Thanksgiving Preparation Timeline
One Month Before:
- Finalize guest list and send invitations.
- Finalize your menu and make shopping list (perishables and non-perishables separate so you can take care of some shopping ahead of time).
Two weeks before:
- Check serving bowls and decide which serving bowls and platters you will be using on Thanksgiving. I have a huge platter that I put both the turkey and the stuffing on, a beautiful lined silver bowl for cranberry sauce, and serving bowls that match my china for the mashed potatoes and other vegetables.
- Polish your silver get your candlesticks etc. table ready.
- Arrange to borrow any tables, if necessary.
- Order centerpieces or flowers needed to make them yourself.
One Week Before or weekend before Thanksgiving:
- Buy non-perishable food items
- Make your final seating chart (and place cards)
- Iron linens and hang them so they are ready for the table. If they are washable you can wait to do this, put them in the dryer (dry) before you set the table or spray them with a wrinkle releaser product. Again, only if they are washable linens – do not try this with Grandma’s lace tablecloth.
- Buy the wine.
- Put sticky notes in the serving bowls so you know what dish you are using for each dish you are preparing.
- Get your house ready for company or consider hiring a cleaning service to help you out with this.
Monday before Thanksgiving:
Tuesday before Thanksgiving:
- Take care of last minute shopping (turkey, bread for stuffing, etc)
- Pick up or make your centerpieces. Keep flowers in the fridge until Thursday AM. Make sure you have candles as well.
Wednesday Before Thanksgiving:
- Roast the squash, flavor it and put it in oven ready dish (covered with plastic wrap).
- Make the mashed potatoes and put them in a metal or glass heat proof bowl. Allow them to cool completely and then put them in the fridge with the plastic wrap touching them to keep them fresh until tomorrow.
- Cut up the herbs, onions, celery, etc. for the stuffing. I like to pulse them a few times in a food processor to save time. I also measure out what is needed for each recipe and save it in a plastic bag labeled with the dish it is needed for.
- Set up buffet table and put tablecloth on it.
Thanksgiving Day:
- Cut up the bread for the stuffing and toast it. Prepare the stuffing.
- Prepare the turkey and stuff it – get it in the oven.
- Set the tables and get out the centerpieces.
- Set up the buffet table with serving dishes and serving spoons so when the food is ready everything will be neatly laid out. It will also prevent you from forgetting anything because the empty dish will remind you to get the cranberry sauce.
- An hour before the turkey will be ready – put the squash in the oven so it can re-heat.
- When the turkey comes out, tent it underneath aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Begin re-heating the mashed potatoes over a double boiler. Add some milk if they become dry.
- As the turkey is being carved, prepare the gravy.
- Put everything in serving bowls and platters, serve the wine, and dinner is served.
