Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! For me, holidays are all about the food! I love to cook, to entertain, and to have a house full of family & friends to celebrate, and Thanksgiving checks every box. But even if you love to cook or entertain, Thanksgiving can be a lot of work! I have learned to make Thanksgiving as stress-free and fun for me as it is for my guests.
Happy Fall Y’all
My Thanksgiving planning actually starts at the beginning of September. I can’t wait to get my hands-on FALL! My kids used to complain that I made their summer feel too short by brining out Fall too soon. I made them a promise years ago that I wouldn’t break out the Autumn décor until September 1st. Each year I can’t wait to get into those boxes! Seeing the warm, rich colors and the bright, plump pumpkins awakens my Thanksgiving spirit!
After decking the halls for Autumn, I begin perusing my recipe books in preparation for the big day. I’ve mentioned my cherish Home Ec binder before (Yes! I’ve kept it since high school!). It’s the one that keeps my favorite collection of recipes, but it also holds one more gem…my guest & food lists from Thanksgivings past.
Thanksgiving House
Before the pandemic, we would host upwards of 25 – 30 guests for our cherish holiday of gratitude. In 2015, our friends dubbed our home “Thanksgiving House”. It was the place where everyone knew they could drop in, enjoy good company & great food, and give thanks with one another.
I typically would set up 3 tables for adults plus a kid’s table, and each year I add something new to the décor. I love bringing out family heirlooms like tablecloths, special serving dishes, and my mother’s crystal this time of year. I’ve always enjoyed decorating with my guests’ best experience in mind.
Food for All
As for the food, I start shopping as soon as I can. Typically, by the first week of November, I’ve already purchased the bulk of my needs. Cranberries go on sale around this time and this year Costco had 2 lbs. packages of Oceanspray Cranberries for $2.99. I bought 2 of them and put them in the freezer. Same with turkeys. In past years I’ve cooked as many as 3 turkeys for Thanksgiving! I like to make sure my hubby has enough turkey left-over for sandwiches to enjoy all weekend. When I do multiple turkeys, I cook 1 or 2 of them the day before Thanksgiving, with the main event turkey roasted the day of.
I love that my guests always want to bring something to add to our Thanksgiving feast, so I cook the turkey(s), stuffing, potatoes, and rolls while guests bring other sides, drinks, or desserts to share. This also cuts down on the hustle and bustle for me, leaving me time to make Thanksgiving Brunch! My mom is ALWAYS in charge of making the gravy from the drippings because she does it the best, and each year I ask her to make her Ambrosia Salad. No Thanksgiving is complete without this yummy dish from my childhood.
Thanksgiving Brunch
Thanksgiving has become an all-day event around here! With a husband & 4 boys in our house that all love to eat, I learned many years ago that having other food ready to eat helps keep them from asking me a million times “What’s there to eat?”
Thanksgiving Brunch is always a mixture of quick grab bites. Some of our annual favorites are my Pumpkin Bread, Mini Quiche, Cucumber Crudites, Crab Cocktail, Fresh Fruit, Spinach Dip and a variety of other dips and pastries. Everything can be baked or prepped a day or two before which makes the big day even easier! Having these tasty treats out also makes it easy for me to entertain drop in guests. With Brunch laid out buffet style, family & friends can help themselves and then join me in the kitchen to chat while they eat & I get my turkey on!
Quarantine Thanksgiving
2020 has been a different year for everyone. Thanks to the recently re-enforced quarantine we won’t as many people over. I’m definitely going to miss the large crowd gathered around the tables this Thursday, not to mention my annual tradition of watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on television while I cook. I’ve decided to keep that tradition by finding a much older one to watch online!
Yes, Thanksgiving will be a little different this year for us all, but no matter how different the holiday is this year, the one thing that will always be constant, is the gratitude we feel for our friends and family. The love and support we give to one another throughout the year can be celebrated this year even though we may be apart.
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! Here’s to looking forward to Thanksgiving 2021 being bigger & better than ever!