The Ultimate Thanksgiving checkList
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — not Christmas, you animals! — but Thanksgiving, a holiday dedicated solely to eating delicious food & creating beautiful tablescapes. What else could a girl want? I am an Italian grandmother & a Southern hostess in my soul, so feeding the people I love at a pretty table is basically my favorite.
Whether Thanksgiving is your Super Bowl (GUILTY) or just another dinner, the to-do list in anticipation of the big day can feel like a lot. But don’t freak out, because Priss & Vinegar is here to make your Thanksgiving as smooth as the make-ahead gravy you’ll be serving. I’m all about spreading out the work so everything doesn’t feel like a jam at the end? I also hate hate HATE when things I want sell out because I wasn’t on the ball. With that in mind, here’s what you can start doing on November 1 to make your Thanksgiving le best ever:
Place your pre-orders. Roughly sketch out your menu & pre-order accordingly! My Nashville favorites are Bare Bones Butcher for whole turkeys, Dozen Bakery for pies & bread, and (thanks to a hot tip from the grand dames of my block) Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint for smoked turkey to serve alongside the roasted one. Truth be told, the smoked turkey is always my favorite!
See also: flowers. Place an order for your floral centerpiece now if you’re not a DIY florals kind of gal.
Start tablescape dreaming. Laying the table is at least 50% of the fun of Thanksgiving, is it not? This year, I’m going to be playing with organic-feeling serveware, green velvet ribbons, tortoiseshell accents & a charming pheasant motif, courtesy of VIETRI. Stay tuned for a tablescaping deep-dive with you all next week!
Order early lead time items. I’m thinking monogrammed napkins (I love my dinner napkins from Saddle Stitches and cocktail napkins from House of Gleason and specialty goods you have your heart set on (we always order raw oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co. in California for cocktail hour).
Sharpen your knives. You should probably get your knives sharpened more than once a year? But whatevs, I always get my knives sharpened right before Thanksgiving and it’s FINE. If you’re a real nerd about it, you can buy a whetstone & DIY sharpen. (My husband is exactly that kind of nerd.) Also, as an aside, sharpening supplies are a fun holiday gift idea, so I’ve heard.
Check your kitchen supplies. Is your roasting pan the right size for the turkey you’re ordering? Are your dishtowels shabby & in need of replacing? Do you have a meat thermometer? (ESSENTIAL.) Check your stock of kitchen twine, kosher salt, Bell’s Seasoning, etc., because nobody’s got time to run out on Thanksgiving & brave the grocery store parking lot.
Consider the little details that make a holiday special, like the playlist, a signature cocktail (paging Larsen), party games, cookie decorating kits for children, whatever floats your boat. These things end up not happening if you wait until the week of, so I like to get them done now!
Polish your silver, or rather, make your children polish your silver! It’s a perfect task for small hands & it’s incredibly satisfying work. (I’m partial to Wright’s Silver Cream.)
Shop Priss & Vinegar’s Thanksgiving essentials below!