Life comes at you fast — on Thanksgiving Day, even faster. The lead-up to the big Turkey Day feast can arrive as fast as lightning. If you’re hosting, there’s no shortage of stuff to do, buy, prepare, clean and plan for. If you’ve only just started to plan for Thanksgiving festivities, it’s time you get cracking. Tackling it piece by piece is typically best practice — and having some efficiency hacks up your sleeve will save you precious time, money and energy, and keep down the stress. To help with a seamless experience, we’ve put together a Thanksgiving cheat sheet teeming with our best shopping, planning, hosting, prep and cleaning tips. Because the holidays can be mentally and emotionally taxing, we’ve also included simple ways to prioritize your overall health and wellness during this time of year, and maybe even nab a few excellent Black Friday deals while you’re at it. Below you’ll find the ultimate Thanksgiving cheat sheet. Think of this as your holiday helper, and our little secret.
Thanksgiving is a meal with a host of dishes that guests come to expect. Cut down on meal prep and legwork with a Thanksgiving meal kit filled with all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. Or save yourself a few trips to the store by buying your turkey and other provisions online. This next series of tips is full of easy ways to defrost and cook a big bird for Thanksgiving. We’ve even dropped in some suggestions for folks looking to cook something other than turkey this November. No need to blow your monthly budget on Thanksgiving groceries. Being a host isn’t easy. A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. To help, we’ve compiled a list of essential hosting and cooking tips you’ll need for your Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving dinner. And though cleaning your house could take a full day (or longer), we have some trusty tips that can make the cleaning process much more efficient. A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. But we’ve got some easy tips to help you. Holidays come around only once a year, so it’s understandable to want to indulge in all that decadent food and drink. That said, Thanksgiving can also be an anxiety-inducing time for people on a journey to improve their health and nutrition. The important thing is that you don’t need to deprive or restrict yourself. Instead, you can follow some of these wellness tips to enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend without the guilt. It can be hard to prioritize your health during the holidays, but there’s always time to take for yourself. When you’re in the fray of prepping for the holiday season, it can be easy to let things slip, but gift-buying is one thing you won’t regret planning for ahead of time. Preplanning your online Black Friday shopping can reduce the stress of gift-buying, and we’re here to help. Whether you’re buying for a parent, sibling, significant other or friend, our CNET experts have a roundup of the best deals and gifts available for Black Friday and beyond. To never miss a deal, check out CNET’s complete roundup of early Black Friday deals. And for all the best gift recommendations, explore CNET’s ultimate gift guide to start ticking off the boxes on your list.