Posted on November 23, 2015 by Miller and Smith Blog Team
The holiday season is creeping up on us faster than you can say “turkey” and it is always a good idea to be prepared! Sometimes, just thinking about getting your home ready for friends and family can be a little bit stressful. At Miller and Smith, we are here to share our Thanksgiving Home Prep 101 with you, just in time for the holidays!
Plan the menu – The sooner you plan your Thanksgiving menu, the sooner you can prepare yourself for those hours of cooking! Plan the menu according to how many people you will be serving, in addition to what time people will be arriving. If your Thanksgiving guests are arriving early, plan to make some finger foods and apps for them to snack on as the main course is prepared.
Clean your home – When Thanksgiving Day rolls around, you are not going to want to be worrying about cooking AND cleaning at the same time. Start cleaning sections of your home days in advance so that you can focus on your guests and not the appearance of your home. Vacuum one day, mop the next, dust after that, and so on and so forth! Don’t forget, if any guests are staying overnight, prepare beds, towels, and sleeping arrangements before they arrive!
Decorate with table settings – It is always fun to decorate for the holidays, and at Thanksgiving, the table is the center of it all! Decorate with centerpieces, pretty napkins, or name cards to add a bit of holiday pizzazz. Also remember, depending on the size of your party, you may need to buy extra utensils or plates to accommodate everyone. You can get some amazing decorating ideas from our Pinterest page!
Buy food in advance – When you get the full menu together, write down the grocery list that you will need to fulfill, starting with items you can buy ahead of time and ending with items you have to buy one or two days before the festivities begin. Before you go to the store, go through items you already have around the house, like spices, broths, canned food, etc. If you want to get a jumpstart on cooking, you can cook and freeze some items a day or two in advance.
Prep your kitchen –You are going to need to make sure you have all of the tools, pots, pans, and appliances necessary to cook the grand Thanksgiving meal! It’s also a good idea to plan out when you are going to cook each food item and gather everything in one spot so that you won’t be frantically searching for the cranberry sauce!
If you follow our basic guide for Thanksgiving prep, this year’s holiday is bound to be less stressful than the last! Preparing for Thanksgiving ahead of time will give you more time to enjoy your guests and give thanks to those who you care about!
Sources: freshome.com , goodhousekeeping.com