"I spent too many years wanting EVERYTHING to be perfect, EVERY inch of my home to be spotless, and EVERY minute of the day to go smoothly. I would get myself so stressed trying to make it all happen that I didn’t enjoy it. Now my one concern is to cut that stress and those expectations out of Thanksgiving. So, I don’t have to iron the linen, wash the walls (or even paint them), clean the carpet, etc… It has made my favorite holiday so much more peaceful. Our home is a home and it’s just the way we all like it! The peace within speak more to our guests than any outward 'whitewashed’ appearances!"
Below are her tips. Donna Arnold gives us a very thorough list of how to erase the stress from Thanksgiving by removing the anxiety from the event. She helps us truly celebrate the gathering from start to finish.
Donna's 'Anx-giving Tips:
"I'm going to coin a phrase - "Anx-giving"! Anx-giving is the anxiety that comes with hosting the big Thanksgiving feast! It is caused by having unrealistic expectations of yourself and others for this day of what is supposed to be one of grateful retrospection. So chill out and relax, take a deep breath, and prepare yourself for a stressless holiday!"
1. A few years ago I made a master list of all the ingredients I need for every Thanksgiving dish on my menu and saved it to my computer. Now I just print it out and check things off as I go shopping. I don't have to sit down every year and try to remember everything I'm going to need.
2. Make sure you have plenty of aluminum foil and storage bags/containers on hand for the leftovers! Last year I bought some restaurant style leftover boxes Walmart (or you can find them at the dollar store) and sent home some of my guests with lunch for the next day.
3. Clean your refrigerator (and freezer) out by the end of the weekend to make room for your menu items AND your turkey that will need about 3 days to thaw out. Once Monday comes, the rest of the week will fly by and you won't have time.
4. Make arrangements for extra tables and chairs if you don't have enough for all of your guests. Make sure they're all wiped clean by Wednesday.
5. Grab a broom and take 5 min before you sit down for the night and clear all the cobwebs from the corners.
6. I like to have the front of my kitchen cabinets clean when I have guests over, but it takes so much time, so if you wipe down a couple of them a day until Thursday they'll all be spic 'n' span!
7. Create a ‘Staging Area’ for all your menu ingredients. Clear a space (or bring in a card table) and separate all of your ingredients for each menu item. For instance, put the ingredients for your stuffing all together, along with the pan you’re going to cook it in, in one spot, and all the ingredients you’re going to use for the green bean casserole (along with the casserole dish) in another spot. That way you’re not running around collecting ingredients all morning! This is very time and energy efficient!
8. Clean off all counters of ‘debris’ piles; ie. bills, paper piles, things you won’t need for Thanksgiving, even appliances you don’t think you’ll be using (like a toaster), etc. You’ll need the space. (I make sure the washer and dryer are clear and I put all that extra stuff on top of them for the day. I’m not going to be doing laundry on Thanksgiving)
9. If possible, have your family choose what they're wearing for Thanksgiving this weekend so you can wash it all now and have it ready to wear Thursday morning. Avoid the last minute stress of "I CAN'T FIND MY....!!!"
10. Go thru your kitchen cabinet and make sure you have all the spices you’ll need for Thanksgiving – salt, pepper, paprika, baking soda/powder, any other you use regularly. Refill your salt and pepper shakers, sugar bowl, and flour and sugar canisters. These little chores can take up valuable time on Thursday if they’re empty.
11. Wipe down/dust your window sills; kitchen, dining room – anywhere your guests will be over the weekend. It should only take about 10 min. Dust any mini blinds – they don’t have to be perfect. I don’t care if someone inspects my house and decides that it’s not to their standards. I do have standards, but not for perfection. Seriously, it’s ok. Also, if you’re not big on dusting the whole house, dust what is most noticeable AND all of the picture frames. People love to look at framed photographs.
12. Wash your linens the night before and put them in the dryer on Thursday morning. Take the table cloths out of the dryer when dry and put them directly onto the tables from the dryer. No ironing necessary – I go for simplicity and I hate ironing!!! No formalities here – sorry.
