20 Ways You Should Get Ready for Thanksgiving Right Now

Sit down calmly, before the last-minute preparations begin and panic threatens to set in, and write down everything you have to do to ensure that your Thanksgiving dinner is a success. Start with the recommendations in this story, and then, as the big day nears, fill in the last-minute activities — like making and refrigerating casseroles, cleaning and trimming vegetables, thawing the turkey if necessary, brining the turkey (if your recipe calls for it), etc.

Everything — from menu, size of turkey, number of plates and glasses needed, seating chart, etc — stems from how many people you’ll be serving. It’s always nice to be a little flexible in case you want to add a last-minute guest or two (or in case somebody drops out), but you should get the basic roster finished as soon as possible.

What will you do to ensure that COVID-19 isn’t an uninvited guest at your table? If circumstances permit, the best plan is to exclude any unvaccinated friends or family members from the festivities — but this will be difficult if not impossible in many cases, especially when children are among the guests.

Whether or not everyone present has had their shots, gathering in a well-ventilated room (with windows open if possible) or even outside (if you live in a place where the climate permits it) is ideal. You might also consider buying a HEPA air purification system for the occasion.

Keeping the gathering as small as is practical is a good idea, too. One Harvard epidemiologist plans to administer rapid antigen tests to every guest before he or she enters and ban anyone who tests positive, but that’s hardly practical for most of us. Ultimately, each host needs to decide what the ground rules should be, based on his or her personal situation and tolerance for risk.

In the time before COVID-19, this was usually the major health issue Thanksgiving hosts had to deal with — and it’s still a matter of legitimate concern. True allergies are serious business — you don’t want the EMTs arriving suddenly as unexpected guests.

The gluten intolerant can usually do just fine at Thanksgiving by simply avoiding the stuffing (and parts of the turkey it may have touched), the rolls, and the pies. It’s also a good idea to avoid putting known allergens like peanuts in anything.

Vegetarians and vegans can usually find plenty of acceptable side dishes to fill them up (you can always make a separate bowl of mashed potatoes and serve it with a cruet of good olive oil instead of butter or gravy) — or consider adding a tofu-based turkey substitute to the menu for them.

If you have a large group of family and/or friends, especially if many of them see each other only once a year, this can be tricky, but it’s important. Don’t let people sit just anywhere, unless it’s a smallish group and you know that everybody gets along.

Long, large dinners, especially when alcohol is involved, can get contentious, and it’s best to keep potential antagonists apart. Put your Bernie Sanders-supporting grandmother and your brother-in-law with the MAGA hat — or your emergency room nurse friend and your anti-vaxxer cousin — at opposite ends of the table, for instance (but on the same side, so they can’t easily see each other).

Once you know how many people are coming to dinner and their dietary restrictions, it’s time to decide what you’re going to serve. That usually means turkey, but there are alternatives, including goose, duck, capon, and even a whole fish or vegan Tofurkey.

There are some side dishes that almost everybody seems to expect, like mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and stuffing, but beyond that, the host has considerable leeway. The possibilities are endless. Choose what you like and offer a good variety of sides, but don’t overdo it.

There’s plenty of guidance for this task online, but as a general rule, once you know more or less how many guests you’ll have, figure about 1½ pounds per person if you want leftovers (and who doesn’t want Thanksgiving leftovers?). If you’re serving eight, for instance, a 12-pound turkey would be perfect. If you don’t care about leftovers, about a pound per person should be sufficient (remember that a lot of the weight is bone), though for birds weighing more than 16 pounds, a little less would be okay, as larger turkeys tend to have a higher meat-to-bone ratio.

When you pre-order or buy your bird, ask for its approximate dimensions. Once you know how big it is, make sure that you have a roasting pan large enough to hold it comfortably — and that the roasting pan, with turkey, will fit into your oven.

You know that you’re going to need a turkey (unless you decide to go some non-traditional route), and you should order it immediately if you haven’t already; even frozen supermarket birds can sell out early. Beyond that, now that you have your menu figured out, write down a preliminary list of all the ingredients you think you’ll need. Keep it somewhere handy so you can add to it as other items occur to you.

For some hosts, a vase of flowers and a few candles are decoration enough — and some don’t even bother with that. If you plan to get a little more elaborate — branches laden with brightly hued leaves on the sideboard; a cornucopia full of autumn fruits in the middle of the table; a seasonal door wreath; or whatever — now’s the time to start deciding what you want and where you’re going to get it.

Unless you’re the formal sort, plates, silverware, and glasses don’t have to match, as long as everything is in decent shape. Just make sure you have enough for everyone who’s expected at your table. And don’t forget platters, serving bowls, and serving utensils. You know by now what’s on the menu, so match up every dish with something to put it in. If you come up short, you’ve still got time to buy, rent, or borrow what you need.

At large Thanksgiving meals, sometimes somebody ends up sitting on the couch with a plate of turkey on his or her lap. If you have a small or informal household, maybe that’s okay, but most hosts will want everyone at the table (or tables), and they all need something to sit on. Rec-center-style folding chairs are okay if necessary, but remember that Thanksgiving feasts tend to go on for a long time, and you want your guests to be as comfortable as possible.

You’ve counted guests and counted chairs. Now try putting all of the latter around the table to make sure they fit — and not just barely fit but fit comfortably because nobody wants to be jabbed by an elbow every time a neighbor cuts a bite of turkey or reaches for the cranberry sauce.

If you come up short with glasses, plates, chairs, even tables, consider getting in touch with nearby family, friends, or neighbors. If your support network can’t provide, try a party rental company — but do so as soon as possible, as there’s a lot of demand for these items around the holidays.

The timing for this step will depend on how soon your turkey will arrive and how far in advance you plan to do your other shopping. Turkeys are huge and need plenty of space in the refrigerator. You might also need extra room in the freezer if you’re preparing certain foods ahead of time, like pie crusts (see below).

Whether you plan to serve spiked punch, an array of cocktails, autumnal beers, or turkey-friendly wines — or all of the above — now’s the time to figure out what’s on the drinks list. You’ll also need to compute how much of everything you’ll need and where to buy it at the best price. And don’t forget plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, too — plain and sparkling water, fruit juices, sodas, tea and coffee.

This is one step that will save you a lot of time (and oven space) on the big day itself. Pie crusts freeze well, so make them ahead of time, wrap them well, and stash them in sealed freezer bags next to the ice cubes and the Ben and Jerry’s. (Nobody will know, by the way, if you just buy premade crusts and put those in the freezer instead.)

As turkey day approaches, your refrigerator will fill up with ingredients and finished dishes reserved for the holiday — and your days will fill up with preparations. Relieve the pressure — and discourage family members from digging into the Thanksgiving goods — by making some easy-to-freeze meals ahead of time (casseroles, meatloaf, lasagna, etc.) and freezing them for daily use in the days just before the holiday.

You’ve already ensured that you’ve got enough vessels in which to cook and serve your meal, but remember the aftermath. Chances are you’ll want to send some of your guests home with leftovers, and/or keep some for yourself, so you’ll need to have plenty of plastic containers, both solid and soft, to hold them.

If youngsters are part of the guest list, you’ll likely want to give them their own table. They’ll also need their own beverages, of course, and if they’re particularly young or picky, they might be happier with a cheese quesadilla or a PB&J than with turkey, yams, and Brussels sprouts. But the menu is only part of it. Chances are they’ll eat and run — around the house. Set up video games or other amusements for them if possible and let them know that it’s fine for them to excuse themselves and go have fun after they’ve eaten. Don’t worry: They’ll be back when it’s time for the pumpkin pie.