Put a fresh spin on Valentine’s Day with this collection of Valentine’s Day card design ideas and messages. Plus, learn where you can purchase and send greeting cards and gifts together for around $5 each — postage included!

Approximately 190 million valentines are mailed out each year in the United States. While this number has yet to rival the number of birthday cards sent during the same time frame, it does provide undeniable proof that romantic love is still alive and well.
 
Are you ready to celebrate but need ideas for making homemade valentines? We have you covered with our large collection of design ideas for both cute and funny Valentine’s Day cards.
 
In addition, we also provide suggestions for Valentine’s Day card messages and quotes for the cards you buy! Personalize your greeting cards using handwritten fonts, your own custom photos, and a tuck in gift to make your valentine cards a unique gift experience.

Valentine’s Day has quite the macabre past. However, it evolved through the 14th and 15th centuries to become associated with romantic love. Handwritten valentines then later became an annual tradition 18th century England.
 
As the holiday became widespread throughout popular culture, it has grown into the custom we know and celebrate today. This includes giving romantic gifts of flowers, candy, and greeting cards as way to express love to someone special.
 
Keep reading to explore our wonderful selection of card design ideas along with suggestions on what you can write inside your Valentine’s Day cards. In addition, you’ll also find Valentine quotes that you can include in lieu of your own personal message. This is especially handy if your wordsmithing skills evade you on this particular holiday.

These ideas for Valentine’s Day cards are perfect if you’re making your own homemade cards. Not only do these suggestions work well for DIY cards, but they also work great as messages inside blank cards with a decorative design.
 
Following are our best ideas for cute and funny cards for Valentine’s Day.

Here are some DIY ideas for making homemade cards for a significant other or someone that you’re sweet on:

• Photo or illustration of Bob Ross accompanied by the phrase, “You make me want to paint happy little trees.”
• A cactus picture with the wording, “You make me thorny.“
• Phrasing that states, “I love your” followed by a picture or illustration of a hot dog or dachshund.
• “You’re one of a kind!” with an illustration of playing cards or a hand that’s difficult to win.
• “Our love was mint to be.” with a gift or photo of mints.
• A wild animal design with wording that states, “I’m wild about you, Valentine.”
• “You’re the bee’s knees.” With an illustration of bee’s knees.
• A card design with a dog that says, “You’re doggone cute.”
• “You’re purr-fect for me.” Accompanied by a photo of a cat.
• Illustration of donuts with the wording “I donut what I’d do without you.”
• “I love you s’more everyday.” With a s’mores graphic.
• “Will you brie my Valentine?” and a picture of a block of brie cheese.
• “You have olive my heart.” Accompanied by an olive jar illustration.
• A card design featuring apples with the words, “I love you a bushel and a peck.”
• “I’m nuts about you.” With a card picturing a squirrel with a nut.
• Pictures of hot peppers with the phrase “You’re so spicy, Valentine!”
• “You stole a pizza my heart.” And a picture of a pizza slice.
• A bee graphic with words that say, “Bee my valentine.”
• “You’re my everything!” followed by an illustration of an everything bagel.
• “You’re the sauce to my nuggets.” With a design showing chicken nuggets being dipped into sauce.
• An illustration of a dripping ice cream cone accompanied by the words, “You make me melt.”
• “Is your dad a baker? Because you’ve got great buns.” with a cinnamon buns graphic.
• “You’re my main squeeze.” Tied in with a juice box.
• For DIY Valentine’s Day gifts for him, you can combo jars or spices with printable “You spice up my life!” gift tags.
• You can also create love birds note cards like these and include a quote or message inside the card.

Here are several cute ideas for greeting cards that you can make for kids for Valentine’s Day or that they can gift to one another:

• “You’re off the hook.” With gummy worms.
• “I chews you Valentine.” Combined with a card or mini gumball machine and chewing gum, like these DIY Valentines for kids.
• “I dig you, Valentine.” With a photo of or an actual toy shovel.
• Gift a pair of socks with a card that says, “We make a great pair.”

Once you chosen a greeting card for your intended recipient, the question now becomes, what do I write inside?
 
Unless you have something really important to express to your recipient, you can keep your communication short and sweet. Following are some easy, one and two sentence ideas for what to write inside Valentine’s Day cards. Here are our favorite messages to use inside a valentine greeting card or gift note:
 

• You’re as awkward as a fork at a soup convention. But I still love you.
• Our love is like peanut butter and jelly.
• You give me butterflies.
• You’re the icing on my cake.
• You hold the key to my heart.
• You’re the apple of my eye.
• Be mine.
• I love you more than coffee.
• You’re my favorite. (Second only to wine!)
• There’s no love story like our love story.
• You’re the king to my queen. Happy Valentine’s Day.
• In a perfect world, I’d choose you over winning the lottery.
• You’re all I need in life. (Well, and an endless supply of wine and chocolate.)
• I’m sweet on you, Valentine.
• I shaved. Happy Valentine’s Day.
• I only have eyes for you.
• You take my breathe away.
• I may have stolen your fries, but you stole my heart.
• Te Amo.
• There is no end to this love.
• I love you more than tacos.
• Your love is magic.
• I’m sweet on you.
• Take to me to wonderland.
• You’re my one and only.
• Forever ever.
• You’re awesome sauce.
• Today’s the only day you’ll get me into a dress.
• Valentine’s Day is fake news.

