HowToDoThings.com Thanksgiving

How To Not Be Embarrassed by Your Relatives During the Holidays

mariamia — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:14:47 -0600

With the holiday fast approaching, it is also time for the relatives to show up and ask their litany of embarrassing questions. Everyone knows what I am talking about. I have a huge Italian family. They walk in the door with big hellos, kisses on the cheeks, and then it is time to sit down to what is supposed to be a nice family holiday dinner.

As we sit down to eat, you can hear the laughter from the other end of the block. When everyone starts stuffing his or her face, it becomes a little less noisy. That is when someone in the family starts asking all of the kids (that range between 20 and 35 in the family) personal questions that we just don’t want to be talking about in front of the whole family.

Instead of answering him or her with a cocky remark, I have come up with some humorous answers to take the spotlight off of you and put it back on the person who has the guts to ask you such personal things.

How To Celebrate "Buy Nothing Day"

ronkhare — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:14:43 -0600

Do the holidays seem overly commercialized to you? Do you find yourself wondering how buying people things is the only way to show that you love them? Are you tired of being pressured into “buy, buy, buy!” for the sake of the holidays? Does the world seem just a tad too obsessed with the material and lacking the spiritual?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, you're not alone. The trend of massive holiday buying continues to grow: Americans will spend over $457 billion dollars for the three main winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) this year. At an average of over $800 per person, holiday shopping seems to be a national--if not worldwide--obsession.

How To Prepare a Low-Fat Thanksgiving Dinner

Victoria116 — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 08:46:00 -0600

Thanksgiving dinner can be one of the most fattening meals you eat all year. With a plate full of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and dessert, you can easily exceed your calorie limit for the entire day--in one sitting. So how can you trim some of the fat off of your Thanksgiving holiday meal? Read on for some tips on how to prepare a low-fat Thanksgiving dinner:

How To Find a Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Beth141 — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:37:00 -0600

Few occasions call for a fuller table than Thanksgiving. Many times, there's barely enough room for all the food, let alone a centerpiece. But before the dinner is laid out, if you want your table to look festive, you want to find just the right centerpiece. Here are some ways you can find a Thanksgiving centerpiece that will add to the ambiance as you get ready to enjoy the day's big meal.

How To Create Thanksgiving Cards

Casey47 — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:59:00 -0600

The Thanksgiving greeting card is not one of the most common greeting cards. It is not often that we all receive a "Happy Thanksgiving" card in the mail from Grandma. This article will show you that creating your own Thanksgiving cards is easy and fun. Maybe then the idea of the Thanksgiving greeting card will take hold!

To create a home made, yet professional looking greeting card, there are a few easy steps to follow. A popular hobby spreading throughout the USA is scrapbooking. Some methods from scrapbooking will be used in creating these cards.

How To Make Thanksgiving Decorations

Victoria116 — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:04:00 -0500

The Thanksgiving season is a great time to decorate your house using both things from nature and some items from the craft store. If you're looking for a way to make your home more festive for the Thanksgiving season, check out these tips on how to make Thanksgiving decorations:

Place cards. Place cards will give your Thanksgiving dinner table a more formal and sophisticated feel. To make place cards, cut pieces of card stock to the desired size and fold in half so the place cards will be able to sit up on the table. Use a Thanksgiving stamp or autumn-themed stickers (available at craft stores) to decorate the cards. Write the name of your dinner guests on each card using a thin-tipped black marker or adhesive letter stickers. There are also many printable place card templates available on the Internet.

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How To Create Holiday Cards

Tonya249 — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:02:00 -0500

You look out the window and see sparkling snow drifting gently past your window. What could be more perfect on such a day than opening your mailbox and discovering a unique, handmade card from one of your best friends? It can be difficult to find the time to make your own holiday cards during this crazy, frenetic season, but the smile that your card will bring to the faces of your loved ones is worth it!

How To BBQ a Turkey

Tonya249 — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 21:16:00 -0500

If you're tired of eating dried-out oven-roasted turkey every year, or you simply need to free up more space in your oven, you might want to try using your grill to barbecue a bird this Thanksgiving. It's easier than you may think - and if the weather is warm, you may just convince the guys in your family to take care of the entree while you prepare the meal inside!

How To Cook a Turkey

Sharon449 — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:46:00 -0500

Cooking a turkey for the first time can be intimidating, but it does not need to be difficult. These instructions will put you on the path to a delicious, moist turkey you can be proud of.

Safety - Thoroughly clean any surfaces the raw turkey or its juices touch with hot soapy water to avoid contamination with bacteria.
Thaw - If your turkey is fresh (not frozen), proceed to the preparation. Frozen turkeys must be thawed before cooking. Do not thaw a turkey on the counter at room temperature because this will cause bacteria to grow. Place the frozen turkey (still in the wrapper) in a dish in the refrigerator for about 1 day for every 5 pounds of turkey. For example, a 20 pound turkey will take about 3 to 4 days to thaw.

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How To Smoke a Turkey

Charles404 — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:48:00 -0500

In my opinion, slowly smoking a turkey over the course of many hours is the best of all possible preparations for this noble bird. Benjamin Franklin campaigned to make the wild turkey the national bird rather than the eagle. Imagine what it would be like if he had succeeded. Would the turkey have become a protected bird? Would we not be able to sit down to a wonderful turkey dinner with all the fixings? I shudder to think.

We share holidays with my wife's folks. One household takes Christmas, and the other hosts Thanksgiving. Whatever holiday we have, I always smoke a turkey. I have used two types of smokers, so I will outline the differences as we go.