How to Avoid A Stressful Thanksgiving

Although the clock moved back this weekend, the holiday season is steadily moving forward. In four weeks, we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving! 1 Peter 4:9 NIV instructs us to, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Just how do we have a Thanksgiving without murmuring and complaining? By ensuring it’s organized and stress-free. With that said, I’m convinced, dear sister, doing things last minute is preventable!  It does not have to be a regular routine.

If you’re in the hostess seat this year like I am, there are several fail proof suggestions we can do to properly prepare. In today’s post, I’ve provided the following recommendations:

Week 1  (Nov. 3 – Nov. 9):

• Pray and ask the Lord to show you how to work smarter, not harder
• Start cleaning your guest room(s), entertainment and dining areas
• Finalize your color schemes and decoration ideas
• Begin creating your menu and guest list

Week 2  (Nov. 10 – Nov. 16):

• Decide what you are going to do with any household pets
• Finalize your guest list and menu
• Make sure you will have enough seating and tables
• Buy or make your reservation to rent any equipment as needed (I.e., tables, chairs, chafers, etc.)
• Catch up on laundry, dusting and vacuuming
• Divide your menu and assign dishes
• Confirm with your guests who is bringing what
• Let them know what time they should arrive
• Also, make sure everyone knows how to get to your house; if they don’t know, email out directions
• Buy all the can and dry goods needed to prepare your portion of the meal
• Purchase plenty of paper towels and toilet tissue
• Make sure you have enough side dishes, a suggestion is to have at least (2) green veggies
• If a person is notorious for being late, assign them the deserts to bring, so you don’t have to wait to begin the main meal
• If the ‘late person’ is responsible for making a main dish, have them prepare and deliver it on Wednesday

Week 3  (Nov. 17 – Nov. 23):

• Decorate your home and table
• Change the linens on the guest beds (assuming no one is going to be sleeping in them before your guests arrive. If so, then wait until then. To be clear, sweet sister, fresh sheets are a must!)
• Vacuum all the rooms
• Clean and disinfect the bathrooms
• Call your guests and remind everyone of the start time
• Buy any meats and diary products needed to prepare your portion of the meal

Week 4  (Nov. 24 – Nov. 26):

• Refresh the cleaning in your bathrooms
• Prepare drinks such as Sweet Tea; dishes like potato salad, pies, collard greens, green beans, shred your cheese for the macaroni, boil your eggs for Angel (Deviled) Eggs on Tuesday evening so you won’t be up all night cooking on Wednesday, Nov. 26^th

After everything comes together, Beloved, remember to give thanks to the Lord for another year of life, health and strength. Then, have a wonderful time with your family and friends! 🙂