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There is so much more to hosting Thanksgiving than preparing a delicious meal.

There’s cleaning, shopping, calling, ordering, picking-up, and planning. Lots and lots of planning.

Since my husband and I have been married, we have hosted Thanksgiving at our house. What started as a way to keep both of our families happy has turned into a family tradition.

We’re both from the same city, so before we got married, Thanksgiving was split between the two families.

As newlyweds, we decided to eliminate the need to eat at two houses and host at our house. After 19 years, we are still going strong.

Over the years, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about how to prepare for the big day. As our families have grown, so too have the number of guests. Most years we host between 18-22 people and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Thanksgiving Planner was created as a way to keep track of all the different errands, cleaning, decorating, and cooking that has to be done. I love nothing more than to check an item off the list so I have included boxes so you too can feel the satisfaction of getting things done!

1. Menu

Use this printable to plan your Thanksgiving menu. Don’t forget to include dishes from your guests, appetizers, and desserts. Need some suggestions? Check out my blog post here.

2. Food & House Preparation

Look around your house. Is there anything that needs repaired before the big day? Are there any tasks that you’ve been wanting to get done but haven’t had the time? For us, it’s hanging-up pictures, patching-up a small hole in the drywall, and repainting a ceiling after a water leak (first time for this daunting task to be put on the list).

Whatever it is, write it down so you know how much time to plan to get things done. It may be that you need to purchase new placemats or the materials to put together your centerpiece. It may also be a good time to finally purchase that piece of furniture you’ve been looking at. There is also space on this printable to list places or people you need to call and items that need picked-up before the celebration begins.

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to get your whole house ready for the holidays. No need to stress over getting house repairs completed when you’re busy shopping, baking, and having fun with your family. For me, checking these items off the list before Thanksgiving gives me a huge sense of relief and accomplishment going into the holiday season.

3. It’s All About the Food

The next printable is all about preparing the food . What dishes can you prepare ahead of time? What needs to be cooked or prepped at the last-minute? What time did you put in the turkey? How much time do you need after the turkey is cooked to finish baking the other dishes? And my favorite item to forget at the last minute…bread. Don’t forget to bake the bread!

4. Guest List

Having a guest list on hand is so much easier than having to count on your fingers every time you try to remember the number of people you’re hosting. The number of people not only determines the amount of food you need to prepare, it also impacts the number of tables, chairs, center pieces, and place settings you need to have.

5. Notes

Have a place to keep track of your notes along the way using the last page in your Thanksgiving Planner. File away the planner for next year so you can easily recall what you did to make this your BEST Thanksgiving EVER.

I wish all of you a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends!