Ah, Thanksgiving, an American tradition involving food, family, friends and fun. For many, it conjures up visions of cooking in the kitchen, children playing in the yard, and the TV tuned into football or a parade. When it’s time to gather around the table, it’s almost too easy to indulge in the feast of turkey, stuffing, rolls, veggies, pies and more. It’s home. It’s comfort. It’s an incredible feeling.

 

IMG_4711.PNGHelp Others Feel at Home

As part of military life, we rarely stay put for long. The good news is that you can typically duplicate this special holiday with your spouse and children, no matter where you relocate to.

There are others in your community, however, who may need a little help feeling the Thanksgiving cheer. For example, single soldiers in your spouse’s unit may be considering the DFAC or a frozen turkey pot pie for their meal. Or what about those new neighbors who have not yet received their household goods? Or perhaps the family that is just about to PCS and the last thing they can think of is putting together a big meal?

Operation in Touch offers ideas on how you can easily include your fellow military members in this heartfelt American holiday, and help give them a taste of home. From appetizers, to turkey, to pie, here are some tips.

How to Host Thanksgiving the Simple Way

Make it a potluck. Ask guests to bring a favorite side dish or a dessert to help with the meal. This is a great way to incorporate one of their family favorites and share a taste of home.

Create a relaxed environment. Invite guests to come over early to socialize, enjoy beverages and appetizers, and to help you out — no need to try and have everything ready and perfect before they arrive. Operation in Touch recommends easy starters and other ideas here, at Thanksgiving Made Simple.

Provide food options for everyone. Do you have guests that are vegetarians? No problem, this article shares ideas for Hosting a Vegetarian Thanksgiving. If your guests are gluten free, can ask them to share a favorite recipe or bring a side or two that they can safely enjoy.

Ask for set-up/clean-up help. Don’t be afraid to ask your guests to bring things such as bags of ice, beverages, extra chairs, a folding table, or even plasticware for easy cleanup. The more help you have in the kitchen, the more time you’ll have for fun with your friends.

Maximize your leftovers. No need to throw away any of the delicious extras! If you still have a surplus after sharing with your guests, take a look at Thanksgiving Leftovers 101. It includes guidelines for freezing turkey and recipes to keep things interesting.

The recipes and advice in this article can be found on Operation In Touch (OIT). Brought to you by the Unilever brand, it is a website dedicated to providing special savings, coupons, recipes, beauty tips, and editorial content tailored to the lives of our active military families.

Visit http://www.operationintouch.com for more ideas and inspiration. While you’re there, take a look at some of their helpful military resources and offers. Be sure to like Operation In Touch on Facebook and on Pinterest for the latest updates.

If you register for their e-newsletter subscriptions, you will receive recipes, savings, tips and more. If you are 18+, on active military duty, or have an immediate family member on active military duty, you will be entered to win a tablet, just by signing up.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Unilever & Operation in Touch via MSB New Media. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

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