Thanksgiving is four weeks from today! That means it's time to start your preparations.

• If you are traveling for Thanksgiving and you haven't bought tickets or made hotel reservations, stop reading this now and do it!
• Clear space in your freezer and refrigerator. You're going to need it. Avoid over-shopping and try using one or two items each day. You'll clear space in no time.
• De-clutter your house. Just 10 minutes every day between now and Thanksgiving is over 6 hours of cleaning time! 
• Take stock of your serving ware and table linens (On Thanksgiving, please use a tablecloth and cloth napkins. Using paper ones on holidays makes Elf cry.) Purchase anything you might need. Shopping now may mean you won't get the best sales, but you'll get the best selection. I usually avoid holiday themed serving ware (like turkey shaped soup tureens). You can only use it once or twice a year and it takes up space and costs money. If you have to have the pilgrim platter, at least buy it after the holiday this year so you get the best possible price.
• If you are hosting, schedule the big tasks: the "big" clean, grocery shopping, table-setting and decor, cooking. If at all humanly possible, avoid grocery shopping on November 18th or 19th. The stores will be a zoo. To avoid that, I either take part of a day off work or I shop as soon as the grocery store opens at 6:00 a.m. Not usually a big crowd then.
• Finalize your Thanksgiving dinner menu. I tend to prefer a traditional menu. I save any innovation for a side dish or an appetizer, but you know your guests. Make sure that, whatever you decide for your menu, you have enough fridge space, enough burners, and enough oven space. It's also helpful to space out the courses so that people don't get too stuffed too fast.
• Go beyond the big dinner. Think about all the meals from Wednesday night through Friday. You don't want to have to run out and shop for an ingredient at the last minute and pizza places will be super busy on Wednesday night. Have a clear plan for all the meals that weekend so that you make the best use of time, ingredients, and leftovers. You may even want to decide how you'll divide cooking responsibilities among the gathered folks.