13 Tools and Tips to Win Thanksgiving

Whether Thanksgiving promises to be a neuroses-filled homecoming or a mindless, gluttonous veg-out, you’re going to want to celebrate the holiday right.

Check out these awesome tools, tips, and tech to ensure that you win Thanksgiving.

Eat Well
Food52 has done a bang-up job of making sure you’re prepared for feasting. Their Thanksgiving Menu Genie promises to help you “find recipes to accommodate your tastes, your oven constraints, and your bickering-but-lovable family members”.

If you’re in need of emergency assistance, they’re also offering a Food52 Hotline, where you can request advice from one of their editors. Of course, if you’re more of a traditionalist, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has been going strong for 35 years.

And Autel Robotics offers up the helpful How to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner with a Drone – it’s the first cooking instructional we’ve ever seen that begins with the admonition, “Make sure you have a Medieval-armor-like glove” (h/t Gizmodo).

Drink Well
Choosing wine is hard – why not let a robot do it for you? Delectable for iOS and Android allows you to scan the label of any bottle of wine to get pairing recommendation and tasting notes.

If you need to start with the hard stuff, Lush is a $2 iOS app offering hundreds of hand-crafted cocktail recipes.

Need to stock up on supplies but can’t face the thought of leaving the house? Minibar delivers wine, beer, and booze within one hour in more than 25 locations across the U.S.

Do Good
Volunteering to feed the hungry on Thanksgiving might seem like a no-brainer, though there’s some debate over whether or not you’re actually helping.

But if you think you can do some good, VolunteerMatch.org currently has 303 opportunities nationwide. If you want to find more worthy local opportunities, Google is your best friend here.

Be a Great Guest
KCET offers a novel tip – skip the side dish and bring breakfast supplies for the morning after. The last thing your hosts will want to do on Friday morning is spend another minute in the kitchen, so spare them the trouble. Bloody Mary mix also makes for a great gift.

Zone Out
Football isn’t for everyone. The newly introduced Playlist Potluck feature from Spotify and Sonos allows all of your guests to have a hand in choosing the next song.

The iOS app A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, for $6, forgoes the existential dread of the Peanuts’ Christmas special for a charming, kid-friendly experience.

And let’s face it – family time can be stressful. Headspace offers short guided meditations via its iOS and Android apps – you might want to purchase their $13/month membership now.