Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, food, and creating cherished memories.
And if you have the honor of hosting the festivities, it can be a time when you feel more than your fair share of stress, too.
But don’t worry! We’re here to help you discover how to make Thanksgiving less stressful!
Here are six tips around how to host Thanksgiving – and some fun Thanksgiving ideas – that will help make the build-up and the day itself less stressful for you and your loved ones.
1. Make Sure You Have a Solid Plan
Planning is the foundation of success in any venture – and is essential to achieving your goal of a stress-free Thanksgiving. It will help you avoid last-minute scrambles and allow you to focus on enjoying the day with your loved ones.
Start by creating a timeline that outlines every detail, from when guests will - or should! - arrive to when your perfectly cooked turkey will hit the table. And while it might sound a bit too Monica from Friends, we promise it'll help!
Three Things to Plan ASAP
- Your guest list. Set an RSVP deadline so you know how many people you're cooking for. And if it's more than, let's say, eight people, think about setting up a potluck so your guests can share the cooking load.
- Food prep. Make a list of everything that will be on your Thanksgiving table and that you're responsible for cooking. Then consider everything you can make before the day itself and store in the refrigerator, and make some time to do it. You'll thank yourself on Thanksgiving when all you need to do is prep some veggies and put the turkey in the oven!
- Arrival and eating times. Tell your guests what time you plan to serve dinner, and make sure you prep for early birds who show up while you're still getting everything ready. Snacks like a cheese platter or chopped veggies tray with dips are great accompaniments to welcome drinks!
And a Bonus Pro Tip!
Take advantage of reliable guests. Whether it's prepping a side dish, preparing the cheese platter and veggies we mentioned above, making a playlist, setting the table, or ensuring everyone has a drink, there are many things people might expect you to do that you won't have thought about yet.
Use this as your list of tasks you can give to others to lighten the load on yourself.
2. Set Boundaries – A “No Politics” Rule is Probably a Good Idea!
Thanksgiving should be joyful and lighthearted. And we’ve all been somewhere where a controversial topic like politics or religion has taken over, led to tension at the table, and ultimately ruined the occasion for most in attendance.
And with Thanksgiving coming three weeks after election day this year, having a "no politics" rule is a no-brainer.
What’s the best way to do it?
- Tell everyone the rules as early as possible – this can be in your invites or when everyone arrives. And it's easy to do it in a fun and non-confrontational way, too.
- Come up with a fun fine or forfeit system for anyone who "goes there." Make each mention of a political topic one dish to clean – at least if it does get mentioned, you avoid the stress of washing all the dishes the following day.
3. Think About Things to Do – Here’s a Few Fun Thanksgiving Ideas to Get You Started
Even if your “no politics” rule works as intended, you’ll need to have a few things in place to keep things light and fun for everyone.
Here are three ideas to get you started:
- Go around a gratitude circle before dinner. Even if you don’t say a prayer or grace before you eat, take the opportunity to go around the table and have everyone say something they’re grateful for. It is Thanksgiving, after all!
- Create a “Thanksgiving Bingo” card. What always happens at your Thanksgiving gatherings? Whether it’s an uncle falling asleep, someone not cooking something correctly, or the kids asking what time they can go home, a Thanksgiving bingo game is a sure way to make people laugh. Just remember to structure your bingo card around things that are likely to happen!
- Put the football on. If sports fans are in attendance, having NFL football on in the background can add to the festive atmosphere. You can also kick off a movie marathon or enjoy some fun board games – not Monopoly!
4. Make Mealtime Stress-Free
A chaotic kitchen and dining area is the last thing you need on Thanksgiving. Even if you’re able to commandeer guests to help you, think about doing the following in advance:
- Pre-set the table. If you can do it the night before, that’s perfect. If the realities of life and children running around the house mean it isn’t possible, do it – or get someone else to do it - as early as possible on Thanksgiving.
- Clear some space in your fridge for leftovers and ensure your counters are organized so you know where everything is going between coming out of the oven or a pan and heading to the table in a serving dish.
- Stock up on essentials as soon as you can. Buy that extra roll of foil and pack of napkins, ensure you have enough containers for leftovers, and check that any utensils or appliances you haven't used since the last time you hosted Thanksgiving still work!
Our kitchen essentials range contains everything you need to stock up well before the big day.
5. Create a Comfortable Environment
When you welcome people into your home, you want them to leave feeling like they had a great evening, without adding a “but” when talking about their Thanksgiving experience over the weekend.
Ensure your home is cozy, comfortable, and welcoming for all your guests by having a suitable playlist – or playlists, so you can change things up after dinner – planning which windows to open if it feels too hot with all the cooking you’ll be doing, and ensuring you have enough seats (or things people can sit on!) for everyone in attendance.
Consider buying some candles to add to the ambiance and atmosphere of the evening, and remember to put them out of reach of little ones.
6. Ask for Help
We’ve mentioned getting people to help you under a few of our tips – but you’ve got to make sure you’re not afraid to ask for it!
Our most important Thanksgiving tip is to remember that you don't need to do everything yourself - and that none of your guests will be expecting you to! But they might not want to feel like they're treading on your toes by offering their services.
Turning Thanksgiving into a team effort is one of the best ways to make it a truly memorable day!
Focus on Making Positive Memories This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is all about the quality time we spend with our loved ones.
Things might not go 100% as planned, but that's okay. You'll still create a raft of positive memories, and no one will really care if your turkey is a little crispy around the edges – especially if that's what wins them Thanksgiving bingo!
Cheers to a stress-free, memorable, and Happy Thanksgiving!
