By: Dallin Rahlf

Do you like Thanksgiving? I really like Thanksgiving. Probably because I really enjoy being around my family, which is, I pray, something you also enjoy doing. Having friends and family near on the 4th Thursday is a great time. You can hang out, play some games, watch/play football, eat some of the best food ever, and begin the Christmas hype that will dominate your life for the next month.

Get the family together for the holidays, use the GetOutPass a time or two all together, then come home for some awesome Thanksgiving weekend fun. Below, I’ll provide some wisdoms for you if you’re finding yourself more in charge of the holiday than you were before. The great thing about Thanksgiving is that the cooking is usually the toughest part, which most people tend to enjoy. Hours and hours and hours of preparation for it to be wolfed down in 20 minutes. Love it. 

The food

I shan’t need remind you that the food is going to be 80% of where expectations lie from your guests. Without the food, the day was as well be another lazy day of watching football and being around all of your great but noisy nieces and nephews. The food is what makes the holiday truly memorable. I’ll have another blog specifying which foods are the biggest hitters, so allow me here to give some general tips for the food. Whatever you do, don’t end up like my friend Jon… 

• It turns out that 46 million turkeys in the United States are enjoyed as the main entrée on Thanksgiving. That means that about 46 million Americans risk the great peril of forgetting to thaw the turkey in a timely manner before the cooking must begin. You can thaw out your frozen bird in the fridge or do the cold water technique. Both are fine, but you must be sure to allow yourself enough time to thaw everything. Each method requires you to account for the total weight of the turkey, which impacts how long to do the thawing process. 
  
• Never underestimate the power of rolls. Some may argue that the rolls are the true “bread and butter” of Thanksgiving meals. Pun intended. Some rolls you make yourself from scratch or whatever you can find at the grocery store will do just fine! People eat them so fast either way. With some jam, butter, or gravy to soak up, your rolls will be gone before you know it. 
• Dessert is naturally a big deal. I’ve attended some Thanksgivings where the dessert WAS the big part of the meal. Everything else on the table were nothing but decorations. People tend to be pretty split on pie, so maybe get/bake a couple different ones. Or, try something new and make it a tradition. My ma and pa have made rainbow Jell-o since just about forever. 

The background noise

The other 20% that doesn’t belong to worrying about the food on this holiday is spent on the actives before, during, and after the meal. My greatest tips here will be more catered to what you and your family want Thanksgiving day to be for yourselves. 

• Emphasis on family time is a great thing to do on the holidays. We spend a lot of time on our phones and mindlessly looking at some sort of screen. Playing games together, doing something outside, everyone helping out in the kitchen, playing music or having a talent show for the kids are a few ideas that will help you ensure that everyone is getting to know each other. 
• Football is, honestly, a staple in the Rahlf home. We do like our football, and we enjoy watching it on Thanksgiving day. It shouldn’t, however, dominate the entire day. If you’re unable to speak to each other during the meal because you’re infatuated in whatever mediocre Cowboys whoever game, it may be good to set it to mute and talk with each other. 
• The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is something fun to watch. I… never was that into it, but my grandma is! Along with watching the parade, you may find that your town is doing some local events that would be cool to attend. 

The post-meal “activities”

Alright, you’ve just eaten more turkey than your allotted portioning. You went a little crazy on the mashed potatoes as well, not to mention the two LARGE pieces of pie you scarfed down. You’ve now found yourself in what I like to call “the fat sleepies”. After a hard day’s work, you may want to consider carefully what actives to plan for after the meal. Turns out, by the way, that there’s something in turkey that actually does make you sleepy, called L-tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin. Wild. 

• Adults nap, kids play outside. The adults just worked very hard to make this whole thing happen. We all know you deserve to rest a little while some background noise is on. The adults can enjoy a nice snooze while the kids continue their endless energy and go outside or downstairs for some more fun with their cousins. 
  
• A “putting away the dishes party” doesn’t sound fun on paper, but it can be fun in real life! You can make it a game with who does what. Put on some music (or begin the Christmas music if that will get the kids more excited to help out) and make it a great time while secretly employing your kids to do the work. That’s what I like about you, you’re always one step ahead… 
• Christmas fun in the evening is worth looking into. My family can’t wait to start Christmas and all our traditions. Depending on whatever you and your family likes to do, this can range pretty heavily. You can stay inside and watch one of your favorite Christmas movies, you can start preparing for the holidays with some shopping, or you can start decorating the house together for Christmas.