Is It Possible To Organize Thanksgiving In October?

Jennifer Garner Thinks So!

I know. I know. It is only mid-October and you have probably not even finished buying your trick or treat candy, but yes, it is possible to get a head start on Thanksgiving NOW.

I have been in ‘holiday’ mode since late September, ever since I was lucky enough to be invited by Frigidaire and Jennifer Garner (LOVE HER!) to a small blogger roundtable to talk about Thanksgiving ideas, recipes and tips. The event took place in Southern California (not exactly the hub of Fall weather) but even on that warm 80+ degree day, I left there ready to dive in and start organizing my holiday.

As soon as I got home, I started a list of all of the things I needed to do to get ready for Thanksgiving. Once I had my main laundry list, I got to thinking about what things I could get done now. If I can cross it off early, why wait, right?

Here is my punch list:

1. Get ready for Dessert Night – We are going to be celebrating our 9th Annual Dessert Night this year. We started it when we realized everyone was just too full on Thanksgiving to really enjoy dessert, and being huge dessert fans, that just wouldn’t do! So now, on the night before Thanksgiving, we host a gathering for friends and family where only dessert is served. It is a party that gets bigger each year (last year around 70 people attended) and everyone starts planning early what desert they are going to bring to the bash. To get ready for this event now, I made a list of the 5 to 10 desserts we are going to be making and buying (Apple Pan pies and homemade peanut butter balls are favorites). I am now starting to reach out to people who annually bring things to confirm their dishes and make sure we have all of the important dessert categories well represented at the event.

2. Plan The Menu & Try At Least 2 New Dishes – I made a list of the dishes we served last year as a first step. While I have yet to eliminate any of them, I did add 2 additional dishes that I think we should try this year. There was an amazing Carrot Soufflé my friend Carrie made the other day that needs to be served and Adam really wants Brussels sprouts with bacon on the list. Now that the list is complete, I am going to send out to everyone to sign up for what they are bringing.

3. Send The Evite – This may sound formal to some of you but since I am hosting a Thanksgiving with over 30 people this year, this is important. I have a draft one done and I have included things like what time you can show up (to snack, watch football,etc…), what time dinner will be served, and what the dress code is. The thing I also love about evite is that they will send reminders to my relatives so I don’t have to.

4. Think About Tablescape – I find that we almost always leave the table decorations to the last minute. Jennifer Garner had this great idea about having the kids at Thanksgiving draw their handprints with a Sharpee on an inexpensive tablecloth and then using that same tablecloth each year to see how the kids have grown. I want to adopt this for us this year and give it a try.

So these are the things I am doing now, but the women I was with (along with Jennifer) had some amazing ideas as well that you can view at Frigidaire.com. Even better for each day you visit Frigidaire between now and the end of the year, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children as part of its $500,000 commitment to helping children living in poverty in the U.S. You can also enter to win a Frigidaire Gallery Range with Double Symmetry Double Ovens.