The holidays present the opportunity to spoil our loved ones with hugs, homemade treats, and gifts. Here in Florida, it has been unseasonably warm and finding the Thanksgiving and holiday spirit has been slightly more difficult when Mother Nature has decided to set daily records for high temperatures. Yet, as if on cue, Thanksgiving week has started off with a cold front and one of the coolest mornings we’ve seen in months. So, as you prepare for a house full of guests, or to join the throngs of people taking to the skies or the car to get to grandma’s house, we wanted to offer you a few moments of zen. Here are some tips from the pros on how to keep your holiday as authentic and low-stress as possible. We’ve also included some great ways to get a head start on your holiday shopping so you can have your list checked off long before your holiday deadline.
Thanksgiving Survival Guide from the Pros
Are you gearing up for the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner? Is it at your house this year? Perhaps it’s your new home and this is the first time friends and family will be coming over to see it; maybe this is the last Thanksgiving in your home before you decide to put it on the market or perhaps its just your annual tradition. Whatever the reason, preparing to have everyone over for Thanksgiving can be daunting. Have you been planning for months or putting it off until the last possible moment? If you’re spending more time at work Googling how to throw the perfect Thanksgiving than actually accomplishing what you’re paid to do… we promise you’re not alone. We want to help you out. Here are the top tips from some of America’s finest entertainers on how they keep Thanksgiving as low-stress, fun, and relaxed as possible.
Ina Garten is the Barefoot Contessa and is foolproof (in my opinion) when it comes to classy, elegant, and delicious entertaining. Here are her tips for keeping your Thanksgiving marvelous and manageable. In a nutshell, she recommends setting the table a few days ahead of time. This way you won’t have to worry about finding matching silverware or where your eighth matching glass went an hour before guests arrive. Garten suggests writing out your menu ahead of time and organizing it by aisle. Even better- consider having your Thanksgiving groceries delivered so you can skip the grocery shopping altogether and simply have them show up at your door. How do you do it? We’ve got a whole blog to show you how. Another one of the great tips she gives GoodHousekeeping is to skip complicated appetizers and go for some nuts and prosciutto or cheese and some good wine or champagne. After all, you don’t want your guests to be full before they dig into your hard work! Finally, she offers a fabulous and simple Thanksgiving menu with several items you can make ahead.
Martha Stewart has built a brand around entertaining and she offers some fantastic make-ahead recipes that will help you survive the big day. Pie crusts, soups, dinner rolls, and gravy can all be made ahead with her recipes which will save you time and dishes in the sink on the big day.
The Pioneer Woman offers some excellent tips on choosing the right wine for Thanksgiving. She’ll even save you some money while you’re at it. Her top recommendations: freeze grapes and offer them to keep the wine cold. They work much better than ice cubes because they won’t harm the flavor of the wine. My other favorite tip- switch to cheaper bottles later in the day. After two glasses of wine your guests won’t likely know the difference but your pocketbook will!
If all else fails… just grab a glass of chardonnay, throw in the towel and know you’re not alone because this family has your back:
Shopping Local This Holiday
When the turkey has settled in it’s time to launch into holiday giving with a slew of great deals from your favorite stores. Here are some ways you can shop local this holiday:
1.) Cerulean Blu: Located on Beach Drive, this resort shop is also a great place to find unique holiday gifts. Choose from beautiful gold foil mugs, fun linen towels with great holiday sayings, lots of holiday inspired clothing and even gifts for the furry friend on your list!
2.) MISRED Outfitters: Head up Central Avenue to find MISRED Outfitters. This is the perfect place to check off that fashionista on your list. You can pick up one of these holiday themed t-shirts for just $22!
3.) ROC Paper Scissors: If you desire something incredibly beautiful and personal this holiday season than look no further than Rosa Clifford of ROC PaperScissors. Her store is nothing short of amazing – just ask Martha Stewart who has had Clifford on her show multiple times. Choose a favorite photo and Clifford will do the rest. She creates amazing art using paper and scissors that your loved one will treasure for years to come. Clifford is truly one of the sweetest and most lovely people you’ll ever meet and she pours her heart and soul into every design. Clifford also offers fabulous holiday cards in several unique designs for a reasonable price.
4.) Toffee to Go: If you’re looking for a deliciously unique gift – look no further than Toffee to Go! Listed as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2013, Toffee to Go is a sweet way to say “I’m thinking of you”. The Toffee is all made in the Pinellas Park facility using a secret family recipe. They make about 450 pounds of toffee each day but it increases even more during the holidays. You can purchase the toffee online or at their pop up holiday shop in Hyde Park or at their South Tampa storefront location.
5.) Shopapalooza: This is the PERFECT opportunity to check off nearly everyone on your list in one swoop! Let the shops come to you. On November 28th from 10am- Sunset in South Straub Park you can shop ’til you drop during the free holiday shopping festival. More than 120 local businesses will be represented this year! You can register for the event (not required but gets you in on the chance to win great prizes) here. You can find a list of all of the vendors participating in this year’s event here.
We hope this helps take some of the pressure off during the holiday season. However you celebrate we hope it’s as enjoyable and stress-free as possible! If you have some Thanksgiving tips, recipes or know of some great local deals please share them with us in the comment section. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shopping!
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