13. Buy those plastic party table coverings at the Dollar store and put them UNDER your cloth ones. If something spills the liquid won’t touch your table or go in between the leafs onto the floor. Also, it’s inevitable that food will spill on the tablecloths leaving grease stains. Use a mixture of Dawn dish soap and water on them just before you wash them. They’ll come right out. (Don’t put something that has a grease stain through the dryer until the grease is gone).
14. Make sure there are plenty of things to keep the kids occupied; coloring books, sidewalk chalk, goody bags etc. Also make sure the kids all know their boundaries in your home; stay out of certain areas, don’t color on the walls, keep food/drinks off the sofa, etc. (and their parents know them too, so they can help you enforce them). It’s your home, set limits! Also, remember child safety rules; keep all prescription medicines and vitamins out of their reach, and make sure knives and pot handles are kept out of reach and there are no little ones around when you’re opening and closing the oven door, while you’re cooking, too.
15. Don’t forget about the pets. Make sure there is plenty of dog/cat food. If you have to keep your pets away from your guest, give them a dry/warm/comfortable area to stay for the day. Make sure they have food, water, and a special treat, too! Clean pet hair from the furniture with a lint roller. This is a good job for kids. Tell them you’ll give them a treat for each section of roller they FILL up. They’ll do a great job for you!
16. Make sure you have all baby needs covered for the day; diapers, formula, wipes, children’s Tylenol, clean clothes, etc. This is not the day to come up short on these things!
17. Make sure you have these items on hand: toilet paper, paper towels, clean towels in the bathroom, batteries for camera, game & TV remotes, Tylenol (for you and your kids), plenty of hand soap in the dispensers, dish soap, trash bags, clean kitchen sponge.
18. Plan a simple breakfast for Thanksgiving morning. I usually make a bigpot of rice pudding (oatmeal would work, too). Its fills us up for the morning ‘til the big meal. Also, nobody should be messing up the kitchen trying to feed their faces unless they’re helping you and cleaning up after themselves!!! Kick them out of the kitchen if they’re not being productive and give them something to do!!!
19: Everyone should have a job to do. Each of my 5 kids have a dish that they are responsible for. They cook them in shifts and over the years, I’ve overseen them as they cook. Now that they’re all old enough I don’t have to oversee them so much, but just make sure each one is done at specific times.
20. I make a TO Do list at least a week before listing all the cleaning and house preparations that need to be done; mow & trim the lawn, pull weeds,dust, mop, vacuum, wash windows, clean patio furniture, etc. Then I either delegate them or let everyone pick what they want. If it’s all done by Wednesday before the sun goes down order pizza or treat your family to an ice cream sundae night!
21. Expect something to happen that will catch you off guard – but be ready for it! Someone might spill something, or a dish might be forgotten about in the oven, someone might have forgotten to bring a dish or decided to bring something you’re not expecting. Decide now to not make a big deal out of those unexpected things. It’s not the end of the world – or the end of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is going to happen regardless of whether or not things go your way, so you may as well go with the flow with a smile on your face and the decision to enjoy your day.
22. PEOPLE are coming to your house!!! Some of them you get along with, and others you might not. Remember that YOU are the only one that can ruin your holiday. If you know that someone is coming over that has a tendency to say things that can dampen the atmosphere then you have to expect them to be themselves – you can’t change them or expect them to be any different. Their behavior is not a reflection on you, but your reaction to it is. So, smile through it and don’t let them control YOUR mood! Love them anyway and bless them with an extra piece of pie with lots of whipped cream.
23. Finally, before you do ANYTHING on Thanksgiving morning, stop and pray for the day. Pray for peace in your home and on your mood, extra energy, wisdom in strategizing the day’s events, safe travels for your guests, and that you’ll be used to love and bless them. Then, after your turkey is in the oven, take 10 minutes or so and have a cup of tea or coffee to prepare your heart to serve.
Thank you, Donna!
Great tips...#18 is my favorite. Let me know if you enjoyed the tips. If you have any tips to add to the list, feel free to share.
Happy Thanksgiving!