Thanksgiving is approaching. I never realized exactly how much my mother did for these holidays until I started to do them myself. I have come up with a recipe that can help reduce holiday stress. The directions are as follows: Start planning a month before. Yes, I said a month. Why? Because the more you plan, the more you avoid the potential for frustration. Some things you may want to look at may be: staying home or going out, if staying home-who to invite. The next step would be the following week. Depending on the situation, you are looking at recipes or choosing a place to eat. Recipes can be challenging. Look at ones with few ingredients that are simple to make. Do not choose to go to a place to eat that is too far away, if going out. Remember you have no control over traffic delays! Now it is 2 weeks before and you need to make that grocery list. Look for coupons. Look at options such as premade food. If you feel you cannot do the monumental task of cooking and carving a turkey, look into ordering it and then doing the sides yourself. Now we are at 1 week before the holiday. Go shopping, but first it is imperative that you make a list. Look at expiration dates, always buy extras. Now we are at the holiday week. The fun has begun!!!! 3 days before, set your table and always be prepared for extra guests. 2 days before, start making anything that you can ahead of time. 1 day before, continue all your prep work. This can include getting pans ready and making sure you have enough of the essentials we all need, like trash bags. It is now the day of Thanksgiving. If you followed this recipe, chances are you will enjoy yourself. 
