Thanksgiving is three weeks from today.

This is a week to make lists:

• The most important list is your guest list. Who is coming? Are they arriving for the day or will they be staying over? Do you need to help anyone find a place to stay? Is there anyone who needs an invitation?
• Use your menus to develop your grocery shopping lists. I divide mine into two sections, depending on how early I can buy things. Anything non-perishable goes on the buy-now list. That's why you made extra room in your pantry and freezer. If you use a frozen turkey and have room in your freezer, but it now. The sales have already started and you'll get the best selection. You can also buy the ingredients for pumpkin pies, potatoes, pasta for macaroni and cheese, bread for stuffing, wine, water, etc. The perishable list should be things you have to buy the week of — like fresh vegetables. Organize those lists so you can get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.
• Think about the things you can make in advance — like stock for gravies or pie crusts or cranberry sauce. Also, you may want to prepare some meals you can freeze and reheat for Wednesday night's dinner or for a breakfast.
• Make a list of every task that needs to be completed between today and the moment your guests leave and the house is restored to normal. Now, put all of those tasks on a calendar, striving to schedule each task at the earliest possible date. For example, you can't use the turkey carcass to make turkey noodle soup quite yet, but you may be able to set your table on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
• Start a list of tasks you can ask other people to do. Many people like to help. If you don't give them a task, they will either be hurt or try to help anyway and get in your way. You don't want to be playing demolition derby in the kitchen while you're trying to plate the food. So plan ahead with helpful tasks. For example, someone could be in charge of hanging guests' coats or getting them drinks or passing appetizers or emptying the dishwasher or arranging flowers or labeling leftover containers. They should be useful tasks, not make-work.

The more attention you give to building these lists, the easier everything will be during Thanksgiving week.