Thanksgiving may seem like the most stressful holiday of the year. Having your entire family in one house, and cooking all day seems like it can be more pain than it is worth. If you are anything like me, I have over 30 people in my family including grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, siblings and nieces and nephews. Having that many people in a small house may seem like it could be the worst thing in the world, but I am going to give you a couple tips on how to make your thanksgiving run smoother! My mom has been hosting Thanksgiving at her house for the past 10 years, and let me tell you, she is very high strung and tightly wound, so Thanksgiving with that many people in her home has always lead to her being stressed out! First thing to do before your Thanksgiving feast is to designate a day to shop. Buying food you have to prepare for 30 people can be done in one day if you have a plan, and if you know what you plan to make, so being at the grocery store is not stressful. Building a schedule a couple days before Thanksgiving will keep you from not only scrambling, but from forgetting things. DO NOT FORGET THE TURKEY. Yes my mother did that one year because she was shopping last minute and was rushing through the store! Develop a list with thing you will need to complete your dishes. In my family we stick to tradition, you will never see a Pintrest based meal on our table. So having a list is sort of simple for us. With that being said, our Master list does not change from year to year! Keeping it classic has really helped my mom keep her cool when she is at the grocery store! Set the table a head of time. By that I mean the night before the gathering, but out your nice plates, and silver wear! Having everything out and ready to go will keep everyone out of the kitchen at once trying to grab them while you are finishing your cooking. We usually put our Christmas tree throughout the holidays, so why not put out your fancy plates to show off to the family before the big meal? Prepping the night before will be a HUGE help to your stress level! Having easy dishes and pre-cut food all ready to go will save not only time the next day, but will also save your stress. Not having to worry about peeling potatoes for an hour, have them peeled the night before so you can just start your mashed potatoes when you are ready to start your cooking.  When you are preparing a dinner like this, do not forget to spend some time doing things you love with the people you love. Maybe you guys can enjoy a good card game, or if you are anything like my family, you will be enjoying a good dance off! Try not to stress and to ENJOY the people you are THANKFUL for! Thanksgiving is only as stressful as you make it! Happy Holidays!