Tip of the Week – Get Ahead for Thanksgiving!

Although it’s too soon to actually start cooking that special meal, I love ideas that will give me a head start on the big dinner – and while I’ve detailed a few of those suggestions in a Thanksgiving Countdown Planner, here are a few more very easy things that you can do to get ahead:

Get Practical Now

• Self clean your oven.
• Stock up on disposable plastic containers, saran wrap, tin foil and food storage bags for easy clean up.
• Clean out your refrigerator, getting rid of everything you can!  Think – old condiments, salad dressings, and such.  Make as much room as possible for your Thanksgiving meal.
• Are you tired of gathering chairs from around the house?  Call now to rent chairs – they’ll all match on turkey day and be gone with the leftovers!
• Trying a new recipe?  Practice now!
• Shop for non-perishables – it will make the final shopping trip much easier!

And Again, a Day or Two Ahead

• Clear your countertops of all unnecessary appliances and decorations.
• Write out and post a copy of your entire menu in the kitchen (listing even the little things like butter!)
• Use post-its to label a dish, bowl or platter for every dish to be served.

Here’s to a stress free and delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!

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You may also enjoy:

• Thanksgiving Fun for Kids
• Thanksgiving Count Down
• Thanksgiving Turducken
• Thanksgiving Cocktail Party
• Thanksgiving Faux Wishbones
• Decorating Your Thanksgiving Table

Fun Ideas for Kids’ Activities on Thanksgiving!

On Thanksgiving, between the cooking, baking and football watching, our youngest guests might feel a bit left out! And so, here are some ideas for engaging and entertaining the little ones with some fun Thanksgiving Day activities while you’re getting dinner on the table!

Kids’ Activities for Before Thanksgiving Dinner!

Identify Family Members in Old Photos

Give the children a big basket of old family photos – the older the better – and have them try to identify aunts, uncles and grandparents!

Create Paper Turkey Feathers with Inscriptions of Thankfulness

• Assign the older children the job of cutting feathers out of multi-colored construction paper.
• Have the children interview each other and the adults to find out what they are most thankful for. Inscribe the feathers with each item of thankfulness.
• Share the “feathers” at the dinner table!

Create Fun Thanksgiving Party Favors and Treats

Set out a small array of snacks and have the children pack cellophane bags with a “Harvest Blessing Mix.” Fill five bowls with the following snacks:

• Bugles – representing the cornucopia
• Pretzels – for arms folded in thanks and prayer
• Candy Corn – five for each bag, representing the five daily kernels of corn allotted to the pilgrims during the first winter
• Candy fruits – reminding children of the harvest
• Sunflower Seeds – seeds remind us of the bountiful harvest that we can enjoy if they are planted and tended.

Close the bags with ribbon and attach a printable tag from familycrafts.about.com and send everyone home with this unique party favor!

Offer an Adorable Toy for the Five and Under Set

Fisher-Price offers the cutest “Little People” Thanksgiving play sets! The “Thanksgiving Celebration” set includes 13 pieces – pilgrims, Indians, benches, tables, turkey platter and more! (Little People Thanksgiving Celebration, $29.77)  The “Mayflower” set has the toddler version of this famous ship which rolls and plays songs and sounds, too. More accessories are also included! (Little People Mayflower Playset, $43.48, 73.25 for both)  Both toys are catalog and online exclusives.

Kids’ Activities and Fun Treats for Thanksgiving Day Dinner

Cover the “Kids” Table with Brown Paper

Cover the “kids” table with brown paper and set out crayons and markers for Thanksgiving dinner entertainment. If you have an extra minute or two, scallop the edges of the paper with scissors.

Make Cornucopia Place Cards

Before the big dinner, have your own children make stuffed cornucopia place cards for all of the children that will be at your home for Thanksgiving dinner!  (For images of a beautiful kids’ thanksgiving table including these cornupcopias, see Thanksgiving Day Decorations)

• Trim sugar ice cream cones with ribbon and lay them on their sides in the style of traditional cornucopias.
• Pipe the children’s names onto the cone with icing or make a paper name tag and attach it to the ribbon.
• Fill the cones with candy fruit, candy corn, or whatever you’d like that most resembles the harvest bounty! (as seen in Family Fun Magazine!)

Buy or Create Your Own Dinner Conversation Starters

Get great dinner conversations going with Table Talkers or Conversation Starters! (The Thanksgiving Box of Questions, $19.95) If you’re industrious or have older children, try creating your own version!

Let Everyone Make a Wish on a Turkey Wishbone!

Before dinner is over, let everyone have the chance to make a wish on a turkey wishbone! Take a look at Lucky Break’s faux plastic wishbones and consider adding this fun activity to your celebration!

I hope that these ideas inspire you to add some extra fun for the kids this Thanksgiving!

Are you planning a fun Thanksgiving activity, craft or game for children this year? I’d love to hear your ideas for making thanksgiving fun for kids!

