THE WIFE’s Guide: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is next week and if you’re hosting dinner at your home, it can get overwhelming very quickly. Alice Ryan of A Company PR sits down to tell THE WIFE how she prepares herself for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. Keep reading for helpful tips on how to plan for this chaotic day.  -Taryn Cox for THE WIFE

• First I create a guest list so I can get an idea of how many people I’ll be cooking for. Next I send out invitations and find out about any guests food allergies.
• I always send a beautiful invitation from illustrator Happy Menocal, but if time is not on my side, I send out invitations from Paperless Post.
• Once I have my headcount for dinner, I know the quantity of food I’ll need, can put together my menu, begin finding the recipes I want to use and make a master grocery list.
• If I am a guest attending a dinner, I figure out ahead of time what I can bring or contribute to the dinner. Along with a well thought out host or hostess gift, I love giving gift baskets from Fortnum & Mason. Their gooseberry and elderflower Jam with lemon curd biscuits are a must!

• I love to sit down with my Anya Hindmarch Monogrammed Leather Seating Chart and figure out where to place my friends and family around the table. It’s the perfect holiday helper and easy to shuffle around guests if I change my mind about seating or someone drops out. I always aim for a balanced table with everyone’s personality traits in mind and make a point to separate couples. As the host I’ll sit closest to the kitchen so that I can clear plates or grab more wine without disturbing my guests.
• Two weeks before Thanksgiving I stock up on all non perishable items, order my organic turkey, place flower orders for my table center pieces and create a tasteful music playlist.
• The week before I make sure our home is cleaned from top to bottom. Also I go through all our linens, serving pieces, fine china and wine glasses to make sure they are clean, pressed and polished.
• Days before Thanksgiving I’ve learned to make and freeze my gravy, make the turkey brine and chill the wine. The night before I bake pies, prep as many ingredients as possible, set the table and make a detailed cooking schedule for the day of  Thanksgiving.
• The day of we hire extra help, to make the day go more smoothly and aim to sit down and enjoy our feast around 3:00pm.
• To keep kids busy till dinner time we set up a craft table so they can make construction paper pilgrim and Indian hats or cut out colorful Fall leaves for everyone to write what they are thankful for.
• At the end of the evening after the dishes are done, the pies, coffee and tea are served, I love getting everyone together for interactive games by the fire. -Alice Ryan for THE WIFE

Alice going through her fine china, setting up for Thanksgiving.