When the calendar turns over to November, kids start the countdown to Christmas, Dads start making Bowl Game predictions, and moms start making lists! While you may think those assumptions are laden with stereotypes, I’m just sharing from my own reality of these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. 

This mom has always loved the idea of homemade everything, a beautifully decorated home, and meaningful conversation around family meals and get-togethers. But making it a reality can not only be challenging and exhausting – sometimes, it’s also downright unrealistic. 

Some women enjoy cooking. They delight in trying new recipes, tweaking them to make them their own, and their run-of-the-meal weekday dinner always looks like company’s coming! Me – not so much, although I do love the result of cooking … the time with family and friends, the conversation that breaking bread together makes possible, and (of course!) delight in the food itself. 

If I’ve learned anything through the years, it’s the value that comes with starting early to get ready for Thanksgiving. I’m not talking about a 4 a.m. alarm the morning of the big feast. Not at all. I’m referring to a November 1 plan! If I pace myself, and do as much prep as possible ahead of time, I’m much less stressed and far more likely to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family.  

Here’s my step-by-step guide to Jump Start Thanksgiving:

1.  Plan your menu.   
   While I may get creative at other times, I’m very predictable on Thanksgiving. We always have the same menu. This month, in addition to our usual ‘Do It’ Lists in standard or blank versions, you can download the traditional Macfarlan Family Thanksgiving Menu, plus printable recipes for each dish and a blank copy of our special Thanksgiving border that I’ve used here, so you can plan your own menu and add your own recipes.
2. What can you prepare now? 
   This is where you save time. Anything you can do ahead and stash in the freezer will free up time later. Here’s my list of early prep, but you can tailor your own from your menu: 
   1. Make sweet potato casserole. Do not bake the casserole – just assemble everything and freeze it.  Thawing and then baking makes it taste fresh. 
   2. Make cornbread for dressing. Sometimes I just buy Jiffy cornbread mix. After preparing according to package instructions, I crumble and measure the amount needed, toss it into a freezer safe bag, and toss it into the freezer. The rest is served up with chili that night for dinner.  
   3. Prepare sausage, celery, and onions for dressing. My recipe calls for ½ pound sausage. I double the recipe, then divide the combined sausage, celery and onions in half before both containers go to the freezer for later. One is used at Thanksgiving and the other for Christmas dinner.
   4. Make Pumpkin-Chocolate-Chip muffins. These are a family favorite and freeze nicely. 
   5. Prepare pie crusts. Using my Kitchen-Aid mixer, I make four pie crusts, roll the dough into balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and then add the “balls” to a freezer bag. They can easily be thawed when needed. The extras are also great to have on hand for a breakfast quiche while family is visiting.  
3. Make a grocery list.  
   After checking your cupboard for what you have on hand, make a master list of what is needed. Separate the list into non-perishables, perishables-for-now, and perishables–for–later. Shop early in the month for non-perishables and perishables-for-now. This ensures you have everything you will need for early prep and freezing and that your “later” list is as short as possible. 
4. Schedule Prep Days. 
   Look at your “Prepare Now” list and schedule those items. This month, we’ve added a “Jump-Start Thanksgiving” bullet to the weekly section of our ‘Do It’ List. This is a reminder to look at your Thanksgiving preparations and consider what you can do ahead of time to prepare for the holiday. 
5. Wednesday Marathon 
   Keep the Wednesday before Thanksgiving completely open. Make no commitments for this day – and certainly, do NOT under any circumstances go to the grocery store on this day. All your shopping should be completed no later than the Monday before. (And, by the way, if you want to use cranberry Jello in a recipe instead of being forced to substitute cherry or strawberry, do plan to make that purchase early in the month. Not that I have ever experienced that crushing Jello fiasco myself, mind you…but it may have happened to a friend.) 
   1. The earlier you start, the earlier you will finish. Plan to prepare as much ahead as you possibly can. Some things must wait until Thursday morning, but others can certainly be prepared a day ahead.  
   2. The Macfarlan children did no school that required teacher assistance on this day. My chef’s hat was on and my teacher hat tossed aside. 
   3. And, of course, put all available children, visiting family, and guests to work, as well. If I could have bribed him with a pumpkin muffin, I would’ve recruited the UPS man on this day!
      
   4. Dinner that night is usually pizza, spaghetti, or lasagna – something simple that leaves us ready for all the casseroles and comfort food the next day! 
6. My Turkey Confession 
   All that basting and brining is no longer part of my Thanksgiving vocabulary. I tried. Truly I did. But I always ended up feeling like Goldilocks, “This turkey is too dry…or too salty…or not moist enough…” Sigh. Then I discovered a Thanksgiving miracle: the fully-cooked-smoked-frozen-whole turkey! You just thaw and bake! It’s delicious, moist and perfect every time. It is so worth the extra 50 cents per pound for the extra five hours of sleep I get – and the culinary stress relief is priceless!  
    
   These usually start appearing in my grocer’s frozen food section around the first week of November. But once they are gone, they are gone! So my advice – go grab one and grab it early, my friend! And maybe pick up some cranberry Jello while you are there.
7. Don’t forget to BE THANKFUL.  
   Be sure your dinner conversation includes time for expressing gratitude. Your children (and grandchildren) need to hear the generations of their family proclaiming thanks and acknowledging that every good gift does indeed come from our very good and very great God. To Him be all the glory!  

We hope this month’s ‘Do It’ List will be a blessing to you, as you prepare to celebrate this wonderful holiday with your family. Leave us a note below and let us know what’s on your Thanksgiving menu. And, of course, we would also love to know if any of these tips are helpful to you.  

All of us here at A Reason For Homeschool hope you have a blessed – and stress-free – Thanksgiving! 

November 2019 'Do It' List

November 2019 BLANK 'Do It' List

Sample Thanksgiving Menu, Recipes & Blank Border Page

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Find more Thanksgiving recipes here …
Thanksgiving printables (including place cards, centerpiece, recipe cards, and more) here …
and LOTS of ideas for using up those leftovers here.

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