The Thanksgiving food magazines have arrived in the mail, and my mom is already calling to see if we've booked our flights. For some reason this year, more than others, things are feeling pretty rushed. My first inclination was to hide the food magazines and save them for a time when I was ready to actually think about what we'd cook this year. Then I figured maybe that was just delaying the inevitable. So now I just stare at them on the coffee table wondering, when is the right time to start thinking about holiday menus?
While it seems like a crazy question when still in October, there are a few very real factors to think about such as travel plans, invitations, and venue (who is hosting where this year?) Beyond that though, when it comes down to just the food, when do you begin planning? Truthfully if it were really just up to me, I think a few weeks would suffice. But because we're inevitably trying to accomodate different diets and preferences, and fit in all the dishes that varying folks think absolutely must be there for it to feel like Thanksgiving or Christmas ... that's where the planning comes in. And when it comes down to it, the favorites are so often the good old fashioned standards that take little planning in the first place: mashed potatoes, traditional stuffing, and mom's pumpkin pie.
So for now I'm still walking by those holiday magazines on the coffee table, and I haven't yet booked our tickets. But I know both are looming. I may just put one off for a little while longer.
Related: 5 Things to Start Now for Holiday Party Planning
(Image: Emma Christensen)
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Monterey Pitcher fr...
Jessica's Crafted Space
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Whenever you want :) Some people need a day to plan a giant meal some people need 3 weeks, it just depends on how you prep things. Luckily we never stray from the traditional menue so very little planning on my end!
I keep a binder with all possible recipes for various crowds, timeline, etc.
We've begun asking for confirmation from possible guests. Most know their schedules by now and should be considering tickets/travel plans as well.
With the binder, I can sub in special healthy needs versions of my recipes. It also has a shopping list I'll be generating soon. (possible guests here could number in double digits, when they all appear, but that doesn't happen often.) Binder also has all those intriguing recipes from previous years. I'll do a pumpkin pie with my grandmother's recipe and a new Spiced Apple Cider Cream pie recipe I just found.
I also have a notebook for the December holidays. I've already decided on cookies and candy.
We never stray from our traditional menu either. I print out my [saved] shopping list & tape it to the inside of a kitchen cabinet 1st of Oct. I add a few non-perisable items to my weekly shopping list & mark them off as they are purchased.(no monster grocery bill) They live in their own basket in the pantry til Turkey Day so they don't get used & there's no frantic rush for an ingredient at the last minute.
All prep work is done the evening before & stored in the fridge (chopping, boiling eggs etc) + any dishes that can be prepared in advance. The rest are lined up on the kitchen table - in cooking order - both the ingredients and the cookware the dishes will be prepared in. The menu is then taped to the front of a kitchen cab near the stove so I don't overlook anything.
A bit anal? Perhaps. But it allows me to spend my time in the kitchen on *auto-pilot* with zero stress & much more time to enjoy my guests & celebrate the reason for the season. Same for Christmas.