I love the holidays! But gosh they can be exhausting and insanely stressful! Trying to keep up with everything can be overwhelming. When I was a kid the holidays just seemed magical. Everything just sort of appeared out of nowhere. I remember my mom cooking a few things, but by the time we loaded the car to go, there was a ton of food! Where did it come from? My cousins and I would joke about how we never saw our grandmother or our moms make anything, especially the dressing (we have a serious addiction to it) and it would magically just be there every Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I guess that’s because on Thanksgiving morning, I’d wake up and watch the Macy’s Day Parade and I could smell everything coming from the kitchen and I’d be so wrapped up in the parade that I didn’t notice. Either that or mom had planned and had been precooking things before the big day. Then all she did was warm up most of it and just cook a few last-minute dishes. This was a big thing that I learned and it takes prep.
We’d get to my grandmother’s, who lived at the end of our very long driveway, and all of my cousins would be there along with so much food. We had a blast, cramming our bellies with all of that yummy goodness and then going to play outside. Not a care in the world. Then as I got married, I realized it just didn’t happen out of thin air. It all had to be coordinated and pulled together. It took planning.
After my grandparents passed away and my mom took over planning for our family, she and I planned together. There are four of us kids and with our children and even grandchildren, there’s about 20 of us when we’re all together and we’ve grown even more. But I’ve realized whether I was helping to plan Thanksgiving for 20+, or for just the five of us, I have to have a plan. If not, I forget who’s making what dish, who’s got the paper products, did I buy everything we needed? My brain can only hold so much information.
I used to just use a composition book and that worked for a while, then I decided to make something that was specific and would help me to remember as many details as possible. I found myself forgetting which notebook I used and inevitably other notes and stuff would get mixed in on other pages and it would be a mess. I would get so frustrated trying to figure out which page or which notebook I used. Talk about stressful and that’s why I designed this Thanksgiving Planner.
Thanksgiving shouldn’t be stressful. You should be enjoying your family and your time together. You shouldn’t be stressing out about finding out what store is open because you forgot to get cranberry sauce. Having a plan, with everything in one spot helps so much. With a planner, everything is in one place. Need to remember how many guests you’re having? Look in your planner. Who’s allergic to garlic (me btw)? Look in your planner. Need a checklist for cleaning the guest room? Look in your planner.
Even if you are throwing a simple Thanksgiving dinner for just your own family, or having to plan at the last minute, you need a plan. That doesn’t mean you’re overcomplicating things. Having checklists, to-do lists and more will help you and anyone that may be helping you. Your hubby or kids will know exactly where to look too. It actually makes your life simpler. By taking a few minutes to write down your thoughts, your menu, etc. you have saved yourself time and less of a headache later on and since you have a plan, you’ll have more time for your family and less stress.
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving Planner, look no more! You can check out mine by clicking HERE or the button at the bottom of this post. I also have a freebie for you, cute printable recipe cards that are included with the planner. You can get your free recipe cards by clicking HERE or the button at the bottom of the post. You can use these cards to jot down recipes you want to try out for Thanksgiving or to give family and friends that pumpkin pie recipe you have.
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