Well, if you are hosting Thanksgiving this year, it’s time to get your planning underway. 

While the holiday food displays are up in the grocery stores, the really good sales aren’t likely to kick in until next week.  If you don’t already know, take a few minutes to find out what the "sale cycle" is for the stores you frequent.  In some places, sales run from Saturday to Friday. In others, from Wednesday to Tuesday.  In others, Sunday to Saturday.  Also be on the lookout for special 2 or 3 days sales on specific items.  You can get some great deals that way.  Either bookmark the grocery store website or make it a point to buy the newspaper on the day that the grocery store ads come out.

Since it’s not time to cook the dinner yet (or even to shop for it), here are some things you can do:

• Invite the people you’d like to join you.
• Decide on the basic menu (and if you have offers to bring things, make note of what people are bringing so you don’t end up with a gallon of cranberry sauce and no vegetables).
• Clear space in your fridge so that you can defrost a frozen turkey and so that you can brine all turkeys that haven’t been injected with salt water.  A turkey being brined needs to be kept at 40 degrees, so it’s important to have plenty of fridge space available or use a cooler and replenish the ice regualrly throughout the 24 hours.
• Dig out the nice tablecloth and the cloth napkins.  Iron them.  I know.  But it’s a holiday.
• Take out the nice dishes, the serving platters, and the silver.  Polish the silver if necessary. Wash the dishes if they are dusty.  They well might be if you haven’t used them since last Easter or longer.  Once they are washed, stack them on the dining room table or a sideboard and cover them with a clean cotton sheet.

If you take care of these things now, you’ll be two steps ahead when it comes to the celebration.