Most everyone, especially Southerners, look forward to a gigantic Thanksgiving feast. But, with all that turkey and dressing comes a whole lot of stress. You don’t have to stress the holiday with a little planning. Relax! The first point to keep in mind is everything doesn’t have to be perfect. You are probably not going to have a movie set dining room with a perfect turkey and all the trimmings served to a grateful and adoring family. People coming to your home for Thanksgiving are generally glad to see you and are not going to be judging you for every little detail. Cooking, serving families with children and just having a wonderful time with family and friends can be messy. That’s ok. That said, it’s still a good idea to do some planning. That way, you can feel more confident that you have everything under control and that you haven’t overlooked anything vital. The Simplest Solution is a Buffet A buffet style meal takes a great deal of pressure off you. This allows everyone to take exactly what they want. Most people enjoy this way of dining, as it’s informal and takes pressure off both guests and hosts. You can use any large table, or even convert a piece of furniture such as a long dresser into your buffet table for the occasion. Aside from the food, you just need enough plates, napkins and utensils to cover all your guests. You can use disposable plates and utensils if you want to avoid the trouble of having to do dishes later. More formal or less formal – that’s up to you. Plan Ahead Preparing the main dishes well in advance is one of the main tricks to enjoying the meal. You don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is sitting down to eat. Make sure your turkey, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and other essentials are all made in advance. This includes desserts such as pies. That way you only have to heat everything up before the meal. If You Can’t Cook or Bake – No Worries! If you find cooking and baking very difficult, or you simply aren’t good at it you can always “cheat” and buy many of the essentials pre-made. You can buy great casseroles, salads and desserts at places like Kroger or Sam’s. Serve it up in your special dishes and everyone will love the good and the presentation. Inspire Gratitude Don’t let the reason for this holiday get lost in the hubbub. Get a blank stationary or gift tag and hand them out when your guests arrive. Have each person write down one thing they are thankful for and put it in a bowl. After dinner, pull them out one by one, reading each out loud and guessing who wrote it. A great memory maker and it reminds us that we all have so much to be thankful for.