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Countdown to Turkey Day 2015 – Invitations for All

Heather says:

How is your Thanksgiving preparation going?

Are you staying on top of the weekly chores? Is your dining room table still clear? No? Fix that, I’ll wait.

On Tuesday we talked about putting together a tentative guest list. It’s time to go invite everyone formally. I’m not talking about embossed, fancy cards, but you can do that if you’d like and you are well within Emily Post’s two weeks to two months guideline for Thanksgiving dinner invitations. While I prefer calling my friends and family to make Thanksgiving plans, it’s not exactly a surprise for any of them.

Don’t cold call your invitations.

While it may seem like a great, efficient idea, it may make someone uncomfortable and feel pressured to attend something they’d rather not. Remember etiquette is mostly about making someone else feel comfortable. Don’t call a friend you haven’t spoken to in months and try to force them to accept your invitation. Shoot them an email, mention you’ll be having dinner, and then ask if they would like to attend.

Whatever your method, make your invitations and keep a list of your confirmations. This guest count is an estimate. Remember life happens and sometimes it is the flu and sometimes it’s just someone being inconsiderate, but no shows happen. And sometimes people call at the last minute to see if they can bring their cousin who has two kids and just happens to be in town (even though they knew they were coming three months ago). It happens.

Be prepared.

Have you finished your Thanksgiving menu plan yet?

Still need a little help?

Here are links to the Home Ec 101 Thanksgiving Recipe Collection:

Oven Roasted Turkey
Deep Fried Turkey
Turkey Stock
Apple, Sage, Cranberry Dressing
Andouille Sausage Cornbread Dressing
How to Make Gravy
Broccoli Almond Salad
Collard Greens
Savory Butternut Squash
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Caramel Apple Pie
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie (just use a regular pie shell if you don’t want it gluten free)

As I mentioned recently, I have a few more recipes and techniques to add.

If you are looking for vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas, the Home Ec 101 community had some fabulous suggestions. Here are a few of my favorites from that post:

A Vegetarian Thanksgiving from Cheap Healthy Good (fabulous site) suggested by Milehimama

Mark Bittman’s 101 Thanksgiving Side Dishes -not all of these are vegetarian, but Bittman is a go-to for ideas in my world, suggested by Alice Dick

101 Cookbook’s Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by Leigh Webber

Mother Earth News A Vegetarian Thanksgiving suggested by CJ McD

What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipe resources?