Calendar As Stuffed As Your Turkey?
Earlier this week I was laid back and relaxed about the Thanksgiving holiday. Just my husband and I and our two girls. A nice, quiet, family Thanksgiving. I had planned out a simple menu with all the necessities and not a lot of effort required on my part. It would be a wonderful day with no hosting duties, nowhere to go and I was in complete control!
Then, my fantasy bubble burst. I ended up extending a last minute invitation to some friends of ours and their two girls. My Thanksgiving has now doubled in size and duties and, honestly, I’m a wreck! There are a hundred extra tasks on my list now for this week and a much larger menu. I have more cleaning and decorating on my to-do list and actually have to make sure everyone looks presentable at the table!
Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy, elated even, that we will have guests for the holiday. I come from a large family and Thanksgiving was always a HUGE event with more than 20 people each year. To me, it really isn’t Thanksgiving if I’m not making a huge meal, playing hostess and spending time with family and close friends. Though it puts more on my plate (literally and figuratively!), I’m very much looking forward to next Thursday.
In the interim though, I must put on the gloves and battle through the preparations and to-do’s in order to make this a perfect holiday for everyone involved. Here are some tips from Kohler and Susan Serra, CKD, CAPS – Susan Serra Associates, Inc. that can help make it easier whether you’re expecting a large or small group at your table:
Crowd Control- The crowd is at once fantastic to have around, and often, truth be told, in the way. Plan your seating strategy in advance.
Teamwork- Assistant chefs are our friends. Plan in advance what you may need help with. Be flexible. You may wish to assign tasks to a certain family member.
Plan Ahead- “Planning ahead and visualizing all of what you need and when you may need it, is a very big step toward stress-free entertaining.”
And just a few tips from me that always seem to help me maintain my sanity during holiday gatherings:
Make Lists- Lists can be your biggest asset when planning a gathering and will help you to ensure you don’t forget anything.
Allow Guests to Bring Items- Split the cooking and purchasing and it will save you time and money. Don’t require guests to bring anything (after all, you invited them!), but if they offer, jump on it!
Let the Kids Pitch In- They may not be able to help with much of the cooking but they can definitely help in other ways. Ask them to do some of the special chores that we all try to get to when planning a gathering such as: wiping down baseboards, cleaning the fronts of cabinets and dusting. Putting them at the table with some crafts to do for decorations is a perfect way to keep them out from under your feet and get fantastic, cheap decorations for the meal! Have them create a centerpiece, place cards, and other cute items. You can get some great ideas from Disney’s Family Fun website.
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