Thanksgiving Hacks - Part SIX - Relax! You've got this!

Relax! You’ve got this!

Today, I’m here to remind you to relax, have fun, and make some memories.

Let’s get started.

LET GUESTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE MEAL

If you didn’t read Part ONE in my Thanksgiving series, I highly recommend reading that now.

In 2012 we opened our Brick House on Main Thanksgiving table to folks who don’t have family in the area. The core group of strangers who came together that first year quickly became treasured family, and we all make room for new friends every year.

Many of our regulars are involved in the business of feeding people, so they each bring their specialties. The bakers bring desserts. One family owns a Chinese restaurant, and their delicious food has pride of place next to the turkey. (To be perfectly honest, I think we all look forward to their dumplings more than the rest of the dinner. I must admit they’re my favorite part of the meal!)

We celebrate “international Thanksgiving” - and the merging of our cultures & food - and isn’t that the way it should be?

PLEASE DON’T PASS THE POTATOES

Because we usually have anywhere from 12 to 20 people at our dinner, I don’t put the food on the table. I learned years ago that people never pass the foods they don’t like to eat, so some dishes never make it to everyone at the table.

Instead, we set up a buffet on the kitchen counter where everyone can serve themselves without have to ask for things to be passed all the time. This is why I use disposable foil pans for baking side dishes. This year I even found silicone “food warming mats” (Amazon) to keep food warm on the counter during the meal. I’m looking forward to testing them out!

I put rolls, butter, & jams on the table, but the rest of the meal stays in the kitchen. Beverages are set out for self-service. Desserts are self-serve on a separate table.

When we sit down to dinner, I just want to eat & visit with my friends. The buffet allows me to enjoy the meal and I don’t have to pay attention to who needs more mashed potatoes. Plus, no one feels obligated to have “one more helping” of mashed potatoes unless they go to the kitchen & get it.

DON’T MISS OUT

No matter who is at your table this Thanksgiving, I hope you will find a way to relax and enjoy your time together. Be curious about the people around you. Ask questions. Listen to the answers. You might just learn something new about them. Laugh together and cry together over your favorite stories of family members who are no longer with you. Create some lovely memories of time spent together. Make the most of the brief time you have with each other. We never know what next year will bring, so don’t take anything for granted.

Above all, remember these three things:

Sharing a meal together can unite us like nothing else.

It’s hard to be grumpy when you’ve got a fork in one hand and a slice of pie in front of you. Smile. Be thankful. Eat the pie.

The most important part of the meal is the people at your table. Forget about whether everything is “just right”. The part that’s “just right” is that you are surrounded by people who love you and whom you love. That’s something to be very, very thankful for.

Thanksgiving blessings, BHOM family!

Your innkeepers, Jim & Cathy Marker

Please let me know if you try any of my hacks, and if you have any suggestions of your own.