Thanksgiving Hacks

Ah, Thanksgiving! It’s a time centered on family, sweet friends and good food. Take the stress out of your holiday season with these simple tips.

Be official

Don’t leave it to Aunt Josephine to ensure that everyone in the family receives word that Thanksgiving is at your place this year. Send out invitations with an RSVP request, either the old-fashioned snail mail variety or one in digital form such as an Evite or Facebook event. Not only does this build the anticipation factor for your guests in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, but it also better equips you for meal prep and table settings. After all, there’s a big difference between hosting a meal for 12 or 20. Knowledge is power!

Delegate

Hosting a family gathering is a gift in itself. Asking others to join in the preparation not only lightens the load of the hostess, but it also provides opportunity for family and friends to serve one another. As host, you could simply request that everyone bring a side and hope it all works itself out. But let’s be honest … more than likely, you’ll end up with three sides of mashed potatoes and a copious amount of pumpkin pie. Save yourself the hassle and use an online tool like Perfect Potluck, which is free and private. Once you set up your potluck group, family members can log what they’re bringing and how much. Not only does this ensure variety, but it also helps guests with food allergies or specific eating restrictions keep tabs on what will be served, so they can prepare accordingly.

Keep a log book

All the Type A hostesses may rejoice at this notion, and it might seem like unnecessary work for those that aren’t. But trust me—if you’re a repeat hostess, going over your own notes from holidays past will save you a ton of time and headache in the future. Lists don’t need to be complicated or cumbersome. Just stick to the basics: How many people came each year, what recipes you cooked (and how much), what you ran out of, what was well-received and what didn’t get touched. What you find out may surprise you (like the fact that Grandma Lorraine’s cottage cheese jello mold actually does have a small but loyal fan base, yet the cranberry sauce isn’t worth making since no one goes near it—who knew?!).

It doesn’t always have to be homemade

Want to know a secret? My favorite pies happen to be store-bought and under $10 a piece. I would much rather commit time to making homemade yeast rolls than pies, so what do I do? I buy the pies, make the rolls, and no one knows the difference! If baking is a labor of love for you, by all means go for it, but don’t spin your tires unnecessarily. Finding a shortcut here or there can have you eating dinner an hour earlier, and you won’t lose your sanity in the process! Some of my favorite store-bought shortcuts include premade gravy and smoked turkey (prepackaged is fine, but getting a turkey breast smoked in the deli section the day before is divine!). And don’t forget the beauty that is buying catered options (Jack Stack’s cheesy corn, anyone?!).

Document your time

My family has a Thanksgiving tradition that’s so longstanding, no one even needs to say anything for it to happen. Once the last family member arrives, we each take a sign and convene on the front lawn (weather cooperating), where my sister sets up a tripod and a camera on a timer. We happen to have a big enough crew that each person holds a sign with a single letter, and all together we spell “Thanksgiving.” The grandkids know their place: right up front, together holding a poster board that touts the year. This has been an ever-simple measure to document who is with us. Not only do we see changes in core members (children getting older, young adults getting married and adding to the fold, not to mention a few gray hairs and extra girth!), but we also are able to remember the extra special guests that have joined us in select years, such as elderly neighbors, recently widowed or divorced friends and a few college kids that couldn’t travel back to their own homes for the holidays.

There’s only one deadline

The best traditions happen on their own and shouldn’t require a lot of effort or upkeep. For my family, that means it’s only a matter of time before the boys (both young and old alike) run to the backyard for a game of flag football while the less athletically inclined make themselves comfortable in the den, eager to cheer on their favorite professional teams during the big game. And speaking of games, board games and card games inevitably make their way onto the scene sometime post-dinner. No one once set an agenda that said football would commence at 10:00, and games would proceed after our mealtime. But over time a natural rhythm began to evolve, and the holiday took on a life of its own. That’s the beauty of a day that is relatively unplanned: It naturally structures itself in a way that’s organic and relaxed. Don’t feel compelled to fit an activity in for every hour you have company. Enjoy the time to talk, catch up, nibble off the snack table and play with the nieces and nephews. The only thing that need be clearly communicated is when you want everyone to start showing up and/or when you plan to have the meal on the table. Be considerate of your guests when choosing your mealtime. If there are little ones present that need afternoon naps, scheduling dinner at two is going to be less than ideal for everyone (after all, tantrums can still be heard even with a kids table in the other room!). Likewise, if you have elderly guests that have a distance to drive or prefer to hit the road before it gets dark, consider hosting a lunch instead of an evening meal.

Lauren Greenlee is a writer and mom of three whose all-time favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. She can be found preparing for her favorite holiday in the days leading up to it and is already looking forward to the next family photo out on the lawn.