How to Celebrate Thanksgiving Day With Your Family: Everything You Need to Know

The Thanksgiving holiday is a special time of the year when families come together to enjoy good food, football games, and lots of give-thanks. Whether you have extended family nearby or live far away from loved ones, carving out special time on this day is important. Many people also choose to celebrate Thanksgiving as their official welcome to the holidays by having it be their first big get-together of the season. This article will tell you everything you need to know about how to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family so that you can have a happy and memorable time. Keep reading for useful tips and ideas!

Plan your menu

A big part of any dinner celebration is the food. Choosing the right dishes to serve during your family Thanksgiving will set the tone for the rest of the day. Make sure to choose dishes that are easy to prepare. If you're hosting, decide on the menu early so you can shop for necessary ingredients. Keep in mind that some dishes are better for dinner than for breakfast or lunch. To ensure you have the right foods to serve at the end of the day, here's a quick guide to the most common Thanksgiving foods and when to serve them.

Turkey

This is the main dish for Thanksgiving dinner. If you have a big family, you might want to buy two birds so everybody gets plenty.

Sweet potatoes

These are a classic side dish and can be served throughout the meal.

Cranberry sauce

This tart side dish is great for dinner but seems out of place at breakfast or lunch.

Stuffing

This dish is often served at dinner but can also be eaten at breakfast or lunch.

Green beans

These tasty vegetables go well with almost any main dish. They're good for dinner, but are also good with breakfast or lunch.

Mashed potatoes

This classic side dish is good for dinner, but is best saved for the end of the meal.

Decide on your guest list

If you're inviting people over to your house for Thanksgiving, you should decide how many people you're going to invite. This will help you determine the size of your table and the amount of food you need to prepare. As you're deciding on a guest list, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, you want to be sensitive to your guests' schedules. If you're inviting a friend who has to work, try to find a way to make it work for them. It's important not to create an expectation that they should be able to take time off just to come to your house on Thanksgiving.

If you're inviting family members, you may have to think about managing expectations. Some families have very large get-togethers, while others keep it small. Make sure you're picking a guest list that works for you.

Make a game plan for the day

One of the best ways to make the most out of your Thanksgiving Day is to have a plan for the day. Make sure you have time set aside for enjoyable activities like football games and board games, family-friendly movies, and even some shopping for Christmas gifts.

You may also want to set aside time for some important family traditions, such as reading a Thanksgiving story to your kids, carving the turkey, or sharing what you're thankful for. If you're hosting, you can also make a plan for the food preparation, so that everything is finished at the right time. To keep track of your game plan and make sure nothing falls through the cracks, use a calendar.

Don't forget the importance of thankfulness

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about being grateful. While it's a great thing to be thankful for the things you have, it's even more important to be thankful for the people in your life. Make sure to set aside time for expressing gratitude for your loved ones.

You can do this during your family dinner, or as part of an activity during the day. There are lots of ways to show gratitude, from writing down things you're thankful for to giving a meaningful gift to a loved one. If you have children, make sure to include them in your expression of gratitude. The Thanksgiving holiday is a wonderful time to teach children the value of gratitude, and they'll carry those lessons with them for the rest of their lives.