This time of year is an excellent time to remember all the things that we have to be grateful for, but sometimes planning a large holiday meal can be a little overwhelming. It’s easy to get carried away and put a little too much on our plate–both figuratively and literally. If you are planning a big holiday meal, here are ten tips you can use to make your season a little easier:

1) Plan ahead. This may seem obvious, but it can be extremely helpful to actually draw up (or write down) a plan to prepare for your Thanksgiving meal. Determine who you will delegate certain responsibilities to, and give them a written reminder to help them help you.

2) Determine which foods you can make in advance. A lot of Thanksgiving preparations can be done well in advance. Deserts can be ready a few days early, veggies can be chopped the day before, and many other dishes, like cranberry sauce, salad dressing, and appetizers can be done before Thanksgiving day.

3) Mix together dry ingredients the night before. Maybe you can’t do the entire dish early, but you can get everything set up to throw together Thanksgiving morning. Have all your measurements done early, and you’ll be a happy camper.

4) Forget the whole thing and just go to Denny’s. Wait, no. That’s not right. I don’t know how that one got in here.

5) Have the kids set the table. This can serve two purposes: first it will save you the effort and time required to set the table yourself, and, second, if you have the children design and create the centerpieces, they will have a fun activity that can keep them out of the kitchen–and out of your hair.

6) Make your dinner pot-luck. Delegating the dishes to different family members or friends can take a lot of pressure off you and give you more time to do the important things, like watch football and pick at the food before it’s properly served.

Tags: Food Holiday Preparation Thanksgiving