Have you been busy preparing your home for Thanksgiving?
There can be a lot of pressure on the host of a major holiday to make the day perfect. From the food to the decor to the company, there are so many factors to consider when preparing yourself, your family, and your home for Thanksgiving. The key is to create a balance where you ensure you can get everything done that you need to without sacrificing your own enjoyment of the day. After all, this is supposed to be a fun day spent with loved ones!
No matter how many people you are hosting, you are sure to love these tips to prepare for the holiday!
Create a plan
If you are hosting this year, you definitely want to plan ahead a cleaning schedule for your family, a timetable for what needs to be cooked and when, and a list of other various factors to consider for the day. This is a great opportunity to really assess what you need to do, what you want to do, and what you should not do.
Having a plan will also limit (if not eliminate) the possibility of a last-minute disaster. When hosting an event of any size, it is always best to over-prepare!
Figure out who is attending
Before you start cooking and setting the table, you will want to get a headcount for the exact number of guests that you will be hosting this Thanksgiving. Having an exact number will give you the opportunity to figure out exactly how much food you need to make, which foods you should not make to accommodate any food allergies, and how many chairs you need to gather.
You can also create a seating chart if you want to make sure that the children have their own table or if you just want to use cute placecards!
Create a timetable of what needs to be cooked and when
Because some dishes take longer to cook than others, some need to be cooked at drastically different temperatures than others, and some take up more space in the oven, you will definitely want to create a timetable of what you need to cook and when you should cook it.
You might realize that you need to cook a few dishes the night before, or you might decide to prepare your ingredients to make sure everything runs smoothly the day of.
Delegate
If you are hosting this year, do not pressure yourself into doing everything for everyone. Ask your family and other guests to help too. This could mean asking your sibling to bring a dish, your kids to clean up their toys and games, or your spouse to help you come up with a game plan of who is taking on which responsibilities.
Not only will this make the day more manageable, but it also gives you the opportunity to really enjoy yourself!
Prepare for leftovers
This step can be an easy one to overlook when preparing for the meal itself. You will either want to make sure you inform your guests to bring their own food storage containers for leftovers or supply them yourself. This way, you won’t have to give out your favorite containers and hope to get them back.
You will also want to prepare your refrigerator for leftovers. Make sure to throw out anything that has gone bad, freeze what you can, and condense everything else. You are going to be so glad that you did this ahead of time!
Maybe you aren’t hosting this year, but it will be your turn next year and you’re planning ahead. If that’s the case, and you are realizing that your kitchen might not be up to the challenge of preparing the holiday meal, check out La Bella Vita Apartment Homes. Not only will you host Thanksgiving with ease, but you’ll want to host all the time!
La Bella Vita is an incredible, active community in the Briargate neighborhood of Colorado Springs, CO. Our amenities are as luxurious as they are convenient, and our modern floor plans are exactly what you have been looking for. Our friendly leasing team would love to offer you a tour or provide more information about our community; contact us today to schedule a tour of your future home!