Thanksgiving Day is a day for spending time with family, eating great food, laughing, playing games, watching football and relaxing. Wait… relaxing, you ask?! Yes, relaxing. I know, I know, you’re wondering how you’re supposed to relax when you are baking and cooking all day. Don’t forget setting the table, making sure everyone has drinks and keeping people out of the food until it’s ready.
I understand the need for perfection, we all want to be Wonder Woman. But you work hard every day. You finally have a few days off, and you want to work your tail off? Again, I get it… I really do. I learned my work ethics from my mother who, as I was growing up, always had two jobs. But again I ask: do you really want to work your tail off over Thanksgiving? Well, I don’t! I want to have just as much fun as everyone else.
I’ve put together a few tips for busy moms to keep from going berserk on Thanksgiving day. Try some of these out this year, and see if it gives you even a bit more breathing room. Now, RELAX and enjoy yourself!
Get a Good Night’s Rest the Night Before
Tomorrow will be a busy day! Be sure to get plenty of rest the night before. I know you’ll be lying in bed with your to-do list running through your head. But try your best. Read a book, listen to music, whatever it is that relaxes you.
Forget the Details
“WHAT?!” You say? I hate to tell you this… But great uncle Peter is not going to tell his buddies on Friday how pristine the turkey name tags you made for everyone were. And your four year old daughter will probably not even notice that the apple pie has a little apple cutout in the middle. Don’t forget that often times less is more.
Keep Everyone Busy
Why should you be the only one working your buns [snicker snicker, buns] off? Let dad set up the extra tables, pull down the fine china and make sure the wine, beer, soda and juice are ready for consumption. Have the kids set the table, set out pre-dinner snacks (olives, nuts, vegetable tray). And if Aunt Fran comes over early, put her to work!
Buy a Ready-Made Turkey
I realize this goes against many mom’s personal religions. But think about it. This is usually the most difficult aspect of the meal. It takes all day to cook, and it’s often times hit or miss whether it’s going to turn out dry or not (ok, maybe that’s just me). Why not buy a turkey from your local grocery store (organic markets are the best)? Word on the street is that even Costco and Sam’s Club sell great turkeys. This way, if the turkey is dry, it’s not your fault!
Go to Someone Else’s House!
Hehe! This is my all time favorite time-saving idea. I know you want to be able to do it all. But why not show off how helpful you are over at someone else’s house? Your mom (sister, cousin, aunt, friend) would love to have an extra set of expert hands helping with the meal. And YEP, you guessed it… this will be my choice this year. I need a day off! 
Now let yourself have some fun on Thanksgiving Day! I’d love to hear your tips and tricks for staying sane and getting to relax on Thanksgiving day.
Jen Sable Lopez is the Development Team Lead for an online company. She manages multiple blogs, is a sucker for social networking and also writes for and manages momsbyte.com and codejen.com.
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