- Practice Clutter Portion Control on Black Friday! This previous post gives you some strategies to avoid the famous shopping traps out there when there are big sales afoot.
- Shop Til You STOP: 5 Ways to Prevent Clutter A related post about how to control yourself during a shopping frenzy.
- Stashing away the clutter for guests coming? This video shows how to do it right. IF you must.
- Get Organized for a Relaxing Fall Getaway An article I wrote for Lifetime TV's website on family travel.
- 3 Tips for an Organized Thanksgiving
- 9 Things People Usually Forget to Buy at Thanksgiving A quick checklist of the oft-omitted items that are sorely missed when the grocery store is closed.
In our "Holiday Whiplash" post a few days ago, I mentioned assigning chores along with the food. This allows everyone to relax guilt-free after their chore is done and still feel like they contributed, and it doesn't put all of it on you! So to expand on that, here is a list of the chores for most Thanksgiving meals– feel free to add to it in the comments!
- "Coat-check" person (great to have a garment rack available for this– good job for kids)
- Setting the table (plates & silverware)
- Napkin folding (great job for kids if you want to do a fancy napkin thing for the table)
- Playing music (unless the TV is on with football the whole time, which may happen)
- Making & setting placecards (if you are into that type of thing– great for kids to do)
- Making/serving/icing the beverages (we are Southern so there is iced tea even in the winter)
- Taking out the trash (this person can be "on demand" or can keep checking on their own)
- Washing dishes (can have a before dinner and after dinner shift)
- Drying dishes (same two-shift idea)
- Putting away dishes (someone who knows the way around your kitchen)
- Carving the turkey and/or ham
- Putting out butter, salad dressing, salt, and pepper & other table condiments
- Whipping the cream for desserts
- Making coffee for dessert time
- Clearing the table
- Coordinating leftovers (helping portion out what is left for the various families to take home)
- General Go-fer and Helper (for a young person who can just help in many small ways, like opening jars and cans, putting things on the table, etc.)
- Hunting/Gathering (person to run around finding things to put in the trash or take to the kitchen, like empty drink cans and demolished dessert plates, usually found near football watchers)
- Coordinating post-dinner games (we like to play Apples to Apples & Skip-Bo & Uno tournaments, for those who are not so into the football and not yet comatose)
By the way, despite the lack of decorum, I am a big fan of using Solo cups with people's names written on them in Sharpie marker. It's just too confusing to figure out whose glass belongs to whom. What are your favorite holiday tips, or do you have anything to add to the delegating ideas? Share in the comments!
Happy Thanksgiving! It's the perfect time of the year to remember that despite the problems you may have with your clutter, we can always be happy & grateful for having MORE than enough.
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At a friend’s house, they use Sharpies on glassware because it comes off in the dishwasher- really!! So you can keep the cups organized and don’t have to use Solo plastic cups!
Amy, you are SO RIGHT! I just tried this for our Christmas brunch– thank you! I wrote on champagne flutes with a red Sharpie and it did come right off in the dishwasher. Fun and easy!
– Lorie