Planning and Preparing for Your First Thanksgiving Family Dinner

Some families hold their Thanksgiving dinner at the same home year after year, until a situation dictates the need for a change. Other families take turns holding their Thanksgiving dinner at different relatives' homes each year. If you've decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at your house for the first time this year, these are some things to help you prepare well before Thanksgiving Day arrives.

Preparation. A few weeks ahead, go through your house and prepare a to-do list of things that need to be cleaned, repaired, or replaced before your Thanksgiving company comes. Change burned-out light bulbs, clean spots on your carpet and upholstery, and repair leaky faucets - all those small chores you've been procrastinating. Don't forget to clean out your refrigerator - you'll need a lot of storage space for all the Thanksgiving food! Also, if you rarely use your electric skillet, blender, food processor, or electric carving knife but depend on them for them on Thanksgiving, take them out a couple of weeks in advance and test them. If something isn't working, you'll still have plenty of time to track down a replacement.

Shop. Prepare a grocery list a couple of weeks in advance and buy several non-perishable items ahead of time - especially things that your local grocery store may run out of. Spices, chicken broth, canned cranberry sauce (even if you don't admit it), and pie crusts are some popular items to have on hand. Also, be sure you have plenty of paper towels, toilet tissue, aluminum foil, baking/roasting pans, zipper-seal bags, and other disposables that you may need. Buy several sizes of disposable bowls; not only are they great for storing Thanksgiving leftovers, but you can also send some home with others and not worry about losing an expensive dish.

Safety. If you're not used to having small children in your home, try to prepare for them by putting breakables out of their reach, covering outlets, placing small items that children can choke on up high, and keeping doors closed to rooms where children are not allowed. Your pets should be put in areas that aren't accessible to children if they aren't used to being around little ones. Also, if you have a pool, be sure you have safety features that will prevent accidental drownings. Nets, screens, gates, and alarms can prevent access or alert you to an unauthorized entry into the pool area. Even if it's cold outside, curious little ones may still be tempted by the rippling water, and this can lead to tragedy.

Delegate. Don't be afraid to pass along Thanksgiving duties to other members of the family; you don't have to do it all yourself. If you're making the turkey and dressing, have others bring the side dishes and desserts. If some members of the family are averse to cooking, have them bring sodas, ice cream, paper plates, and/or plastic ware. Everyone should do something to make Thanksgiving dinner a successful family gathering.

Borrow or Rent. If your family tends to do things on a more formal scale, be sure you have enough linens, silverware, place settings, tables, and chairs for everyone. Take stock of what you have well in advance in case you need to reserve anything from a rental company. If possible, borrow as many items as you can from other members of the family or even from friends and neighbors who won't be hosting their own Thanksgiving dinner.

Tradition. Most families have specific Thanksgiving traditions that they follow each year. Maybe Aunt Sue always brings pecan pie or Grandpa always carves the turkey. Though you should add your own touches to the Thanksgiving holiday dinner that will make it special, don't change things up so much that people's feelings are hurt or familiar traditions are ignored. If there is a tradition that you feel is outdated and should be changed, talk to your family ahead of time to see how they feel. Don't change anything unannounced - you may start a family feud.

Clean Up. Most everyone who comes over and enjoys the food and Thanksgiving festivities should help clean up. Just because its your house doesn't mean that you should endure the bulk of the grunt work. Either assign duties ahead of time or at least let everyone know that you will need help getting your kitchen back in order. If one particular family member is famous for skipping out on the cleanup, give that person a specific job to do. At any rate, don't refuse the help of family members. If you pay a cleaning crew to come in after Thanksgiving to clean up, be sure to pay them extra or give them a decent tip to compensate for the extra mess.

Television. Many families enjoy watching Thanksgiving football games after eating dinner. If this is usually the case with your family, don't try to change things up before this year just because it's your Thanksgiving dinner. If you have a big screen television, it's a definite plus for the football fanatic, and you can also bring out television sets from other rooms so several games can be monitored at once.

No matter how your family celebrates Thanksgiving, just be sure that the line of communication stays open between you and all of the members of your family. With a bit of planning and preparation, Thanksgiving at your house can be a success that you will want to repeat year after year.