Thanksgiving dinner preparation

• Dinner plates
• Dessert plates
• Coffee cups and saucers
• Forks, knives and spoons
• Water glasses
• Wine or other glasses
• Tablecloth (right size to fit your table)
• Roasting pan: Is it the right size for your turkey? Will it fit into your oven?
• Serving platters and bowls – large enough, one for each dish
• Pots and pans – enough for cooking the meal
• Bread basket
• Sauceboat
• Gravy pitcher
• Knives
• Water pitcher
• Salt & pepper shakers
• Serving spoons & forks
• Buy or borrow any items that you are missing

TWO WEEKS BEFORE:

• If needed, make a seating chart
• Write two shopping lists - include ingredients for all of your dishes – 1 - items that can be purchased now, and 2 - items that need to be bought the day before Thanksgiving
• Begin cooking items that you can freeze/keep – rolls, gravy, gravy and some side dishes can be frozen
• Pull out Thanksgiving and fall decorations from storage, start to set up.
• Plan out activities for children for before and after dinner
• Plan out an activity for adults – just in case dinner is not ready when they arrive – to have available if needed – ideas: thank you note stationery to write letters to family members who couldn’t be there, Thanksgiving trivia, book of Thanksgiving stories
• If you will have children at dinner, do a safety check of your home, to make sure it is safe for young children – put away items that are dangerous or breakable, make changes to ensure safety of your guests

ONE WEEK BEFORE:

• Declutter any room in the house where guests will be
• Make sure linens are clean
• If using dinnerware that is not often used, wash these items to get rid of dust (plates, glasses, silverware, …)
• Polish silver
• Decorate your home for the Thanksgiving holiday and/or fall
• Make a final shopping list – don’t forget all ingredients, ice, nuts or snacks
• Make sure you have clean towels for the guest bathroom, set aside (but don’t set out yet)
• Locate containers, paper plates, plastic wrap and zip-loc bags for leftovers – send guests home with leftovers
• Bring chairs into dining room
• Confirm the number of guests
• Finalize plans for centerpiece
• Clean out fridge and freezer

WEEKEND BEFORE:

• Clean up yard
• Rake leaves
• If you live in a cold area, make sure you have salt/sand for driveway/walkway in case of snow, and snow shovels
• Check light bulbs outside front door, and in house
• Get camera ready to capture special moments of big day – locate camera, charge battery, back up current photos onto computer, clear off memory stick, put camera in dining room so that you remember to use it

THREE DAYS BEFORE:

• If turkey is frozen, plan ahead - allow one day of thawing for every five pounds of turkey (defrosting in fridge) – or defrost in a sink of cold water, 30 minutes for every pound
• Get caught up on laundry
• Make a cooking schedule – calculate what time menu items will have to go into the oven
• Prepare and freeze appropriate side dishes and desserts
• Make sure entire house is picked up
• Clear out the coat closet for guest coats, put out empty hangers
• Figure out what outfits/clothes each family will where, make sure they are clean, put on a hanger with accessories
• Plan out a simple, but satisfying, breakfast for your family for Thanksgiving day – everyone will be happier and more willing to help if they start out the day with a good meal.  Consider making a breakfast casserole or items ahead of time, and put in the oven Thanksgiving morning.
• Think about how family members can help you on Thanksgiving day; and/or activities they can do to keep themselves busy (without making a mess) while you prepare the meal (rent movies, new book, paper & crayons, …)

DAY BEFORE:

• If you are having housekeepers clean, have them come today.  If not, get family to help – pick up, vacuum, dust, scrub floors, scrub bathrooms
• Thaw out breads and rolls
• Set up tables and chairs
• Put table cloths on tables
• Set the table
• Put out centerpiece on table
• Put salt and pepper on table
• Locate water pitcher – set out
• Make sure there is enough ice
• Chill beverages
• Clean the guest bathroom – make it off limits to the family if possible
• Put out the clean towels in the bathroom
• Take food items out of freeze, put in fridge to start defrosting
• Start making any food items that can be done ahead of time
• Make desserts
• Set out dry ingredients and spices for items you will make tomorrow
• Review menu, recipes and ingredients and make sure you have everything you need – if not, make a last minute grocery store run
• Have a family meeting and let know family members know how they can help with preparations; how they can help during dinner; and what the expectations are for behavior and support
• Review guest list with family, make sure they know who each person is, their relationship to you, and something about them
• Review with kids how to act say hello & make eye contact with adults, shake hands, be nice to kids, take kids guests to play downstairs, visit with adults, remember names, ...
• Make sure all dishes are clean, dishwasher emptied
• Bathe children and wash their hair
• Go to sleep early

THANKSGIVING DAY!:

• Take a shower
• Eat breakfast as a family
• Make beds
• Have children put on play clothes, and then change into nice clothes for dinner right before guests arrive
• Ask family members to help keep the house clean – keep toys & personal items off of the main floor
• Make stuffing first thing in the morning (or day before) and then stuff turkey when ready to go in the oven
• Remove any food items that are still in freezer
• Put turkey in the oven
• Prepare menu items
• Start with salads and cold items that can go in the fridge
• Clean up dishes as you go (recruit a family member to wash as you cook)
• Shovel snow & put out sand/salt if necessary
• Move your own cars out of driveway (to garage or down the street) – making room for guests to park in your driveway and in front of your house

THANKSGIVING DAY - 1.5 HOURS BEFORE:

• if your spouse or kids are not home yet, call & tell them to hurry home
• have all family members go brush their hair, wash their face, wash hands, brush teeth, and put on clean/nice clothes
• put on aprons
• slice bread
• put butter on dish
• take out the kitchen trash
• have your own kids play in their bedrooms or watch a movie
• make sure there are no dirty dishes anywhere
• wipe down the stove
• make sure all food is done, ready to serve
• put ice in the glasses
• make sure table is set
• run around the main floor & pick up everything again
• use a Clorox wipe on the toilets, sinks, counters, faucets

THANKSGIVING DAY - 15 MINUTES BEFORE:

• start setting out food, keep it covered
• is the food hot?
• put a serving spoon with each food item
• check everyone's faces - clean?
• put on lipstick
• smile
• say a prayer
• breath
• unlock the front door
• sit down & relax for a few minutes!

THANKSGIVING DAY - WHEN GUESTS ARRIVE:

• Smile and greet guests
• Don’t worry if you are not ready – it is a holiday, there is no rush
• Take any dishes they have brought, thank them
• Have your children help – greet guests, take people’s coats, play with children, visit with older guests, set table with food items
• Pull out activity for children to keep them entertained until dinner is ready
• Have activity available for adults until dinner is ready if needed (write notes to family members, military, missionaries – who are not here, express gratitude)
• Sit down, enjoy the meal, take time to relax and enjoy each other
• Send guests home with leftovers – let them dish up what they would like on a paper plate

THE DAY AFTER:

• Sleep in
• Enjoy leftovers
• Freeze leftovers that won’t be consumed this weekend
• Write thank you notes to any guests that brought gifts

If you are having overnight guests for Thanksgiving weekend, check out this list for preparation tips:

http://www.myplanninglists.com/preparing-for-house-guests.php

Check out this list for the all the ingredients and supplies you might need:

http://www.myplanninglists.com/thanksgiving--holiday-meal-supplies.php