This is my approach-I really enjoy doing Thanksgiving.
**Roast the bird 1 day before. No dressing inside & it gets done quicker. When done, wrap roaster in heavy blanket & let it sit 30-45 minutes then it’s easy to handle & juices go into meat & it gets moist (I think). Take off bones, save & strain broth & clean up this mess. Next day heat meat in foil covered cake pan or crockpot or warmers. Must be heated with broth.
**I have nice dinnerware but on Thanksgiving we use divided foam plates.
**DIL brings green bean casserole, DD brings stuffing made in crockpot. Both are delicious.
**I make 1 pumpkin pie with frozen crust on Wed since few eat it. I buy a cheesecake with assorted flavors & cookies from freezer.
**Corn is what I freeze from Farmer Market (cut off cob). They love it.
**Buns are frozen dinner buns. Night before I put them in greased pan, cover with towel & refrigerate. In morning they’ll be thawed so I set them in a warm place to rise. Make plenty so they can have Turkey sandwich later. I used to make them from scratch but take the help where you can get it.
**3 packages of dry Turkey gravy mix (each makes 2 cups - fits my small crockpot). Southeastern Mills brand in yellow envelope.
DH & I love jelled cranberries but we’re only ones who eat it & it’s loaded with sugar so I quit buying.
Peeled potatoes are covered with water & refrigerated. We live where it’s cold so I set them on deck along with pitchers of water. I drain them in the morning, cover with fresh water & cook after adding salt. Mom’s old trick.
Salad & relish tray. I don’t serve any. This family hardly touches it so why bother. I might buy coleslaw or make 1/2 recipe of Mom’s cranberry salad (for me !)
I have chips if they want a sandwich later.