For more on Thanksgiving, see:

• Thanksgiving Day Preparations and Decorations
• Thanksgiving Countdown
• Thanksgiving Table Decorations
• Thanksgiving Cocktail Party
• Thanksgiving Turducken

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Does your family fight over who gets to pull the Thanksgiving turkey wishbone?  If your answer is “yes,” as is mine, you’ll just love this ADORABLE item from Lucky Break! This site offers a very unique product:  faux wishbones!!  Sold in sets of 4, 5, 8 or 10, these plastic wishbones will let everyone at the dinner table have a chance to make a wish!  I’m planning on using these at my thanksgiving table this year!

Here’s to getting your wish!  Happy Thanksgiving!

For more on Thanksgiving, see:

• Thanksgiving Fun for Kids
• Thanksgiving Countdown
• Thanksgiving Table Decorations
• Thanksgiving Turducken
• Thanksgiving Cocktail Party

Tags: thanksgiving wishbones, wishbones, faux, faux wishbones, thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Decorations!

As I just finished putting away my many Halloween decorations and took out my very few Thanksgiving decorations, I thought that Busy Bee readers might like to purchase a bit of Thanksgiving decor!

Vintage Candles

I just love these vintage inspired candles from Wisteria!  Evoking memories of meals at my grandmother’s home, these candles are Pilgrims and Native Americans of varying sizes and when arranged on a tray, will make a perfect centerpiece! (Vintage Inspired Candles, $19 – 21)

Darling Accessories for the “kids’ Table”

Since this may not be the favorite seat in the house, make the kids’ table more special this year with adorable accessories from Pottery Barn Kids!  This colorful set includes plates, tumblers and your choice of placemats or tablecloth!  These fun and bright table wares will please all of your younger guests!

Decorations of All Kinds

The retailers at Christmas Traditions also offer an extensive line of Thanksgiving decorations!  Here you’ll find Pilgrim and Native American figurines, turkeys of every imaginable shape and size as well as serving ware and candles.  My favorites, just to point out a few choices, include:

• Give Thanks Garland – using vintage reproduction papers, this glittery garland spells out ”Give Thanks” on 7′ of tinsel. (Thanksgiving Garland, item # NW535014, $29.99)
• Pumpkin and Grapes Pillow – this felt pillow features hand stitched appliqued decorations! (Felt Pillow, item # NW535014, $19.99)
• Thanksgiving Treat Buckets - glittery and vintagey, this set of four treat containers when filled, would make perfect place cards or favors at your Thanksgiving table! (Thanksgiving Treat Buckets, item #TD4138, $32.99/4)
• You’ll have to scroll down the page on this site quite a bit and use the item numbers to find these decorations, but they are a unique find!

Best wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving and a well dressed home!

You may also enjoy:

• Thanksgiving Day Preparations and Decorations
• Thanksgiving Fun for Kids
• Decorating Your Thanksgiving Table
• Fabulous Thanksgiving Day Cocktail Party

Host a Fabulous Thanksgiving Cocktail Party!

I know that this might sound like an untraditional way to celebrate a very classic holiday, but modern families are not necessarily traditional!  If you are living away from your family or aren’t the “married with 2.5 kids,” this might be the perfect plan for you!  Gather a circle of friends, coworkers or neighbors who share your situation, and host a sophisticated soiree, with no one sitting at the kid’s table!

Invitations

Choose a clever way to invite your guests to this novel party!

• Consider the trendy “Fall Place Setting” invitation from Impress In Print (30 for $38.28, pictured above)
• From Tiny Prints, this is a crisp, modern way to invite guests for Thanksgiving dinner! (pictured right, Good Eats, 20 for $28.80)
• And for a more subtle, sophisticated look, this invitation is perfect from the wonderful new site, Minted! (Autumn Wreath, 25 for $60)

Menu

Since you’ve already broken with tradition, plan a simple assortment of finger foods, like shrimp cocktail, gourmet cheeses and crackers or any of the other appetizer recipes listed on Busy Bee!

If you’d like to serve turkey- try an unconventional approach:

• Slice roasted turkey breast and make small, open faced sandwiches.  Offer a variety of tricky toppings!
• Some unique garnishes could include recipes from the Food Network for Vidalia Onion Marmalade, Cranberry Relish or Apricot Jalapeno Chutney.
• For an easier sandwich topping, consider an assortment of store bought flavored mayonnaises or caramelized onions!
• You could also introduce your guests to the increasingly popular “turducken” by purchasing one of these elaborate birds and slicing it into small, cocktail sized servings! See Thanksgiving Turducken.

Cocktails

I found some terrific fall cocktail recipes on-line that would be just perfect for a Thanksgiving Cocktail Party! From Cocktail Times comes the Pumpkin Pie Martini, from Drink Swap I read about the Thanksgiving Cocktail Drink with apple brandy and a Spiked Apple Cider was compliments of Rachel Ray!

I hope that these ideas inspire you to consider ways to celebrate Thanksgiving that are out of the ordinary, but still embody the spirit of caring, friendship and thankfulness that set apart this distinctly American holiday!  Happy Thanksgiving!

For more on Thanksgiving, see:

• Thanksgiving Table Decorations
• Thanksgiving Faux Wishbones
• Thanksgiving Fun for Kids
• Thanksgiving Countdown

Tags: thanksgiving cocktail party, thanksgiving cocktails, fun, fabulous thanksgiving cocktail party, ideas for a thanksgiving cocktail party