An Early Thanksgiving

Welcome to Holiday 911, a new blog to offer tips and answer questions about juggling the many responsibilities of the holiday season. I'm Liz Seymour, an editor in the Post Home section, and as I write this, I'm trying to decide what I'm cooking for Thanksgiving dinner (roasted butternut squash?) and when I'm going to start shopping (maybe online tonight?). I suspect I'm not the only one thinking this way.... Please send me some questions and check out our daily reminder to stay organized during the holiday season.

Q: My girlfriend is leaving town Monday to visit her family. I'd like to do a Thanksgiving dinner with her this weekend. I see all these upscale restaurants that offer complete dinners, however, they generally state that the order is for 6 or more. What are you supposed to do if it is just a couple? Also, I'm concerned that most don't start delivering/making anything available for pickup until closer to the holiday? Am I going the wrong way with this, or are there restaurants that might serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner year 'round?

Erin Hartigan, food and dining producer at washingtonpost.com, recommends the following:
The Willard Hotel's chef, Daniel Kenney, will happily prepare a meal in advance (202-637-7466). The smaller order serves up to four people and includes a turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread, sage and wild mushroom stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, an autumn ragout, butternut squash puree, rolls and an apple or pumpkin pie ($125). Kenney will prepare it hot or cold depending on how soon you plan to eat it.

Q: This year we're giving our kids three gifts from us: one fun, one educational (books / puzzles) and one clothing- related. I can already tell that my stress level has gone way down and the kids are into it, too. I'm having a hard time with the "educational" category for my 11 year old girl. Any suggestions? She enjoys reading and loves soccer. It doesn't need to be books, but I'm already out of ideas. I purchased the I Spy books for the six-year-old and the Lemony Snicket series for the eight-year-old.

I think this is a great idea and may consider it for my own children, even though they are much younger. For advice I consulted Marylou Tousignant, the deputy editor of KidsPost. Here's what she had to say:

If she hasn't already read them, check out the "Dear America" series, published by Scholastic. The books are fictional accounts of real events. Topics include the sinking of the Titanic, traveling the Oregon Trail, being a Suffragette and voyaging on the Mayflower. They are handsome hardbacks, with ribbon bookmarks that girls seem to like. You can find the complete list of titles, and read excerpts, on Scholatic's Web site.

By Liz Seymour |  November 17, 2006; 12:31 PM ET  | Category:  Thanksgiving
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