Small #Thanksgiving gatherings are an easy lift even at the last minute if you can adjust expectations. You can cook a turkey breast instead of a whole bird, says Ahead of Tyme, or serve a squash bisque that take minutes to prepare. The point is to feast and celebrate together, so include a few classic, seasonal ingredients on the menu and everyone should be satisfied. And if you want the easiest possible solution, dine out — many chains will be open on Thanksgiving and serving feasts, fancy or frugal. And who wouldn’t enjoy a good pizza? #ThankgivingTips
Tag: thanksgiving tips
Outsource the Thanksgiving Sides
Hosting a Thanksgiving feast can be a monumental task. To ease the burden, do yourself a favor and have guests supply some dishes potluck-style. Allrecipes suggests handling the turkey and gravy yourself, so that the star of the show isn’t suddenly a no-show. Let your guests supply sides such as mashed potatoes, casseroles, salads, rolls (store-bought are fine), pie and beverages. Coordinate correctly, and you can concentrate on roasting the bird and any other specialties you want to make, as well as staging your table for a magical, filling feast. #ThanksgivingTips
Is Your Turkey Oven-Ready?
If you’re just getting started on your Thanksgiving feast, it’s already too late to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator. All is not lost if you can’t find a fresh one, though! Just submerge that packaged #turkey in ice water and check the water every 30 minutes to ensure that the temperature doesn’t rise above 40 degrees, Epicurious says. A 15-pound bird should be ready to go into the oven in about 8 hours. Use that time — and the 4+ hours’ roasting time — to make green bean casserole and a pumpkin pie, and your feast will be (nearly) complete! #ThanksgivingTips
Be Thankful, Get Organized
The holidays are rapidly approaching. And while you may have thought you’d have “everything” done ahead of time, the stark reality is that a few things may have escaped your attention until now.
It’s rare for a person to have every single thing completed by the internal deadlines they themselves have created. Be #thankful if you were able to get the jump on a couple of things on your to-do list already.
As for the responsibilities that loom in the weeks ahead, now’s a fine time to get started. You have nine days left to prepare for #Thanksgiving — more than enough time to plan a lavish celebration.
Start by planning the feast itself, Me in Order says. List everything you plan to make and anything that you’ll ask guests to bring or buy ready-made. Then, go and buy the the ingredients while the stores still have them.
Early rumors of supply chain shortages of turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples appear to have been overblown. But even if something is missing from your list, you still have time to get creative and suffuse your feast with decadent seasonal alternatives.
You may also wish to do a quick kitchen #cleanup and #decluttering to #streamline next week’s heavy usage. Locate the specialized tools you’ll need (such as that potato-masher) and keep them within easy reach.
The table and home are another question. If you’re the host, you may wish to do a day’s worth of cleaning and decorating. If you happen to find items that you no longer need or want as you #organize, you can #donate them to ClothingDonations.org.
#Donating lightly used clothing and household items to ClothingDonations.org is one of the easiest ways to #givethanks to #veterans, since the proceeds from the resale of those goods go directly toward veteran health care, housing and other support programs.
This year, be #thankful for the bounty that you do have and the ability to again gather in person relatively risk-free. Share that bounty with your family, friends and fellows throughout the holiday season.
Start Planning for the Holidays Now
The ongoing supply-chain issues that emerged after the #pandemic have many people wondering if their holiday plans will be upended for a second year in a row in spite of effective vaccines and loosened restrictions.
We at The Organizing Blog can’t predict whether all of the gifts you want to buy will be available, if there will be shortages of turkeys or if your flights will be cancelled. But it can’t hurt to plan ahead!
For example, you might want start shopping for gifts today. CNBC says that consumer demand will be high, while slowdowns at manufacturing facilities and ports of call worldwide will affect supplies of many of the things people want and need.
Think about what the people on your gift list might like starting now. If you can get the jump on buying those things, it will free up more time as the holidays draw near, keep you from stressing about gifts last-minute and spread the costs over several months.
Minted suggests creating a budget and gift list eight weeks out from Christmas — and that’s next week. If you plan to have a family photoshoot, you can also set the date and start getting your mailing list together for holiday cards.
You may also wish to stock up on the foodstuffs you’ll use to create Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. Early in the pandemic, staples such as flour and butter sold out on grocery shelves; buy them now so that you can treat your family to cookies and pies.
A good #decluttering and #cleaning will help prepare your home for holiday parties and other goings-on. Clear and dust any surfaces where you’ll display holiday knickknacks and check the string lights. It will help stage your home for the holidays that much faster.
As for the #stuff you declutter, bag any lightly used clothing and household items and contact ClothingDonations.org for a #donation pickup. Your #donations will be resold to help fund veterans programs, so you’ll be spreading good cheer all season long.
The holidays were stressful enough before the global pandemic, but #COVID-19 has brought new challenges to annual celebrations. Prepare for them early, and you can sail through the holidays with as few disruptions as possible.