How to Have the Perfect Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is coming quickly. Now is the time to get ready to feast! Thanksgiving Day is that special Fall holiday that we all look forward to each year. It is just around the corner too. The leaves have turned their glorious shades and have fallen one by one to the ground. Deer season has begun. The temperatures have taken on that Fall chill. Oh yes, Thanksgiving time is upon us.

For hundreds of years now we as a nation have celebrated Thanksgiving with a feast and family. We gather to give thanks for the harvest. The harvest keeps us fed for the next year to come. Thanksgiving was started many, many years ago for that reason. To give thanks. Not only should we give thanks for the harvest, but also for all of the other wonderful things in our lives.

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that friends and family are usually inviting to share with us. We make plans to gather together to celebrate. We have a great dinner and maybe some delicious desserts after. Any dinner involving guests can be a challenge to pull off. Here are ten helpful tips and suggestions that will help you to have a perfect Thanksgiving this year. One you'll always remember with fond memories, not one that you'll look back upon and call an utter disaster.

1. The first tip and suggestion that I can give you is to plan a head. Never wait until the last minute. When we start our holidays planning the week before Thanksgiving we are likely to have many problems. The time to begin planning for Thanksgiving day is weeks a head of time. The beginning of November is best. That allows you four weeks worth of time rather than one. No big holiday celebration can be pulled off perfectly without time to properly plan it all out.

2. The second tip that will help you to have a perfect Thanksgiving day is to make a list of the people who you want to invite. Do this as soon as possible. You'll need to know before Thanksgiving Day who is coming and how many to serve. Making a list allows you to precisely plan the amount of people to serve. And seat.

3. Speaking of that list...the third tip is to send out invitations. Most local grocery and department stores have Thanksgiving invitations for a reasonable cost. You could also make your own on your home computer. You'll want to send your invitations to everyone on your list of people to invite. Add a RSVP number. This way, if someone can make it they'll call and let you know. If someone can not make it they'll also call and let you know. This will give you an exact amount of guests to expect. Without invitations having an RSVP number you will end up having a surprise amount of guests and may not be able to seat or serve all of them adequately. Remember to send them out as soon as possible.

4. The fourth suggestion that will help you to have a successful thanksgiving day is to make sure you'll have enough space and seats for everyone on that list. Plan for the maximum amount of guests, that way no one is left without a plate or seat. Fold up chairs work great. If your kitchen table has leaf inserts then insert them before Thanksgiving day. Never wait for the last minute to set up the table. Consider where everyone will sit and eat at least two weeks before Thanksgiving day. This way you won't come up short. You'll have time to get an extra table or some extra chairs before the big day comes.

5. The fifth tip is to plan the menu as soon as you can. Jot down your ideas on what to serve way a head of time. Items to serve vary each year. Be original, creative. Plan out your dinner perfectly weeks before Thanksgiving so that you will have plenty of time to get all of the items and ingredients needed.

6. The sixth tip goes along with the fifth, in a way. Once you've made the list of items that you'll want to serve on Thanksgiving day it's time to start shopping for them. Waiting to shop[ for your meal items and ingredients until the week before Thanksgiving is just not a good idea. You may find that everyone else has beat you to the turkeys and spices. Smart cooks know to shop a head of time to ensure that they get all of the items they'll be needing. A Thanksgiving with out a turkey is a shame, especially when the reason for no turkey is that you waited until the last minute.

7. The seventh tip to making Thanksgiving a whole lot better this year is to not buy all name brand items. Yes, you want to please your guests. However, you can please them just as well buying generic brand items as you can buying name brand items. Generic items will help you to save a lot of money on your total dinner costs. You can buy decorations with the money you save.

8. The eighth suggestion that will help you to have a remarkable Thanksgiving day is to decorate accordingly. Have a festive wreath of fall leaves on the door for your guest to see as they enter your home. Add fall colored flowers as a center piece in the middle of the table for everyone to enjoy as they are eating. A turkey wall hanging or some gold, red, or orange ribbons hung set the Thanksgiving mood perfectly as well.

9. The ninth Thanksgiving holiday suggestion I give you is to enlist in help. I am sure that one of the people on your invitation list would love to help you out. People like to feel needed and included. Put Grandma to work by asking her to help bake the pies. She'll be happy you did.

10. The tenth and final tip to help you pull off a perfect Thanksgiving Day and meal is to cook certain items the previous two days before the holiday. Pies can be pre-made. Potatoes can be pre peeled and cooked. Same for carrots, and even breads. Many side dishes can be prepared the night before and still be perfectly fresh thanksgiving day. On the big day you'll need to have as much oven time available for your turkey or ham. It can't be taken up by the pies and such or the main course won't be prepared in time. Thanks for reading and take care!