Thanksgiving is 6 weeks from today! Scary, isn’t it?

Now, it’s way too early to start your grocery shopping (with one exception that I’ll mention below). Most grocery stores don’t start their Thanksgiving food sales until the week of November 1st. But, there are things you can do to get ready if you are hosting this year’s meal:

• Invite folks so you’ll know how many people to expect.

• Begin deciding on your menu. Will you go with the traditional menu? Shake things up? Add a new side dish or dessert?

• If you will need to borrow serving ware or chairs (my perennial problem), make arrangements now.

• Find your table linens and see if they need cleaning, repair, or ironing.

• Check your silverware to see if polishing is required.

• Remember where your stored the good china, the serving platters, the extra wine glasses.

• Start making room in the refrigerator and freezer so that you’ll have space to defrost the turkey. It’s easier to use a little bit every day over time than to try to eliminate a ton of food on November 20th.

• Declutter and tidy the house as possible, with special attention to the public rooms. Unless you’ll have houseguests. Then you need a more thorough cleaning.

• Check your stock of leftover containers. Mismatched tops and bottoms can go bye-bye.

• If you want a fresh, free-range turkey, you will need to order very soon. It’s not like poultry farms can make more turkeys on a moment’s notice.

Well, that should keep you busy for the next few weeks!