How to Take Away Some of the Thanksgiving Stress

Thanksgiving can be very stressful with all of the cooking and entertaining your guests, but it doesn't have to be as stressful for you. Try out the following tips to make your Thanksgiving as stress-free as possible.

1. Delegate - Don't be afraid to delegate some of your responsibilities. I know it feels like it won't be done right if you don't do it yourself, but pass off some of your Thanksgiving chores. Ask a guess to bring a dessert or have one of your children polish the silverware and don't turn down offers to help clean up the dishes afterward.

2. Get a baby-sitter - It is difficult to prepare a Thanksgiving meal with the kids underfoot. Have one of your dinner guests arrive a little early to keep the kids out of the kitchen or hire a teen from your neighborhood to help out.

3. Buy groceries early on - Do not wait until the last couple of days before Thanksgiving to buy all of the groceries you need to prepare the meal. Make a list and buy everything you can at least a week before Thanksgiving to avoid the packed grocery stores that add to the stress.

4. Hire the kids - Don't try to clean the entire house by yourself. Either give them some extra chores or pay them a few bucks to go towards their personal Christmas shopping and have them help out with some of the cleaning. Have the younger children help with dusting and the older kids help with vacuuming, or whatever else you need done.

5. Organize - When you're cooking, get as many ingredients together as possible for each dish so you aren't scrambling around in a dozen directions trying to find parsley or sugar.

6. Don't put off till tomorrow what you can cook today - There is no point getting up at the crack of dawn or earlier on Thanksgiving to cook everything when you can prepare some dishes and desserts beforehand. Make your cakes and pies a couple days before Thanksgiving and if any sides you have planned to make are just as good thawed, cook and freeze weeks before.

7. Don't overcook - Make sure you have a good estimate of how many people you need to cook for and cook for that number of people. It's okay to make a little extra, but if you try to cook enough to feed an army when you're only expecting 10, you'll only add to your stress.

8. Plan activities - If you run back and forth between the kitchen and your guests, plan some activities for them to participate in so you can focus on the cooking. Have games set out for the kids and put the TV on the parade or game so you don't have to try to be in two places at once.

9. Be happy with your best - Realize now that everything will not go as planned. One of your in-laws might make a snide comment about your canned green beans or one of the kids might knock the mashed potatoes over. You might even burn something. Be happy with all that you've done to get everything set and the meal on the table and don't get bent out of shape if something doesn't go perfectly.

10. Remember the purpose of Thanksgiving - If you start to feel really stressed, remind yourself what Thanksgiving is all about. Think about the things you're thankful for and you'll help melt some of the stress away.