Thanksgiving to-do’s

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (TENNESSEE VALLEY LIVING) - It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is just 10 days away. Before Turkey Day comes trotting along, we have three things for you to do before, during, and after the holiday.

1. Order dinner ahead of time:

Erica DeSpain says she really enjoys cooking Thanksgiving dinner, but there have been a couple of years where all of the prep, shopping, and cooking has been too much with little kids hanging around her feet, so her family has opted to pay for a big meal from somewhere else!

If you’ve never ordered a Thanksgiving meal before, here’s what you should know:

- Ordering early is key! Most restaurants and grocery stores have a limit on how many Thanksgiving dinners they can sell, so order now either via a website, over the phone, or in person.

- Pick-up will likely be the day prior, so make sure you’re available as most locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

- Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to reheat many items before it’s time to sit down and dig in!

If you’re looking for somewhere to order from, we suggest:

- Main Street Cafe in Madison

- Chuck Wagon BBQ

- Ted’s BBQ

- Publix

- Cotton Row

2. Get the family out to a turkey trot:

What some families do traditionally before sitting down to enjoy a big Thanksgiving meal is they run a turkey-trot race together! These are traditionally 5k races that take place around 7 or 8 a.m.

Huntsville has several turkey trots to consider including the 30th Annual Turkey Trot in Huntsville, which is a fundraiser for Crisis Services of North Alabama. Decatur also has a popular annual Turkey Trot where runners can sign up for either a 5k or a one-mile fun run.

3. Shop early for Black Friday and Cyber Monday & shop local:

After you’ve run the race and gobbled until you wobble, most will turn your attention to Black Friday sales and holiday shopping! While shopping online has become incredibly convenient, it’s still highly possible to support locally-owned shops and shop online at the same time!

Here are a few ways to support local shops if online Black Friday shopping is on your to-do list:

- If you find something on Amazon, think about a favorite local shop and see if it’s something they carry on their website as well. Check to see if the store is running any holiday promos, and then make your purchase.

- Consider planning a local shopping trip this week or weekend to browse and shop. Many stores will even wrap it for you! Erica’s favorite part of shopping locally is all of the creative gift-giving ideas she can come up with that she didn’t even know to search for online. So take a few hours and go browse local stores!

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