Growing up, Thanksgiving was a huge event at my house. My parents, grandmother, my siblings, and I put in a lot of work to ensure our Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch. A lot of this included cleaning, planning the menu, decorating, and the guests we’d have. It was a lot. Last year, when I had to put together a Thanksgiving menu for my small family, I grew a newfound appreciation for the grand Thanksgiving dinners my family would host at my home growing up.
Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner for a large group or doing something more intimate, I know from experience that planning takes the stress and fear from doing it. I’ve created this free printable Thanksgiving Day Planner that includes everything you need to ensure your dinner is a successful one. It includes four printable pages that you can print out and write in all your Thanksgiving Day plans.
Brainstorm to Host the Perfect Thanksgiving Day Dinner
To ensure your Thanksgiving Day dinner festivities kick off without a hitch, you have to brainstorm. Think of ideas of how you’d envision the day. Are you hosting at home with a small group of family and friends, or will you need to rent out a space for a larger group? Whether you’re home or using an event space, you’ll have to consider sprucing it up with decorations to set the mood. You’ll have to think about the time you’re going to have everyone over to celebrate. Based on the time you’ve set, you’ll work your way back to start planning the time you’ll begin preparing the food. Speaking of food, that’s something you’ll have to think about. Taking into consideration everyone’s preferences into consideration. This printable allows you to put all your ideas on paper and set a budget.
Who’s Coming to Dinner?
The guest list is probably one of the most important parts of planning, especially when hosting a special dinner like Thanksgiving. You want to make sure you have just the right amount of food and beverages for everyone. You don’t want to overcook but you also don’t want to run out of food, which can be embarrassing. So make your list and check it twice.
Related: Amazing Southern Banana Pudding Recipe
What Will You Eat?
Now that you’ve put down on paper your perfect Thanksgiving Day dinner celebration, it’s time to put together your grocery list. I love that this printable has a space for you to list your dinner menu so that you can easily log the grocery items you need. There’s also a column to write down the cost of each item, which is helpful for keeping you on track with your budget. If you’re someone like me who needs to keep a to-do list of things or else you’d forget, this printable Thanksgiving dinner planner has spaces for you to log your to-dos for the big day and prior.
Related: The Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe That Will Wow Guests
Decorate Your Space
You’ve already brainstormed your perfect T-day celebration. Now, you need to think of the decor you need to pull it all together. The planner has a spot for you to jot down the decorations you need to make your space look the part and welcoming. Although gifting guests isn’t a Thanksgiving tradition, there is a space to log and keep track of gifts you may want to give guests even if it is something as simple as a ‘Thank You’ note or flowers.
This Thanksgiving Day planner a great way to plan your dinner in detail. Helping you to keep track of your budget, guest list, grocery list, meal plan, and more. Plus, you can use it year after year! I love that it can be used to plan any dinner party you host.
