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| Courtesy of Bitstrips via Facebook |
For those of you who are at home getting ready for the big Thanksgiving dinner and have managed to find yourself stuck in "Last Minute Limbo", I've been searching around for some good, creative, and quick tips to help make your celebration a sure success! Since it is the day before Thanksgiving, I highly recommend you setup your tables and chairs ahead to make sure that: a. you'll have plenty of room for your guests b. you have plenty of seating for your guests. and c. because it's just easier and less work for you to fool with tomorrow.
Last minute decorating ideas: If you've been scrambling around trying to find pretty autumn/thanksgiving decorations and come up empty handed, don't worry about it. Thanksgiving is a simple holiday to prepare for, so you don't have to worry about going overboard with decorations and designs. If you do want to spice up your entertaining space just a little bit, dress up your tables with some pretty festive tablecloths. Even if you don't have any holiday specific covers or colors, make sure that you're fixing the space up so that it is warm and comfortable. Centerpieces can also make for a great decoration and they're easy to put together. Try adding a collection of flower arrangements, pumpkins, baskets, and candles to create a simple but structured centerpiece for your tables. You could even use name tags for the guests sitting at each table for decoration as well (especially if you have a large group, this may help to keep things more organized). Here are some sample ideas I found to give you a little inspiration:
Last minute craft/activity ideas: My family isn't very big, but I can remember a few thanksgivings where there would be a few kids (myself included) and we would easily get bored while everyone else enjoyed each other's company. Let's face it, most kids are glued to the TV from 9am to noon watching The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but after that goes off what do you do if the food isn't ready? Traditionally when I was younger, I would try to just watch a movie until I was called for to go and eat. However, I notice more people prefer to leave the TV off after the parade is over. So for some activity ideas to keep the kids busy, try putting together some Thanksgiving Coloring Pages that you can print out and have them decorate. If you don't have any markers or crayons to use, call up the parents or other family members and ask if they can bring some materials with them to help keep the kids entertained. If you have any red, yellow, orange, or brown pieces of construction paper, consider having the kids decorate their own leaves for them to cut out. The leaves can then be placed on the table for additional decorations, or have the kids (as well as adult guests) write on each leaf what they're thankful for. This can easily be used as a conversation starter or potential game later on. 
Last minute food preparations: While everyone likes, and expects, their meals to be freshly prepared the DAY OF Thanksgiving, the reality is that as humans you can only do so much. Anything that you can cook or prepare ahead of time, DO IT TONIGHT! Go ahead and get your plates and dishes ready for setup. Entrees and sides like salad, fruit cups, crackers, veggie trays, etc. are fine to put together tonight. If you're going to use raw vegetables and fruits, I suggest wrapping them up and then placing in them in the fridge over night to help keep them fresh and cool. Hot foods sadly have to wait until tomorrow. Some people I know will use a slow cooker to help cook hot dishes overnight- this may work, but I personally don't recommend it for the sake of safety and so you can get plenty of sleep tonight! I mean come on, who wants to wake up to the smell of beef stew at 3am? Finally, if you haven't done so already, go through your fridge and pantry to make sure you have plenty of EVERYTHING- beverages, desserts, sugar, bread, crackers, etc. Don't forget your condiments as well- butter, salt & pepper, honey, whatever you think your guests will need to enhance their eating experience. It's important that you have everything you need so you'll have at least a few hours tonight to make a quick run to the market if you forgot something. Keep in mind, many stores will be closed tomorrow HOWEVER, I have noticed that some places will be open either briefly for the day or to give crazy Black Friday shoppers a head-start. Either way, I don't recommend you wait 'til tomorrow because any store you do visit will probably have dozens of people shopping for the same reason or you'll run into the crazies looking for that new flat screen TV for $30- Seriously, be prepared and just stay home!Alright my friends, that's all of my Last Minute Thanksgiving ideas for you! If you'd like to share your last minute tips with fellow readers, feel free to leave any comments or messages on this post! If you're cooking and/or hosting your party tomorrow, I wish you all the patience and joy in the world to your upcoming delicious feast and your hard work in preparing for it! If you are unfortunately working tomorrow, I hope your shift will fly by quickly so you can spend time with your family and relax at home. If you are currently traveling for Thanksgiving, safe travels to your destination and I dedicate this special song to you. I tend to hear this song for Christmas, but I think it's also fitting for Thanksgiving as well.
Happy Cooking, Crafting, Eating, and Every Thing in Between! I'll see you tomorrow for a special Thanksgiving greeting to all of you, my wonderful readers! Have a great Wednesday everyone!
*Images used in this post were collected from Google Images. I do not own any of the pictures used and I give credit to the photographers and owners of each image used. I also do not own Bitstrips and acknowledge it as a free app for public use on Facebook. The song "Celebrate Me Home" is owned by Kenny Loggins and other involved producers and songwriters. I do not own this song or have any rights to Kenny Loggins. No Copyright Infringement Intended.
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