When I think of Thanksgiving, I sometimes wonder why I would want to get my head into this time-out from the rest of the world. I suppose it is because I like feeding people — cooking is my favorite thing to do. I think of all of the smells that go into making the meal, seeing all of the cooking happen is really exciting and if a part of me is lucky enough to be a host on Thanksgiving, I’m sure a part of me wants to become more like Martha Stewart as I try to impress the guests with my “gourmet dishes”.

Just like holiday dishes, Thanksgiving planning can often be overwhelming. There are so many options, there are so many activities to do, and even if you have a specific plan, it can still seem like there is always room for revision. The best way to tackle this stressful week of Thanksgiving preparations and have it go as smoothly as possible by being organized. Need help planning? Christmas has come early….

TIP #1- HAVE A PLAN

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Tip #2 - COUNT MOUTHS- How Many People Are Your Feeding?

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If your Thanksgiving plans have not yet been finalized, don’t fear — there are some simple ways to get started and prevent the holidays from becoming a high-stress mess. This Thanksgiving season, start with the most important thing — Guests! Create a Thanksgiving guest list in LYFETYMES and folks can RSVP on your personalized website to get an accurate count of who and how many people are coming.

TIP #3 MAKE YOUR FOOD MENU & BUDGET

Remember to keep those already invited in mind when you plan your Thanksgiving menu. It can be tempting to let your family dictate what you serve and what you don’t, but it is far better to have a plan in place and then listen to the suggestions that your family gives you. Don’t underestimate the ability of your family to make your life easy by sharing what they like to eat and bring and enjoy the things that you don’t normally order from your favorite store. You can build your menu and budget in LYFETYMES and email to yourself or assign tasks to other hosts or guests.

After deciding on the menu, you can set up your kitchen and make as many of the preparations day before. I like to prepare all of my vegetables at the same time and then cut, slice, and boil them all at the same time. This will ensure that I get all of my time-consuming cutting done before I go to bed.

TIP #4 DECORATING CAN BE EASY

If you are looking for Thanksgiving decorations visit LYFETYMES for our amazing party sets, that will handle all the decor, delivered in one box to your door and you can set up in minutes, Don’t forget about decorations for the kitchen, roll out some butcher paper and write what your dishes are and it looks great and easy clean up. You can buy inexpensive versions of all of the bowls you would use for the hostess gift, your platters, and napkins. One great idea is to download free Thanksgiving printables (we will have on our Pinterest Page) to add some extra “wow: factors. Follow us for the latest party ideas and trends at https://www.pinterest.com/lyfetymes/

TIP #5 ENJOY THE DAY- IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT

By the time the big day comes around, your guests will be ready to enjoy a great meal, there will be plenty of decorations out and ready to be used, and you will have a less chaotic feeling to you. Of course, the recipes can change each day and even the food can change from week to week, but by laying things out and doing some necessary things early on, you can focus on what is important — making sure that the food tastes great and is served the way you want it.

We make a big thing about the concept of doing “what you love” at any time. By deciding ahead of time what you want to have the guests eat and use as decorations, you ensure that your Thanksgiving week will be exciting, fun, and enjoyable. By using LYFETYMES the needs of your family and sharing those with your guests, you can ensure that everyone is happy. This will be one of the best and easiest preparations you have ever made. It is important that you enjoy yourself on Thanksgiving, but more important is not to overdo the food. Create a delicious feast, which everyone will enjoy while keeping the stress of the day down.