Thanksgiving Plan

Written by Grace on in Thinking Fruitful

trees

Inhale. Exhale.

That’s been my main focus since the presidential election two nights ago. I feel like I’ve been a roller coaster of emotions and that some values I hold very dearly have come into question by thousands of people.

I think it’s been hard and weird and restless for everyone.

At a time like this, when my brain wants to go down a million rabbit holes, I find solace in planning. Planning for happier times. Planning for family meals. Planning for opportunities for people to feel loved and well fed. And you better believe that now is as important a time as ever to do this.

So, setting aside the baggage of this week, I’m planning all things Thanksgiving.

thanksgiving plan

This will be my first year hosting Thanksgiving at our house and my in-laws are joining us. There will be 11 of us counting my niece for the big meal, so it’s a nice sized group.

I’m doing my best to get ahead of things and make the cooking easier, so this is how I’ve started planning:

  • Shared a Google sheet with the fam so everyone could sign up for dishes they would like to make (my in-laws rock and are pitching in a bunch)
  • Started to buy a few items like canned pumpkin, baking necessities, etc.
  • Thought about my tablescape- I’m a minimalist, so it will probably be…minimal
  • Started listing out what items to buy beforehand like wine, bread, pastries (hey, Boulted Bread), etc.

This weekend, I’m going to:

  • Make and freeze a few pie crusts and the cornbread for the stuffing
  • Print out or locate all of the recipes that I need
  • Start my master shopping list (maybe on the Google sheet)
  • Make a timeline of the big day to get an idea of what needs to be cooked when

Here are some online resources that might help with your planning:

I really love how blogs and food websites  are giving so many great tips to make Turkey Day less stressful. Because in the end, it’s all about spending quality time with those you love.

Happy planning!