered than blessed.
START EARLY
For me, the key to enjoying Thanksgiving Day is a plan that starts well in advance of turkey day. My goal is to do as much as possible ahead of time, leaving as little as possible to be done on Thanksgiving Day. I break my Thanksgiving plan into chunks of time: 3-4 weeks ahead, 2 weeks ahead, 1 week ahead, and then counting down from about 3 days out. Following a checklist for each period of time keeps me on track.
You can download your free Thanksgiving Checklist HERE.
For a complete Thanksgiving Planner containing the printable checklist, along with pages for menu planning, kids’ activities, place cards, and more, visit my Etsy shop.
3-4 weeks ahead
- Invite guests (ask them to bring a dish to share)
- Choose a meal time
Ask guests if they have any other commitments, consider how early you want to get up to start cooking the turkey, and what time the football game airs!) - Start menu planning
Pull out family favorite recipes, search Pinterest for ideas - Think about table decor (centerpiece, place cards, table linens)
- Think through seating (do you need a kids’ table, extra chairs?)
- Will you have activities for the kids?
- Add seasonal decor to areas of the house guests will visit (candle in the bathroom)
- Make sure you have freezer space for pre-made food and your turkey
2 weeks ahead
- Decide on your menu
- Print copies of all recipes
I print hard copies of my recipes so that I can mark them up step by step. That makes it easier for me to work backwards when I’m creating my cooking timeline for Thanksgiving Day. You can keep it simple and just staple everything in the corner, or use a small binder to organize all your recipes, notes, and ideas for reference year after year. - Make a grocery list from your recipes
Don’t forget about coffee, tea, creamer, butter, salt & pepper, and any other staple goods you might need for the big day. - Divide the grocery list into two shopping trips: non-perishable shopping to be done a week in advance, and perishable shopping done a few days before Thanksgiving
- Think about items that can be made ahead
Gravy, pie, and mashed potatoes are commonly suggested items to make ahead, but you can make a whole lot more in advance. Food Network has a list of dishes you can make ahead and freeze before your Thanksgiving feast. Check out their suggestions HERE. - Buy your turkey
- Think about a plan for leftovers
Having single-use containers on-hand to send leftovers home with your guests is a nice touch! - Decide on table decor
- Wash tablecloth and napkins if needed
- Think through tableware needed and add any necessary paper goods to your grocery list
At a minimum you need a dinner plate, fork, knife, spoon, glass, mug or cup, and dessert plate for each guest.
Read: Thanksgiving Scripture Reading Plan
Think about the Details
1 week ahead
- Make sure you have extra refrigerator space for all that food
- Clean your house
- Create a timeline for prepping and cooking
Go through your recipes and work backward from your meal time to determine when you need to begin cooking each dish. Use the Thanksgiving Recipe Step-by-Step Planner sheet in the Thanksgiving Planner to help with this! - Decide which appliances will be used for each dish
Utilize your oven, stovetop, microwave, instant pot, slow cooker, grill, etc. If you are attempting to cook most of your dishes on Thanksgiving Day, you will need a plan for using multiple appliances to get everything served hot at meal time. For example, I might use my slow cooker to keep made-in-advance mashed potatoes warm, saute green beans and mushrooms on the stovetop, and bake a sweet potato casserole in the oven while the turkey cooks in the smoker. - Think through cookware, bakeware, and serving dishes needed for each item. Stack all the pots and pans, serving dishes, and serving utensils you will use in one area and label them.
I write the name of the dish on a small post-it sized paper, and put it inside the serving dish along with the appropriate serving utensil. - Grocery shop for non-perishable items
- Take your turkey out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge
Estimate approximately 24 hours thawing time for each 4-5 pounds of turkey. If you are planning to brine your turkey, you need it to be thawed by the day before Thanksgiving.
3-4 days ahead
- Grocery shop for perishable items
- Wash and chop vegetables
For any dishes you are not fully cooking in advance and reheating on Thanksgiving Day, do as much prep work as possible now. For example, if you plan to make a green bean casserole, you have a few options. You could wash, trim, and blanch your green beans, ready to make your casserole on Thanksgiving morning. Or you could make the entire casserole, right up to the point of baking, cover tightly, ready to slide into the oven on Thanksgiving Day.
2 days ahead
- Spot clean floor
- Clear clutter
- Arrange tables and chairs as needed
- Set the table
- Continue advance recipe prep as much as possible
- Read through your cooking timeline to make sure you’ve covered everything
- Scan your recipes one last time to ensure you’ve purchased everything you need
Day before Thanksgiving
- Clean bathrooms
- Brine the turkey
- Continue advance recipe prep as much as possible
- Buy ice if needed
Relax and Enjoy
If you’ve spent the past month preparing for this single meal that is probably consumed in less than 15 minutes, you might feel a little too wound up to relax and enjoy all your hard work. But I’d venture to say that everyone (certainly everyone I’ve ever hosted) would much prefer to dine with a laughing, happy hostess who forgot the dinner rolls, burned the sweet potato marshmallow topping, and bought a Costco pumpkin pie, than a stressed-out, miserable mom who serves a flawless, gourmet feast but can’t wait to get rid of her guests. Now if you can be a happy hostess who also serves a flawless, gourmet feast…of course you should do THAT…and your table will always be full!
When I host Thanksgiving, or any complex dinner, I can’t help but feel stressed the day before, even an hour before. But once guests arrive, I flip into c’est la vie mode. By following my Thanksgiving plan, I’ve done what I can to make this an meal enjoyable for my guests. Now…my mood will set the tone for their experience. Any details of food service are secondary to my attitude. Have a glass of wine or count your blessings. It is Thanksgiving, after all. A table full of food and family is surely occasion for giving thanks.
Don’t forget to grab your free Thanksgiving Checklist and check out the complete planner with pages to create a guest list, menu, and cooking timeline. Also included are three printable pages with kids’ activities like word search, coloring, and a thankful prompt. PLUS…printable place cards, both a simple decorative style with place to write a name, and a set with thanksgiving Psalms printed on one side.
We hear all the time how important gratitude is to our wellbeing. By following a well thought out plan, you can eliminate many of the stressors that overwhelm your Thanksgiving feast, and focus on all the reasons you have to be thankful.
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Thanksgiving Checklist
