It’s the beginning of November and, although Thanksgiving lands late this year, now is the time to be proactive in your relationship to make your Thanksgiving the best it can be. Who hasn’t experienced a Thanksgiving dinner that has gone awry because of dry turkey, guests showing up late or not at all, or feeling stressed to the max because of last minute preparations?
Here are a few key things you can do that will reduce stress around Turkey Day:
- Make a list now of all the things that need to get done for Thanksgiving. Highlight the items you need help with and ask your mate and/or children to do just that – help! Give your loved ones a heads-up that you will be soliciting their cooperation for three weeks from now.
- If you are hosting friends and family, alert everyone to the the window of time you will be celebrating. If you don’t set these boundaries ahead of time, you may have a house full of guests longer than you anticipate. To clear the house, tell everyone you’re going to a movie. It works every time!
- If you are having Thanksgiving at someone else’s house, know your limit on how much you can make for the meal. If someone asks you to bring two side dishes and a dessert and you can only make one side dish, say so.
- One of the best things you can do on Thanksgiving is toast your mate at some point during the meal. It shows gratitude on a holiday that is all about thankfulness and it sets a loving tone for the dinner. If your mate has helped you leading into Thanksgiving, you’ll have plenty for which to be grateful!
One of the tools I use in my coaching is how to express gratitude by using post it notes. They work so well!
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