S/O: 'Civilized' Holiday How-To

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread!

I have a very large family that comes and stays at my house for a few days so I try to be as organized as possible and do a lot of the prep work in advance so that I can enjoy my family and not get overwhelmed.

WEEKEND BEFORE:
- Prepare beds, towels, etc for the guests
- Pull all serving dishes and utensils out. We do it buffet style from my dining table and then sit at tables that are set up in the family room. I set up the buffet table with the serving dishes (tuned upside down so no dust) that all have sticky notes on them and in the place that they will fit properly
- I pull out the plates and decorations for main eating tables so we only need to set the table the night before (or early morning of). No need to go finding what we need.
- Shop for non-perishable food - not only for Thanksgiving, but also for the rest of the long weekend with my family

MONDAY:
- Go to work...
- Shop for perishable food
- Pick up 2 turkeys that were ordered 2 weeks prior

TUESDAY:
- Go to work...
- Brine one of the turkeys for 24 hours
- Make cranberry sauce
- Make lasagna, stew or chili for my family's arrival on Wednesday night.

WEDNESDAY:
- Day off!
- Make one of the turkeys, but not for the Thanksgiving dinner. We use this one for sandwiches and casseroles. This way we have a freshly made smaller turkey for Thanksgiving. I think smaller turkeys are easier to roast, don't tend to get dry (especially with the brine!) and fit better in my oven. I slice up the extra turkey and put it in ziplock bags.
- I prep as much of the food as possible. I don't cook anything, but I prepare everything so Thursday can be spent actually cooking the food.
- Bake the pies
- Brine the 2nd turkey for 24 hours
- Set up a large, stand-up cooler in the garage with drinks (beer, wine, soda, etc). My family comes in on Wednesday evening so we are all ready to go with drinks. I have extra bags of ice in the freezer of the garage refrigerator. Extra drinks are stored on the shelf under the cooler to be added as needed.

THURSDAY:

- Cook, cook, cook with my family. We all tend to pitch in.
- Make the kids clear the table and doc the dishes
- Enjoy my family!


I like the tips on this thread. Keep them coming. I've never made the gravy with the turkey from the day before, but I might try that this year. I also like the excel sheets or at least computer list that I can use each year. I will be stealing those ideas!

Happy Early Thanksgiving to all!

Are you my mother? HA. This is her plan exactly. I will someday get there, but all these little children really get in the way . Once they can fend for themselves (aka: watch a full movie without needing me) I will be more organized! One day....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread!

I have a very large family that comes and stays at my house for a few days so I try to be as organized as possible and do a lot of the prep work in advance so that I can enjoy my family and not get overwhelmed.

WEEKEND BEFORE:
- Prepare beds, towels, etc for the guests
- Pull all serving dishes and utensils out. We do it buffet style from my dining table and then sit at tables that are set up in the family room. I set up the buffet table with the serving dishes (tuned upside down so no dust) that all have sticky notes on them and in the place that they will fit properly
- I pull out the plates and decorations for main eating tables so we only need to set the table the night before (or early morning of). No need to go finding what we need.
- Shop for non-perishable food - not only for Thanksgiving, but also for the rest of the long weekend with my family

MONDAY:
- Go to work...
- Shop for perishable food
- Pick up 2 turkeys that were ordered 2 weeks prior

TUESDAY:
- Go to work...
- Brine one of the turkeys for 24 hours
- Make cranberry sauce
- Make lasagna, stew or chili for my family's arrival on Wednesday night.

WEDNESDAY:
- Day off!
- Make one of the turkeys, but not for the Thanksgiving dinner. We use this one for sandwiches and casseroles. This way we have a freshly made smaller turkey for Thanksgiving. I think smaller turkeys are easier to roast, don't tend to get dry (especially with the brine!) and fit better in my oven. I slice up the extra turkey and put it in ziplock bags.
- I prep as much of the food as possible. I don't cook anything, but I prepare everything so Thursday can be spent actually cooking the food.
- Bake the pies
- Brine the 2nd turkey for 24 hours
- Set up a large, stand-up cooler in the garage with drinks (beer, wine, soda, etc). My family comes in on Wednesday evening so we are all ready to go with drinks. I have extra bags of ice in the freezer of the garage refrigerator. Extra drinks are stored on the shelf under the cooler to be added as needed.

THURSDAY:

- Cook, cook, cook with my family. We all tend to pitch in.
- Make the kids clear the table and doc the dishes
- Enjoy my family!


I like the tips on this thread. Keep them coming. I've never made the gravy with the turkey from the day before, but I might try that this year. I also like the excel sheets or at least computer list that I can use each year. I will be stealing those ideas!

Happy Early Thanksgiving to all!

Are you my mother? HA. This is her plan exactly. I will someday get there, but all these little children really get in the way . Once they can fend for themselves (aka: watch a full movie without needing me) I will be more organized! One day....

Oh trust me, when my kids were little I was not nearly this organized! My family still came for Thanksgiving, but the house was a mess and the meal was a scramble. It was still a whole hell of a lot of fun, but it would take me forever to get my house back in order when it was done. This list has come from many years of practice and now that my babies are in college and high school I'm able to do these things more easily. You will definitely get there, just like it took your mother many years to get to an easy and organized point.

[Anonymous]

This thread is amazing. Stuffing in a crock pot and mashed potatoes the day before--I am stealing these ideas, for sure.

[Anonymous]

I like the idea of a turkey just for leftovers and then a small, perfectly moist turkey for day-of.

[Anonymous]

Annual Bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I love this thread! I really look forward to the few times a year when I can take out the good china, glassware, linen tablecloths, etc.

Growing up, I hated having to help my mom prepare large Thanksgiving meals. But I learned so much about how to set a table. And how to make homemade everything.
Yes, the extra prepping and attention to detail takes time. But then that is the beauty of tradition!

Well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Annual Bump

Thanks a million for this. I was feeling so grumpy about all I had to do, and this thread has brought back my festive spirit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annual Bump

Thanks a million for this. I was feeling so grumpy about all I had to do, and this thread has brought back my festive spirit!

Yay! Happy Thanksgiving, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread reminds me of Martha Stewart's old Thanksgiving specials. Used to enjoy them, as a kind of armchair experience, even though I myself try to weasel out of hosting holidays.