How to Host a Stress-free Thanksgiving

"Over the river and through the woods to...YOUR house they come!" How did that happen? One minute, you were at your grandmother's house, smelling all the good smells watching the adults cooking dinner, and the next minute you are the one with 20 people coming for Thanksgiving! Before you decide to go out for your morning jog and just keep going, try some of these tips to keep your Thanksgiving less stressful and more fun for you and your guests!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A turkey
• Paper goods (plates, napkins, plastic ware)
• Paper tablecloth
• Candles
• Fresh linens
• Room spray
• Cleaning supplies
• Strong coffee

1. Cleaning your house does not have to be as daunting as you might think. Start by straightening your house. You can pick an out of the way closet or room that won't be used by your guests, and store any items that you need on a daily basis, but don't want your guests to see.

2. To start the cleaning process, you have a few options. One option is to hire a cleaning service to come in and clean your house for a one time fee, which averages around $125.00, depending on the size of your house. If cleaning services are not an option, then "hire" some of your family to each take a room and clean it top to bottom. This takes the stress off you and engages your family in preparing for Thanksgiving.

3. For your guest room, or at least the room in which your guests will be sleeping, you may want to light a fresh candle or spray room spray to give it a warmer feeling. Include a few magazines, some water bottles, and a flower bouquet if possible to make your guests feel even more at home.

4. To keep post-eating cleaning to a minimum, purchase all paper and plastic ware to be used by your guests. There are many places in which nice paper and plastic ware can be purchased, and your guests won't care as much about what they eat on as what they eat!

5. To de-stress your cooking experience, have each guest bring a side dish and/or dessert. Have the oven ready to keep things warm, and offer to cook only the turkey and provide beverages for your guests. This will ensure you don't spend all day in the kitchen, lowering your stress level, and allowing your guests to participate in Thanksgiving with you.

6. Illuminate your table with candles to keep your Thanksgiving feeling warm and cheery. Candles also tend to help keep people feeling calm, happy, and stress-free.

7. Thanksgiving is a day in which to give thanks. Engaging your guests in the celebration will enable you to give thanks with a much more grateful heart and less stress throughout the holiday!

Tips & Warnings

• Minimalize everything. The less work you have to do, the less stress you will experience.
• Engage your friends and family in the Thanksgiving experience. This will ensure you have less stress on Thanksgiving day if you are ultimately responsible for very little cooking.
• Remember to have strong coffee on hand to keep yourself even-keeled!
• Set a specific time in which you plan to sit down to dinner. This will help keep everyone and everything on schedule.
• Don't try to take on too much yourself to keep your stress-level down.
• Don't forget to ask people to bring food to contribute to the day.
• Remember to get plenty of rest the day before you begin cooking to keep your energy up!
• Don't forget to thank God for all with which He has blessed you!