Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner

To reduce the strain of preparing and cleaning up your Thanksgiving meal, here are guidelines to help you.

Delegate responsibilities. Defrosting, washing, stuffing, roasting, and carving the turkey is a large task. Ask invitees to bring side dishes. This could include mashed potatoes, yams, home-made cranberry sauce, and green-bean casserole (yuck!). Assign someone the task of making and baking holiday pies. Ask someone else to bring a few pre-meal snacks.

Organize a cleaning brigade. Get people scraping down dishes and discarding scraps into the green recycle bin. Instruct them to put all plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper packaging into the blue bin. Have each person perform a task in handling the dishwashing duties. Assign roles of washer, rinser, wiper, and storer.

Prepare storage containers. Label storage containers to avoid confusion for someone else with less organizational skills.

Have stain removers on hand. Guests who accidentally stain your carpet with red wine, for instance, can relax you have the situation under control with quick spot-cleaning products.

Don't expect perfection. If the timing of the hot meal items is off, relax. Make a joke and get everyone laughing. The point is to not only feast, but to have a good time being together.

Don't rush. Thanksgiving meal preparation is a long day's work. Proceed at a pace that is comfortable for you, and enjoy the company of everyone in the kitchen helping you to get dinner on the table.

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