Use this printable Thanksgiving meal planner to get organized for dinner so you can relax and spend time with friends and family.
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Thanksgiving is all about dinner. Whether you’re technically eating in the middle of the day or later in the evening, it all revolved around the dinner table.
If you’re hosting for the first time, it might feel a bit daunting to plan the big day. I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving, since we celebrate with friends and not our extended family) for many years.
I used to worry about every detail, but after I while I realized that with a little planning, Thanksgiving Day doesn’t have to be too stressful.
Thanksgiving planning tips
The areas where I usually get stuck are when I’m trying to do too many things by myself on turkey day. One of my favorite Thanksgiving dinner hosting tips is to hand some of the prep tasks off to guests and my family.
It’s also important to do most of the meal planning several days or even weeks ahead of time. I put together a one-page printable that makes it super easy to do just that.
1. Finalize your guest list.
Aim to have your guest list firm at least 2 weeks ahead of time. Longer is better if you can, but keep in mind that somebody might change their plans.
2. Make a menu.
It should include appetizers, your entree, sides, bread, dessert, and drinks. Make sure you’ve considered your guests’ dietary restrictions and allergies.
3. Delegate the cooking of a few items to guests.
Most people have a favorite dish or love the one they grew up with. Let them bring it and check that item off your own to-do list.
4. Make a shopping list.
In a perfect world, you only need to go to the grocery store once, a few days before Thanksgiving. Of course, you can stock up on some things earlier, like baking supplies or frozen cranberries.
5. Cook a few dishes ahead of time.
While some things will need to be cooked the same day, pumpkin pie is really better the next day. The dressing can be prepared and assembled the day before, then put into the oven before dinner time.
6. Write out a cooking schedule for Thanksgiving Day.
Decide what time you want to eat and count backward. Check the cooking time and temperature for every item going in the oven. Plan it out so that you don’t have too many dishes competing for the same space.
Thanksgiving meal planner
I made a cute and simple printable Thanksgiving meal planner to organize everything on one page. It’s simple but will make a huge difference if you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner.
It includes space to write out your meal plan, make a shopping list, and map out what your cooking schedule is for Thanksgiving Day.
By reader request, I also made a slightly different version for people who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving (or who just want to plan other dinner parties). It says “Dinner party meal plan” instead of Thanksgiving.
Get the printable
This prints on a regular 8.5×11-inch page, but you can scale it smaller or even use it in a writing app on your iPad. Both versions are included in a single PDF download.
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Check out some other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia but this plan will be just as helpful for Xmas!
Thanks, Stella! I may need to put together a general holiday meal planner for my non-US readers.