Cozy & Organized Thanksgiving
Where does our stress come from?
Where does the overwhelm start?
Sometimes it comes from saying yes to too many things therefore filling our plate to overflowing with “things to do”.
Sometimes the overwhelm starts where our plans end. I do love the idea of go with the flow, but in life there are moments that do best with a plan.
Like the holidays.
Map It Out
I want you to map out your next two months. You can use a planner or Google calendar for this.
Write out anything that has been planned and scheduled.
One a separate piece of paper, write out everything you want to do this season. Even the mundane house chores like roll up the garden hose, or check the smoke detectors.
Begin to fill in the calendar with those projects you want to do. Be sure there is fun injected in like seeing Christmas lights, decorating the house for Christmas, etc.
Are you planning to do any shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend? If so, when are you going to do it and where are you planning to go?
Example: planning a run to my local Old Navy store will require less time that weekend than a trip to the outlets. If I don’t plan accordingly then I might try to fit too much around the shopping because I wasn’t realistic in how much time it would take (travel, stores to shop, lunch, etc, etc).
It is a valuable exercise to visualize your time.
Walk Out Your Yes
You will be asked to participate/host/volunteer for many things over the next two months. Before saying yes, I want you to walk it out.
Ask about the commitment level and what is expected. Then take that to your “Map” (calendar) and walk it out. See if there is room.
If there isn’t room, then politely decline.
If there is room, then meditate on how this yes will make you feel. Not now but in the midst of all your holiday to-do’s. Evaluate it; is this something that will fill me up or suck me dry?
Answer accordingly.
Who, What, When
Who are you hosting? What are you making? When will the cooking take place? When will the buying take place?
Can you start to buy things now?
via Publix
My #1 tip on cooking without getting overwhelmed is to cater. ;) There are many restaurants that offer catered items during the holidays. Just to name a few:
Bojangles: Cajun Deep Fried Turkey
Cracker Barrel: Thanksgiving for the family
Local “Cafeterias” or small town family style restaurants
Country clubs: turkey to sides to dessert
My #2 tip on meal prepping is to take the list of what you are making and pair it with the dish you intend to cook and serve it in. You may realize that you have 3 side dishes and only 1 roasting dish. With plenty of time to buy another, you can avoid this come Thanksgiving.
I love to buy secondhand casserole dishes and servers. Thrift stores & estate sales are wonderful places to shop.
Utilize your Post-It notes and label the dishes, take a photo so you can reference when it is time to cook.
Identify Your Priorities
What is the most important thing for you this holiday season?
Is it to slow down and rest? Or do you thrive on all the holiday fun and cooking and shopping?
Whatever it is, be sure to keep that front and center as you enter into the most wonderful time of the year.
Organizing is the answer to most any dilemma or stressful situation.
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