Life comes at you fast — and on Thanksgiving Day, even faster. One minute you’re planning the menu, and the next, the turkey timer’s already ticking. If you’re hosting this year, there’s no shortage of things to do, buy, prep, clean and organize. And if you’re only just getting started with planning, it’s officially time to get moving. The key? Taking it step by step and leaning on a few clever hacks to save time, money and (most importantly) your sanity.
To help you pull it all off, we’ve created the ultimate Thanksgiving 2025 cheat sheet packed with smart shopping tips, prep shortcuts, hosting hacks and post-dinner cleanup tricks. And because the holidays can be as exhausting as they are joyful, we’ve also included a few ways to keep your wellness (and your wallet) intact, plus how to sneak in some stellar Black Friday deals along the way.
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Below, you’ll find everything you need for a stress-free, satisfying Thanksgiving. Think of it as your personal holiday assistant (and our little seasonal secret).
Read more:Â Don’t Make These Common Thanksgiving Mistakes
How to make Thanksgiving dinner stress free
Thanksgiving is a meal with a host of dishes that guests come to expect. Cut down on meal prep and legwork with a Thanksgiving meal kit filled with all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. Or save yourself a few trips to the store by buying your turkey and other provisions online.
How to make Thanksgiving dinner more delicious
This next series of tips is full of easy ways to defrost and cook a big bird for Thanksgiving. We’ve even dropped in some suggestions for folks looking to cook something other than turkey this November.
No need to blow your monthly budget on Thanksgiving groceries.
I’m hosting Thanksgiving. What are the best ways to clean for guests?
Being a host isn’t easy. A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. To help, we’ve compiled a list of essential hosting and cooking tips you’ll need for your Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving dinner. And though cleaning your house could take a full day (or longer), we have some trusty tips that can make the cleaning process much more efficient.
Cleaning tips for the home:
A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. But we’ve got some easy tips to help you.
Cleaning tips for appliances and kitchenware:
How can I prioritize my health and wellness during Thanksgiving?
Holidays come around only once a year, so it’s understandable to want to indulge in all that decadent food and drink. That said, Thanksgiving can also be an anxiety-inducing time for people on a journey to improve their health and nutrition. The important thing is that you don’t need to deprive or restrict yourself. Instead, you can follow some of these wellness tips to enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend without the guilt.
It can be hard to prioritize your health during the holidays, but there’s always time to take for yourself.
Where can I find early Black Friday deals and holiday gift ideas?
When you’re in the fray of prepping for the holiday season, it can be easy to let things slip, but gift-buying is one thing you won’t regret planning for ahead of time. Preplanning your online Black Friday shopping can reduce the stress of gift-buying, and we’re here to help. Whether you’re buying for a parent, sibling, significant other or friend, our CNET experts have a roundup of the best deals and gifts available for Black Friday and beyond.
To never miss a deal, check out CNET’s complete roundup of early Black Friday deals. And for all the best gift recommendations, explore CNET’s ultimate gift guide to start ticking off the boxes on your list.