Have To Spend Thanksgiving In More Than One Place? Here's How You Can Get That Done

It's time to start planning your Turkey Day. If you have divorced parents, you're balancing friends and family, or you're trying to visit you and your spouse's childhood homes, then you may be subject to having multiple Thanksgiving dinners in one day. Balancing two or three feasts in a day can be stressful for your stomach and your mind. Whether it's something you've been doing since you were a kid, or this is your first Thanksgiving day with more than one meal to attend, we've got tips to help you balance the craziness.

Give Gifts

Balancing more than one Thanksgiving in a day means you'll most likely be late for one of the occasions. Even if you're not late, no one wants to feel second-best when you show up already full and satisfied from your first dinner. To soften the tension, always have gifts for the host or hostess handy and ready to bring to each house. You're not going to have time to run to the store to grab flowers or wine, so get everything ahead of time. This way, you'll have a bottle of wine in your car for each of your Thanksgiving dinners.

Know Your Territory

When tackling multiple Thanksgiving meals, you'll want to know who makes what dish best. Don't dig into your mom's bland mashed potatoes if you want to save room for your best friend's cheesy potato casserole. You can take small portions to be polite, but don't fill up on average food at the first house when you could have incredible food at the second.

Pace Yourself

While it's important to pace yourself with food, drinking is even more important. Depending on how you're getting to your second Thanksgiving meal of the day, drinking can keep you from reaching your final destination. If you're too drunk, you may lose track of time and miss your second Thanksgiving. If you're driving, you've slowed down your arrival time until you sober up. Be smart and don't start drinking until the final Thanksgiving dinner.