Get Ready For Thanksgiving: Location Location Location

Start Planning Thanksgiving by Choosing a Location

With 11 short days left before Thanksgiving (in the USA), its time to start planning Thanksgiving dinner for those of us who have been procrastinating!  A little Thanksgiving dinner planning now will go a long way towards lowering your stress level on Turkey Day.

Where should you start with your Thanksgiving dinner preparation?  Every large project can be traced back to one single starting place, so today let’s choose the location for your Thanksgiving feast first. 

You’ll need to email or call your family members to get started planning your Thanksgiving celebration by deciding the location together.  Use the sample questions listed below to help you figure out the specifics for your holiday.

Those with large families in the same town/area will be choosing a location:

• At whose house will dinner be held?
• If no family members have a house large enough for the gathering, will you rent a hall or room at a restaurant?
• If renting a location, who will pay?

Those with families living in distant locations will be deciding:

• What town will Thanksgiving be in?
• Which family members will be traveling, and which will be hosting in their town?
• Is the hosting family’s house large enough to host Thanksgiving dinner?
• If renting a hall or room at a restaurant, who will pay?
• Does the hosting family have room for out of town guests to stay with them, or should they book hotels now?

Those with small families (parents and kids only without extended family):

• Will you have Thanksgiving at home or will you go to a restaurant to eliminate the cooking?
• Will you have a mini-Thanksgiving dinner for just you and your spouse after you put the young children to bed?

If you are military deployed or military stationed away from family:

• Are there friends or other families you will spend your holiday with?
• Can your family back home include you via technology (call in, webcam, etc.)?
• Will you travel home to be with your family for Thanksgiving?

If Thanksgiving is being hosted at your house:

• Is your dining table big enough to fit all the guests?
• Do you need to bring in additional chairs or tables?
• Will you have a separate kids’ table?  Will it be in the same area as the adults’ table or in a separate area due to space constraints?

Every family has different circumstances, which means the decision you make will fit your unique situation.  Go with what feels right, keeping in mind that Thanksgiving is a holiday during which we give thanks for the people that mean the most to us.

Don’t feel guilty if you’d rather go to a restaurant and skip the cooking so you can spend quality time talking with your loved ones!  Make a choice that is right for your family and kick-start your Thanksgiving planning today.

We originally published Get Ready for Thanksgiving: Location Location Location on November 10, 2008.  Photo credit.

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