| It's that time of year, the leaves are falling and | | | | any surprises, like your brother's 15 year old has just |
| there's a little chill in the air as summer takes its last | | | | turned vegetarian and won't be able to eat the |
| breath. Just around the corner, we'll gain an hour of | | | | turkey. Make sure to have plenty of something that |
| sleep. Good thing too, we'll need that sleep to | | | | a vegetarian would not have a problem with. I've |
| prepare for the onslaught of holiday guests we have | | | | found vegetarians are often happy with some really |
| coming over for Thanksgiving this year! To help you | | | | tasty side dishes like mashed potatoes, green beans, |
| get through this Thanksgiving holiday, here are some | | | | bread and a salad. Though, a Tofurky would be a |
| essential tips for making sure things go smoothly and | | | | good choice to have if there are multiple vegetarians |
| to make your holiday just a little less frantic. | | | | coming over. Don't forget others with special food |
| The Setting | | | | requirements, such as allergies, diabetics, low sodium |
| It's so easy to decorate for Thanksgiving. You can | | | | diets etc. |
| make a gorgeous centerpiece using items from | | | | Outsourcing |
| around your house. Use a basket filled with gourds, | | | | Outsourcing isn't just for tech companies! To make |
| fallen leaves, Indian corn, pinecones, corn husks, | | | | your day easier, consider outsourcing a portion of the |
| squash and mini pumpkins. You can also use these | | | | meal. Have a guest or two bring over a side dish or |
| things to decorate your home. A few well placed mini | | | | appetizer. Or consider buying the dessert. A few |
| pumpkins do wonders to set the mood for | | | | pumpkin pies from your local bakery topped with |
| Thanksgiving. | | | | whipped cream would work just fine and I bet no |
| The Table | | | | one would know the difference! |
| Make sure you have clearly marked placecards for | | | | Entertainment |
| each person, so they know where to sit. Also, be | | | | After the meal, some guests may go home, while |
| sure to leave enough room on the table for all your | | | | most others will opt to stay for a while. Football and |
| serving dishes. It's a good idea to have extra chairs | | | | basketball games will be plentiful on TV, but what |
| handy for any surprise guests who show up. | | | | about those not into watching sports? Have some |
| Meal Preparation Tips | | | | board games on hand as well as party games that |
| Preparing a complete Thanksgiving meal can be quite | | | | involve many players. |
| a task, but with proper preparation ahead of time, | | | | Conversation |
| you should be able to pull it off without a hitch. First, | | | | One of the main points of the holiday season is to |
| write down your menu and make a shopping list. Just | | | | bring family and friends together to catch up and |
| in case, buy a little more of each item, so you won't | | | | enjoy each other's company. Make it easy to have |
| be stuck with having too little of something on | | | | conversations in your home. Make sure you have |
| Thanksgiving day and all the stores are closed. Do | | | | some quiet areas and plenty of seating to make |
| your shopping a couple days ahead of time to beat | | | | conversation easy. |
| the inevitable last minute rush of Thanksgiving Eve. | | | | The Kids |
| Make sure you have plenty of room in your kitchen | | | | If you're going to be having multiple kids at your |
| and refrigerator and freezer to hold all the food you'll | | | | gathering, you need to be prepared for their needs. |
| buy. You'll want to begin preparation of your dishes | | | | Make sure the kids have a separate table or are |
| on Thanksgiving Eve unless you want to get up very | | | | seated next to adults that will supervise them. After |
| early. Make sure you pay special attention to what | | | | the meal, have games and activities especially for |
| needs to be done to the turkey. Hopefully, it's not | | | | them, or have family games that can involve children. |
| frozen, but if it is, you can put it in the kitchen sink | | | | Prepare For Emergencies |
| with lukewarm water and just keep changing the | | | | No, not a natural disaster or even a medical |
| water every hour or so to hasten the thawing. For | | | | emergency, it's not nearly as bad as those but it |
| other dishes, prepare as much as you can ahead of | | | | certainly has the potential to ruin your holiday. I'm |
| time. You can usually make many side dishes and | | | | talking about the dreaded toilet back up. The last |
| desserts completely ahead of time. | | | | thing you want is to be stuck cleaning up that kind of |
| Backup Meal Plans | | | | mess when you're supposed to be preparing food. |
| Your turkey will probably turn out ok, or at least | | | | Make sure you have a plunger and some Drano or |
| edible, but if it doesn't, make sure to have an | | | | Liquid Plumber on hand in the bathroom that the |
| alternate available. Some good choices would be a | | | | guests will use. When and if it happens, you'll be very |
| ham, pot roast, a salmon or other fish. | | | | glad you prepared for it. Trust me! Follow these tips |
| Choices | | | | and you should be one step closer to a safer, happier |
| It's a good idea to call each of your guests well | | | | Thanksgiving holiday. |
| ahead of time to make sure you won't be getting | | | | |