Welcome back to the Holiday Planning Series. Today we’re going to focus on Thanksgiving by going through my Thanksgiving week countdown. If you’re new to the series, go here  first and see the overall Holiday Planning Checklist 2017. From the checklist, you can see we’ve made our master plan, started some Christmas shopping (hopefully), and now we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving week.

 

Today’s countdown will take you from the end of week 2 all the way through week 3, which is Thanksgiving week. In next week’s posts, I’ll have more helpful tips for shopping Black Friday sales and Christmas decorating. But, for now, lets get started with our Thanksgiving Week Checklist.

Thanksgiving Week Countdown

Saturday, November 18:

• Write menu and grocery list.
• Buy turkey and start thawing. (Check label and thaw according to turkey size).

Monday, November 20:

• Buy groceries for Thanksgiving week, including Thanksgiving day.
• Buy or make dining room table centerpiece and decorations.

Tuesday, November 21:

• Clean house.

Wednesday, November 22:

• Prepare and cook as much food as possible.
• Write out a cooking timeline for Thanksgiving Day.
• Set dining room table and decorate.

Thursday, November 23 –  THANKSGIVING DAY:

• Cook dinner.
• Try to do dishes as you go to save time.
• Finish setting dining room table.
• Eat and enjoy dinner with family and/or friends.
• Put leftovers away and do dishes.
• After dinner, relax and have family time.
• Plan your Black Friday Shopping Strategy.

Friday, November 24:

• Shop Black Friday Sales.

Saturday, November 25:

• Put up tree and decorations. Get your family involved and you’ll be done in no time!
• Celebrate the official kickoff of Christmas with a movie, snacks, or hot cocoa!

Sunday, November 26:

• Take time to rest today before all the upcoming Christmas activities! We only have four weeks till Christmas!

More Thanksgiving Week Tips

• Write your menu and grocery list as early as possible and start buying ingredients each week, especially, when you find them on sale. 
• Check your turkey the night before Thanksgiving to make sure it’s thawed. Also, prep your turkey the night before. Then, in the morning, just preheat the oven and start cooking.
• Remember to use a meat thermometer in your turkey. That’s the only way to really know if it’s cooked inside.
• Let your kids help with the table decorations. That’s one less thing for you to do and kids love to help. 
• Pick any day that works for you to clean your house, of course, but I seem to like getting that done on Tuesday. I get up early, put on some music, and just focus on it for a few hours. Then, I’m ready to enjoy the rest of the week! If you’re having out of town guests, you might need to do this the weekend before.
• I like to dedicate the day before Thanksgiving to getting all the food ready as much as possible. It’s a long marathon day of cooking and I pretty much stay in the kitchen for most of the day.
• The night before, I literally write out my cooking timeline. I structure it like a countdown to dinner time, making sure everything gets done on time and all at the right time! This step is crucial because there’s a lot to coordinate and, therefore, it helps to plan it out.
• While you’re finishing up the cooking on Thursday, delegate others to handle the drinks, putting food on the table, and setting the table and, while you’re at it, delegate others to help with all those dishes!
• Load the dishwasher as you’re cooking the meal, but after dinner, delegate and try to finish cleaning up the kitchen as soon as possible. Have someone put leftovers away, someone load the dishwasher, someone hand wash dishes, and someone clean off the table and countertop. You don’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen. 
• If everyone else is napping or watching football in the afternoon, go through the sales flyers and plan your Black Friday strategy. That’s what I do. Yes, that is how I relax.
• Get the family involved and put up the tree and Christmas decorations. It’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season!
• Take Sunday off to rest. You’ve earned it!

     That’s it for our Thanksgiving planning checklist. If you’re having overnight guests for Thanksgiving, be sure to read and use the Preparing For Overnight Holiday Guests Checklist and include those items in your week.

 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!