The holidays are a great time to bring family together and create wonderful family traditions for your children. For many of us, those childhood family get togethers are precious memories today. The key to a successful, stress free family get together this Thanksgiving is to begin planning early and here are a few great tips to get you on the road.
1. Menu Planning! – Plan the menu early. Don’t wait until the week before to beging planning your Thanksgiving dinner! Plan the menu and the grocery shopping list today so you have plenty of time to revise it should you remember something you missed!
Keep in mind who will all be on your guest list. A varied selection of dishes will ensure that there is something for everyone. Allergies should also be considered. What kind of meats will you prepare? Will everyone eat the same meat, or should you cook a couple of different kinds of meat? What sides and desserts will you fix?
2. Delegate! – There is no reason you need to do it all yourself, especially if you have a fairly large guest list. By asking your family to help out, you will lessen the work load for yourself and give everyone a chance to share their favorites. Before you know it, Grandma’s famous apple pie and Aunty Helen’s secret sweet potato casserole recipe may become part of the wonderful memories you carry away from each family get together.
3. Set A Time! – Make sure you specify a time on the invitations. An open invitation will mean guests arriving at all times of the day making prep that much more stressful. Keep in mind that guests will likely show up a little earlier then stated and stay later to visit, and set a time that you will “start”.
4. Make A Memory! – Yes, getting together with family is already creating memories but you can make this Thanksgiving extra special doing something different. You may even start a new family tradition. Perhaps you might take turns going around the dinner table and sharing what each family member is thankful for. Or maybe you could invite your pastor and his family for dinner and have him pray a special prayer for your family. Doing something different this Thanksgiving dinner is a sure way to create warm, lasting memories that your entire family will never forget.
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