GETTING READY FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

GETTING READY FOR THE BIG BIRD PROJECT - HOW MUCH TURKEY?

Estimate 1 pound per person, which allows for seconds or leftovers. The larger turkeys are very chesty with lots of breast meat, so you will get more servings from a big bird.
If you need to cook more than 1 turkey here's a suggestion. In one oven, roast a large turkey to present on the table; it can be carved as everyone admires it. In a second oven, roast some turkey parts. The turkey parts will only take an hour or two to roast and can be covered loosely with aluminum foil and keep them in a warm place until ready to serve. OR cooked the night before and reheated. (It is not recommended to hold cooked poultry for longer than 1 hour.)

Two Weeks Before:

1. Make a list of everything you will need to purchase, borrow or get together. This includes extra seats, linens, place settings, candles, flowers, as well as all the ingredients for each dish you plan to serve.

2. Consider asking guests to bring a specific dish. Family members who love to cook will be delighted to be asked. TIP: ask them to bring the food in a serving dish - ovenproof if it needs to be heated.

3. If ordering food, ingredients or dishes, order well in advance.

4. Invite someone you know who will be alone for Thanksgiving, to share with you and your family.

5. Send thank you's to people who've made a difference in your life:: Send a note thanking a teacher, or a congressman who voted for something you believe in, a celebrity who is promoting a good cause, local people who are making a difference, and to anyone you love for being the person they are. "Thanks for being You"

Two Days Before:

1. Purchase as many items as possible.

2. If you are going to use place cards to avoid igniting old family feuds, now is the time to prepare them and to decide on guest seating.

The Day Before:

1. Prepare any desserts or side dishes.

2. Take a few minutes to work out a timetable or game plan. TIP: work backward from when you want to serve the meal.

3. Enlist your family to help tidy and clean the house.

4. Check the guest bathroom for fresh soap and towels.

5. Start setting the table with linens, candles etc.

6. Start collecting together all the china, cutlery and dishes.

The Big Day:

1. Badger, beg or bribe your family to help with last minute chores.

2. Every child seven and up knows how to be a TV reporter. Send him off with a video camera and a set of questions to ask family or friends and then play it back for the family during football halftime or after dinner.

3. Assign tasks to each child or adult. For example, answering the door, taking coats, serving snacks, and clearing dishes.

4. Have Thanksgiving Brunch while watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

5. If the weather permits have Thanksgiving dinner in a park, at a lake or in the backyard

6. Set the table. If you decide to have a kid's table, consider using a paper tablecloth and provide crayons. Not only will this keep them occupied, but who wouldn't feel delightfully naughty drawing on the tablecloth?

7. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.
Psalm 93: 1, 2

I thank you God for most this amazing day; for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is infinite which is yet.
~E E Cummings ~

8. Each person names one thing they are thankful for using letters in Thanksgiving. It's one of those times when we feel good for saying out loud what's right in our lives.

T is for turkey on Thanksgiving Day,
H is for "Hurry, I'm hungry!" we say
A is for Auntie, she works and she mends,
N is for Native American friends.
K is for kitchen, the oven's on low,
S is for silverware, set in a row.
G is for Grandma, the one we love most,
I is for inside, where we're warm as toast.
V is for vegetables, eat them we try,
I is for ice cream on top of the pie.
N is for never do we have enough dressing,
G is for Grandpa, who gives thanks for our blessings.
~ Unknown Author ~

9. Adults can tell how they celebrated Thanksgiving as a child.

10. Fill the sink with soapy water. As soon as each course is cleared, soak the cutlery and dishes.

11. Organize yourself so that you and your family can take a walk, hike after the meal. Make the excursion in the spirit of thankfulness.

12. Finally, relax, enjoy and be thankful to have your family and friends with you on this special day.