Thanksgiving is next week! Let’s look at three steps to gobble til you wobble. I love a good numbered list. It keeps me on track. Here’s another numbered list for how to decorate for fall.

1. Consider your audience.

As you begin to prepare for Thanksgiving, think of who you will be entertaining or who’s house you will be attending for the holiday. What are their likes/dislikes? Are there any food allergies? What are the ages of your audience? Toddlers and littles may make it worth considering to serve finger foods. Do you know your uncle’s favorite dish? Is there a certain recipe that seems to be a family tradition? For example, I typically bring a pecan pie. I can still remember one of my first Thanksgivings at my in-law’s, I made a homemade Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie with a made-from-scratch crust. During baking, the crust bubbled up into the top of the pie! It looked more like some type of cobbler and was very doughy. Since then I have nixed the bourbon and the made-from-scratch crust – ha! Pillsbury does a fabulous job with their ready-made crusts.

2. Divide and conquer.

Once you’ve determined how many Thanksgiving meals you will be attending (we will be attending my husband’s family dinner one day and my family’s dinner the next) and who your audience will be, hatch a plan on who’s bringing what. If “what can I bring?” gets you nowhere try, “what are you making?” When your family members respond, then add in dishes that you know will compliment what is being brought.

For my in-law’s side, this will be a new experience. My mother-in-law, who always put on a big spread, passed away in December 2020. This will be our first Thanksgiving without her. I am feeling that void in more ways than one. For my husband’s side, I needed to talk to the other family members to decide what will be the main course, what the other family members are bringing then adding in what food I will bring. Having one member bring the appetizers and drinks while another brings dessert and side dishes helps to evenly distribute the work load on cooking.

3. Plan a cooking schedule.

After your menu is set, plan a cooking schedule in order to know how many days out from Thanksgiving you need to start. For example, my father-in-law is providing the ham and turkey for the meal; however, I am going to pick them up this week in order to prep and have them ready for next Thursday.

For my side of the family, I am working with my mom and sister to see what is on the menu and deciding when I need to start my prep work. I can make my pies at the beginning of next week and let them sit for a day or two. Personally, I believe pecan pie tastes better the longer it sits. Other parts of my cooking schedule will include: purchasing my supplies a week before, making a cheese ball over the weekend and storing it until Thanksgiving, and prepping any side dishes a day or two ahead of the big day.

In planning your cooking schedule, are there any decorations you need to prepare ahead of time? Will you be in charge of setting the table or can you bring a floral arrangement for the host?

This pin from Pinterest shares a pretty good prep schedule for having your dinner ready or at least prepped for the weekend before Thanksgiving. Like any other event in life, taking a few moments to map out a plan of action will help the event run more smoothly. What dish are you bringing to your Thanksgiving meal? Whatever it may be may you gobble til you wobble!

(One year my sister-in-law gave me a Mud Pie dish towel. It was the cutest accessory to my kitchen. This towel I included above would make a cute hostess gift. *As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission off any viable links.*)