Thanksgiving holiday meals come and go, but lasting memories (whether good or bad) with family and friends do not. Meal preparation is important to help reduce stress at the Thanksgiving meal.

1. Plan meal at least three weeks ahead of time so everyone knows what items to bring. This allows for adequate time from their busy schedule to work in the preparation of their food items.  Also, it puts them in a holiday frame of mind thinking about the holiday social time with family and friends. If you, family, and friends are working at a charity event such as a soup kitchen, then you can plan a the time of meeting. 
2. Check with all guests as to meal time preference and plan accordingly. Consider travel times, small children, and hungry ones.
3. Upon guest arrival, provide some sort of snack food to allow guests a transition time and enjoyment with other guests. Also, it is a time for catching up on the latest news. Steer clear of controversial topics and make all guests feel welcome. Engage guests with each other and make sure no one feels isolated.
4. Main course cook should have a backup course in case #1 is a disaster. For example, if turkey is the main course and it is not thawed in time or gets too done, then have a fully cooked spiral ham in the wings for easy warm up. Or you could just go without it and just make do with all other dishes. You would definitely be creating a Thanksgiving holiday memory and a conversation piece for years to come.
5. After your wonderful meal, play some games.

Hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal.

Cheryl

cheryl at husband-ry dot com

Resources:

How to Involve Children in Thanksgiving Day Traditions - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/443398/how_to_involve_children_in_thanksgiving.html?cat=25

Impromptu Thanksgiving Games - http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1197539/impromptu_thanksgiving_games.html?cat=25