Thanksgiving 2024

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Stress-free Turkey Day

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Thanksgiving dinner can come with a great deal of pressure — especially if you're the host. But the holiday is about gratitude and gathering, not impressing your guests. Why it matters: Thanksgiving often feels like the "Super Bowl of food holidays," CNN's Casey Barber writes. Barber's holiday prep starts in early November. If the planning, cooking and tablescape-designing brings you happiness, that's wonderful — and this is your time to shine! But if you're overwhelmed, here are ways to make next week a little less stressful and a little more joyful. Shortcuts are fine — and delicious. Store-bought pies and dinner rolls are great, canned cranberry sauce is a classic, and Butterball even has a new cook-from-frozen turkey that comes pre-brined, so all you need to do is unwrap it and cook it. Make it up! Don't feel limited by the traditional Thanksgiving lineup. If there's a side dish you often prepare and that feels easy and comfortable, add it to your menu. Tweak tradition, as Food Network puts it. Summon the troops! Whether you throw a BYOB dinner, ask guests to bring appetizers, or put them in charge of reheating the sides, lean on them to make your job easier. If you're a guest, ask what you can bring or if you're needed in the kitchen during crunch time. Focus on the fun. If you're hosting Thanksgiving, there's probably one or two things about it that you especially like — maybe that's roasting the juiciest turkey, making a favorite family dish or decorating the table. Put extra care into the parts of Thanksgiving that make you happy, and use tips and tricks to get through the rest. 📬 We want to hear from you! What are your Thanksgiving hacks? Your easiest, quickest recipe that's always a hit? Your go-to trick for stress relief? Send us a couple sentences, along with your name and hometown, to finishline@axios.com to share your tips with other readers.

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Holiday travel

This Thanksgiving travel period is expected to be the busiest on record with more than 31 million passengers in the skies, AAA estimates. The busiest days to fly will be Wednesday, November 27, and Sunday, December 1 — with more than 3 million passengers expected on each day. The FAA said it might need to slow down air traffic due to air traffic controller staffing shortages, particularly in the Northeast. The weather may also cause more delays as the FAA monitors two storms in the US this week. The first is located across the greater Upper Midwest area and could bring showers across parts of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. A second storm in the central US is expected to move into the Eastern region by Thanksgiving Day and may even put a damper on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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Do not wash your turkey and other Thanksgiving tips to keep your food safe

Ready or not, the holidays are here. It’s a time when many Americans accustomed to preparing simple meals find themselves responsible for safely serving multi-dish feasts.

https://apnews.com/article/food-safety-holidays-3584c4cf4d6a7c8bf9d5d6b55e3af66b?

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Here's some interesting advice for after your meal!! 🤣 💨 Thanksgiving reminder: Take a walk!

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Going on a "fart walk" after eating can be good for your health — something you may want to keep in mind after your Thanksgiving feast tonight, Axios Seattle's Melissa Santos writes. Why it matters: They have real benefits! Walking after a meal can reduce bloating and acid reflux — just mind who may be walking behind you. Cookbook author Mairlyn Smith has promoted "fart walks" on social media as a way to boost health and help pass gas after eating fiber-rich meals — and the hashtag has been catching on.

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends!!