The holiday season is here and Today we celebrate Thanksgiving! This is the time that we get to spend with our families sharing stories, laughs, and having fun! This is our “Wining” down time and the perfect time to take a break from the stresses in life.

While this is a joyous moment, it can be a stressful one when we have to cook a whole meal for our families; especially if we are feeding a large crowd. Thanksgiving day can be one of the most overwhelming days of the year and if you do not handle it right, it can be the most stressful day of the year. Here are some of my suggestions for making Thanksgiving run as smoothly as possible.

START YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING EARLY! If you have ever been to the grocery store the day before thanksgiving then you know how HECTIC and OVERWHELMING the grocery stores can be. Long lines, crowded aisles, and the risk of your items being out of stock! If you do your shopping a few weeks before thanksgiving then this save a lot of headache.

PREP! PREP! PREP! PREP! I can’t stress prepping enough. Prep all the food that you can prep the day before and store it in the fridge so that on Thanksgiving day, all you have to do is bake or warm up everything. Mac and cheese, stuffing, corn bread, marinating turkey, green bean casserole just to name a few are things that can be prepped before and many more.

POTLUCK! Having a potluck Thanksgiving is an easy way to reduce some of the burden of cooking everything. Have your guests that are coming to your Thanksgiving each bring a dish for you guys to eat so that you are not stuck in the kitchen all day! Now this is something you have to be careful with because you have to know your people and know what they can cook before assigning dishes to them.

RELAX!! The last thing I suggest is to relax! Take a breather, throw on some music, and sing and dance your heart out while cooking the meals. If you enjoy cooking, this should be easy for you!