An Early Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving for my family!

We are having an early celebration and our big meal is today at 1:00.  The reason is that my precious mom is having major surgery the day before the official holiday and I will be there to help care for my parent’s needs. I’m so thankful I can go be with them. Who  says you have to celebrate on the official Thanksgiving day?  My girls were more than happy to celebrate a couple weeks early to ensure that we are able to get together as a family.

I am the one hosting everyone, so I’ve been busy getting things prepped for our day of feasting and giving thanks.  I thought I’d give you a peek into the things that have been done ahead of time, so the day itself will be a breeze (well, sort of!).

A week ago…

• I made my Butterhorns and put them in the freezer. They will just have to rise a few hours today before being baked! It makes having homemade rolls so easy, and these are DELICIOUS!
  
• I made pie crusts and froze them.
• Linens tablecloth and napkins were ironed.  The tablecloth and runner were then placed on the dining room table.
• I put the centerpiece together, except for the fresh flowers I added last night.
• The guest room got clean sheets added.  The room was dusted and prepped for Whitney and Paul.

This week…

• I made these yummy ice cream cones that will be filled with Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream later in the day!  This is a new tradition I started about four years ago.  I know, who needs another dessert, right?  But Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream is so short-lived, it needs to be celebrated!! I dipped the cones in chocolate, then some got sprinkles, some got peanuts, and some Heath bits!  I stored the cones in a Ziploc bag and placed them in the freezer.
  
• I filled a Ziploc bag with ice and put it in the big freezer so we’d have plenty of ice for all day.
• I mopped and dusted the house.
• I set out the turkey platter and made sure other serving pieces were clean and ready for the table.
• The kitchen got a good cleaning, as did the bathrooms.
• I cleaned out the fridge to make room for all the food, and also to make room for the yummy leftovers. I also set the turkey in there to thaw. (And yes, we have LOTS of cream!  You have to buy it up when it’s on sale for $2!)

Working a little at a time ahead of time sure eases the pressures of any holiday!  Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving, or helping someone else, I hope these tips of my own preparations will help you at your house to be ready to give thanks – no matter what day you celebrate!

Next week I’ll give you my “Day Before” run-down, full of pictures of today’s happy occasion!

Anyone else celebrating on a different day than the official holiday? What is your favorite ahead of time preparation?