by Renee Mcknight

Created on: October 12, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays throughout the year, with proper planning and the ability to prepare yourself properly, one can get through the long day of preparation with out all the stress that it may entail. Below are some simple ideas that one can use to make there day a great sucess.

First i find it easiest to prepare deserts the day before, planning this throughout the week. What deserts will be made and what is needed so there are no surprises the day you prepare your deserts.

Second would be meal preparation and starting early in the morning is a great way to have a restful evening with family and friends. You will have more time to sit back and relax and enjoy the quality time that one requires for a stress free holiday. Especially when younger children are involved in the family unit or amongst friends.

Third is maintaining kitchen cleanliness, so you don't feel overwhelmed with work after the supper is finished. Most people have felt that urge to relax after eating a wonderful turkey meal, and the thought of a messy kitchen keeps people from having that relaxing time, because they are thinking about the work needed to clean the kitchen area. I find myself cleaning in between preparation and after the meal, all that remains are a few dishes, which are easy to wash and put away.

On Thanksgiving, I find I am extremely prepared. There are children in my family and so preparing for them also requires some planning, which I make sure I have accomplished before the other children arrive. I have a project set up for them to keep them occupied, mainly traditional to have construction paper and crayons in a designated area, and the age appropriate projects. This year everyone created there own turkey, with the help of some adults it was a great success and they got to show them off to us, also they made a story about there turkey which after the meal they shared with us, which was great. Each telling us what they were thankful for in there lives.

We had a great Thanksgiving and wonderful quality time spent with our friends and family. Every year we have approximately 15-20 guests, and its a week long preparation, but every year it has great success. I hope this can be of use to any families who feel Thanksgiving overwhelming when it comes to preparation.

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