Contrary to a lot of the "tips" they give on cooking shows and cooking segments on the news telling you to make this and that a day or two ahead of time, I try to avoid doing this as much as possible. Some simple planning of what you are going to cook and when, as well as proper prep work can make everything go smoothly without the need to reheat stuff cooked days ago. I did our whole Thanksgiving dinner this year, and did all the dishes along the way from start to finish in about 4 hours (with the exception of some pies we made the night before). It was no big deal at all really, and by the time the food was ready, I had all the pots and pans and utensils cleaned and put away so there was no clutter in the kitchen.
Prepping the turkey and getting it into the oven only took minutes. Then I prepped the green bean casserole and put it in the fridge to be cooked a couple hours later, then baked several trays of rolls. By then it was time to baste the turkey. Towards the last two hours of cooking time, I threw a bunch of potatoes in the oven to use for the mashed potatoes - no peeling, cutting or boiling/steaming needed, I just throw them whole into a potato ricer then add the butter, milk and seasoning. In a few stirs they were done. Stuffing only took minutes to put together as well, and I did that while the potatoes were baking, since it only needs about 45 min in the oven. I put the green bean casserole in the oven, then started working on some gravies (I don't do the pan dripping method, I just use a roux with broth). Finally I warmed up some other steamed vegetables in the microwave to go along with everything as side dishes. After I took the turkey out to rest, I plated everything and got the table ready. By the time that was done, I cut the turkey up and everything was done.
