Ways to Simplify Your Thanksgiving Holiday
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. However, wrapped up in the delicious Turkey and mashed potatoes can also be a large serving of stress. The tasks can grow quickly including food to prepare, cleaning, and packing/traveling (just to name a few). Check out these ways to simplify your Thanksgiving Holiday and lower the “stress-o-meter.”
Ways to Simplify Thanksgiving Week
My husband and I were joking about this post. To lower Thanksgiving stress, you can:
- Cancel all your plans
- Don’t go anywhere
- Buy rotisserie chickens
But for real, Thanksgiving can be such a wonderful time to spend with family and friends. Eating a delicious meal, playing card games or football outside are some of my favorite memories. These are the things I remember and not the perfect decor, clean baseboards, or the perfect pumpkin pie. I have outlined here some ways to simplify your Thanksgiving holiday.
Overall, remember what is most important! For me, that’s loving and serving my family and friends.
And very practically speaking…
Make a detailed grocery list
I am queen of multiple trips to the grocery store because I forgot something. Make a list and check it twice for the different dishes you plan to make. Grocery delivery is also a great option to save some time!
Meal prep breakfast
Let’s take one meal out of the equation Thanksgiving week. By meal prepping breakfast on Sunday, you will have it ready to go all week long. That’s one less food item to think about throughout the week! Slather on some cream cheese on these applesauce muffins or pop a breakfast burrito or piece of breakfast casserole in the microwave. Then you can fuel your body for the rest of the day!
Let others help
If you are hosting, delegate food items! Allow others to prepare and bring food. You can also delegate to Costco (they have delicious pies and Hawaiian rolls). Not everything has to be homemade to still be delicious.
Make sure you eat and drink
You read that right – the basic necessities! Eat some protein, drink lots of water, and sleep! Often times as moms, we can run around like crazy and forget to take care of ourselves, which isn’t helpful to anyone.
Use paper goods
Paper plates, cups, and plastic silverware can all be used to save time with dishes. Keep in mind, using these throughout Thanksgiving week especially if you have company in town will also save time.
Make an oven schedule
The oven can often times be the most needed space on Thanksgiving. Plan out exactly how much time each food item needs in the oven and how much space it will need. Consider making some side dishes in a crockpot (green bean casserole, mac and cheese), instant pot (mashed potatoes), or on the stovetop (corn, stuffing) to save space in the oven.
Print out recipes
Having the recipes printed out can be so helpful. Then you aren’t fighting your phone or tablet to look at them. You can also make notes on the recipes for next year.
Simplifying Thanksgiving with young children
- Minimize plans. If possible, don’t overbook your schedule. Less events means more time to rest, kids able to nap and typically better attitudes all around.
- Have plenty of snacks on hand. No one wants a hangry kiddo.
- If traveling, begin packing and laundry early. Make a packing list and share it with your spouse so you can both tackle the list. Again, have a lot of snacks on hand!
I hope these ideas were helpful on ways to simplify your Thanksgiving holiday. If you have more ideas, please share them below in the comments. I’d love to hear your family traditions and ways you work to make them stress-free (or at least less stressful).
