Take the Stress out of Thanksgiving

As much as we may look forward to Thanksgiving, there's always a lot of stress involved with the day. Getting everything prepared at the same time when it comes to the meal is only a small part of the stress of Thanksgiving. There are always a lot of little emergencies to deal with, but you can deal with all those little emergencies if you have everything planned and organized.

I really can't stress how important having a game plan is to de-stressing the big, scary holidays. If you've taken a few minutes and drawn up a plan of action, you'll be much better prepared to have a good time.

The folks at Bon Apetit and The Food Network have put together a very handy guide to help you make turkey day a lot more enjoyable. While being organized is a great way to start de-stressing Thanksgiving, there are also some other things you can do in advance to make that special day very special and much calmer.

1. Shop Now for Thanksgiving - Each day, the scene at the grocery store gets a little crazier and, as the day approaches, the situation is going to get even worse. Go ahead and do that shopping now. The day before Thanksgiving, do a quick inventory and make sure everything is ready to roll. If you forgot anything, this is the time to catch it.

2. Clean, Clean Clean - Dive right in and get everything ship shape and, just as you did with the groceries, you'll find that all you have to do when Thanksgiving gets here and it's almost time for the family and friends to get together is just a little light housekeeping. This wouldn't be a bad time to organize your fridge.

2.  Clean your kitchen - It'll be easier to keep everything organized if you start off with a clean kitchen. And this would be a good time to clean out and organize your fridge as well.

3.  Delegate - The kids are going to be super restless. Give them little chores to do. All they need is busy work, and they can do some of the jobs you thought you might end up doing yourself, like setting the table or putting out the silverware.

4. Don't get cute with the menu - Unless you're an accomplished chef or cook, just stick to the basics when it comes to the menu. You can't go wrong with turkey, dressing, potatoes, and maybe some cranberry sauce. While the food is important, the day is even more important, so don't give yourself even more work to do.

5.  Call WAITR - That's right. You can take all the stress out of the day by letting someone else do the cooking. If there are restaurants that will be serving Thanksgiving dinner, just order it in, and have it delivered to your door. Amazing world we live in, isn't it?

There you go! You can read the entire article from Bon Apetit and The Food Network here.