{"id":40214,"date":"2018-11-04T17:42:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-04T22:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=40214"},"modified":"2018-11-05T07:55:34","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T12:55:34","slug":"nine-tips-for-hosting-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=40214","title":{"rendered":"Nine Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s no secret around here that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and we enjoy every minute of it.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0 special family time when our children, their spouses, and the grandchildren commit to being together.\u00a0 We don’t always have a traditional gathering.\u00a0 For instance, last year we met up for a long weekend in Williamsburg, VA,<\/a> but we do always celebrate together.\u00a0 This year, everyone is coming to Lexington for Thanksgiving, and I’m so excited to have them all here in our new home.\u00a0 Having a house full of weekend guests can be stressful, but if you have a plan, then things go more smoothly.\u00a0 We have nine tips for hosting Thanksgiving that are no-fail, and we are sharing them with you today.\u00a0 We hope they help you out.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Don’t Over Commit<\/h2>\n

If your home can’t accommodate a large group of people, then only commit to hosting a number that you can handle.\u00a0 Everyone will have more fun if they are comfortable.<\/p>\n

\"Ralph<\/p>\n

Have a Plan<\/h2>\n

If you will be hosting out of towners for several nights, then be aware of activities they can do during their down time.\u00a0 Pick up some brochures from your local tourist office that list parks, restaurants, hiking trails, movie theaters, museums, etc. that they can visit.\u00a0 Perhaps you can prepare some craft activities for the children to do.\u00a0 Also, if there are some shopping fans, know when the local stores open for Black Friday.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Prepare a Menu<\/h2>\n

Whenever I am entertaining, I prepare a menu. I write a detailed list of all the meals I am cooking and what I will serve at each meal.\u00a0 I write a grocery shopping list at the same time I prepare the menus.\u00a0 If it’s on paper, than it’s one less thing to worry about.\u00a0 Remember to include the meals for the whole weekend.\u00a0 I discovered one year that I had not planned for breakfast on Friday morning, but thank goodness I had all of the ingredients on hand to make these pancakes.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Spring<\/p>\n

Clean Early<\/h2>\n

Most of us like to do some special cleaning when we are hosting a big gathering.\u00a0 Do those big deep cleaning jobs early.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shop During the Off Hours<\/h2>\n

Try to do your grocery shopping during the off hours.\u00a0 Grocery stores aren’t as crowded early in the morning and later in the evenings after dinner.\u00a0 If you plan to use a shopping service, get on their schedule now for Thanksgiving week.\u00a0 Go to the big box stores during\u00a0 their off hours, too.<\/p>\n

\"Fall<\/p>\n

Follow Traditions<\/h2>\n

When we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Lexington, we all participate in a 10k race that morning.\u00a0 The race is a huge family event here that draws tons of runners, walkers, babies in strollers, and dogs on leashes.\u00a0 It’s also a fundraiser so we are helping out while having fun.\u00a0 If we are at Jordan’s, then we go to the annual Christmas parade.\u00a0 We also usually go to a movie together.\u00a0 Early in our marriage, I always made a Christmas craft with my mother, and it was a wonderful tradition that I will always cherish.\u00a0 If you don;t have any traditions, now is a good time to start some.\u00a0 You might like to do this<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Use<\/p>\n

Take an Inventory<\/h2>\n

Be sure to go through your linens, dishes, glasses, etc. early, and make sure they are all in tip top condition,\u00a0 I did this when we moved in.\u00a0 I washed and ironed every napkin, placemat, and tablecloth and discarded any stained items.\u00a0 I also polished the silver and washed all of the china and crystal.\u00a0 By doing it now, you will have plenty of time to purchase replacements<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(similar thankful shirt available here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Say Yes<\/h2>\n

When the time arrives, and you are in the trenches doing the cooking, cleaning, etc., accept any help that is offered.\u00a0 Don’t be a kitchen martyr and do it all yourself.\u00a0 We came up with this great idea <\/a>that is a real help during the actual Thanksgiving meal.<\/p>\n

\"Nine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We love helping people lighten their load, and we hope these nine tips for hosting Thanksgiving will help you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Take care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s no secret around here that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and we enjoy every minute of it.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0 special family time when our children, their spouses, and the grandchildren commit to being together.\u00a0 We don’t always have a traditional gathering.\u00a0 For instance, last year we met up for a long weekend in Williamsburg, VA, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40214"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40214"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40223,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40214\/revisions\/40223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}