If you still can’t find the right sentiment to write inside your Valentine’s Day cards, you use a valentine quote instead. Here are some of our favorite quotes to use for Valentine’s Day:
 

• Life is the flower for which love is honey. — Victor Hugo
• To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides. — David Viscott
• If I know what love is, it is because of you. — Hermann Hesse
• Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. — Franklin P. Jones
• You are my greatest adventure. — Mr. Incredible
• All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. — Charles Me. Schulz
• Falling in love is so hard on the knees. — Aerosmith
• The best thing to hold onto in life is each other. — Audrey Hepburn
• There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart. — Jane Austen
• Your flaws are perfect for the heart that’s meant to love you. – Trent Shelton
• You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. – Dr. Seuss
• Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet. – Katharine Lee Bates
• A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. – Mignon McLaughlin

·      It’s better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week. – Laurence J. Peter, Educator
·      Without Valentine’s Day, February would be…well, January. – Jim Gaffigan

• What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork. – Pearl Bailey
• This fire that we call Loving is too strong for human minds. But just right for human souls. – Aberjhani

·      And suddenly all the love songs were about you. – Unknown
·      Where there is love there is life. – Mahatma Gandhi
·      Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. – Emily Brontë
·      The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. – Victor Hugo
·      Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.  – Maya Angelou
·      Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
·      Most people are slow to champion love because they fear the transformation it brings into their lives. And make no mistake about it: love does take over and transform the schemes and operations of our egos in a very mighty way. – Aberjhani
·      Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever. – Audre Lorde
·      Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else. – Nicholas Sparks
·      A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. – Ingrid Bergman
·      Love is being stupid together. – Paul Valery
·      Love is a condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own. — Robert Heinlein
·      Anyone can be passionate but it takes real lovers to be silly. – Rose Franken
·      Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves- alone we find it with another. – Thomas Merton

• You stole my heart, but I’ll let you keep it. – Anonymous

Learn how to create and send personalized Christmas photo cards to friends, family, and clients for the holidays. Include a small gift with every card you send in addition to handwritten fonts and up to two printed photos inside!
 
Christmas is generally considered one of the biggest holidays of the year. In the United States, around 1.3 billion Christmas cards are mailed out to mark the occasion and send well wishes each year. As many of us don’t send out greeting cards regularly, Christmas cards are a great way to touch base with friends and family. It’s also the perfect opportunity to share a photo and memorialize the year!
 
Whether you’re an individual, business or organization, we provide the best way to create and send personalized greeting cards and gifts with your photos. Keep reading to learn about the unique products offered by Minute Mail Gifts. Plus explore creative ideas for your Christmas photo cards.

You can make the holiday even more memorable when you send Christmas photo cards with a magnetic photo frame. Our handwritten cards can be personalized not just with your message, but your favorite photographs as well.
 
By sending personalized Christmas cards and a photo frame gift together, you can make a huge impact. Our decorative magnetic frames are an easy way to display the photos printed inside the card. Or they can also be used to exhibit other holiday or family portraits on the refrigerator throughout the season.

Taking and choosing the right photo to include inside your holiday greeting cards doesn’t have to be hard. If you need help deciding on the right picture to include inside your cards, here are some ideas for Christmas photo cards:

Our Christmas photo cards are an inexpensive way to send a card and a holiday gift together. You can easily send personalized Christmas cards with up to two photos printed inside using Minute Mail Gifts.
 
In addition, you can include a simple gift inside. Whether you choose a Christmas tree ornament or magnetic photo frame, our affordable gift options make your Christmas cards even more unique and special.
 
To create a personalized photo card for the holidays, follow these steps:
 
1. Pick one or two photos to include inside your Christmas card.
 
2. Once you’ve decided on the picture(s) you’ll use to customize your holiday greeting cards, select the greeting card design you’d like to send.

3. Choose a gift to send with your custom Christmas photo card. You can choose from magnetic photo frames, Christmas ornaments, magnets, magnetic bookmarks, stickers and more!
 
4. Select a card layout for both the left and right writing panels inside the card. Both sides of the card offer options for a message, photograph, or both. Therefore, you can include two photos inside each card if you like.
 
5. Customize your Christmas card with the photo or photos you’ve chosen. Then type in the message you’d like to appear. You can choose from a variety of handwritten fonts for that extra personal touch, as well as choose the font size and alignment.
 
6. Address the envelope. Fill out the return address with your information along with the address of the recipient. If sending a card out the entire family of the same last name, be sure you don’t commit a grammar faux pas. (Read more on that below.)
 
7. Have us mail your card out right away. Or schedule your card to mail on the date you indicate.
 
Of course, you can also send personalized Christmas cards with no photo if you don’t have one that you’d like to include. Simply choose a card layout that indicates text only, then proceed with creating your custom holiday greeting.

Avoid the apostrophe faux pas when addressing holiday cards or creating personalized gifts! Apostrophes are used to show possession, show omission of letters (such as when writing contractions) and to form plurals of single letters, numbers, and symbols.⁠
⁠
When making the plural of a last name, an apostrophe is NOT used. For example, if you are addressing multiple members of the Jones family, you would spell the plural of their last name as the Joneses. You would not use Jones’ as you are not showing possession.⁠
⁠
The correct way to spell the plural of a last name depends on the last name. For last names that end in S, X, Z, CH, or SH, you would add -ES to the end of their name.⁠
⁠
If the last name ends in any other letter, simply add -S to the end.⁠

You can order your Christmas photo cards from Minute Mail Gifts whenever you like as we offer quick turnaround times on every purchase. Cards are shipped either the same business day or within one business day after they are printed. We send all personalized greeting cards via USPS First Class Mail. Therefore, the anticipated delivery date is 4-7 days after shipment within the continental United States.

We recommend that you mail your Christmas photo cards and gifts around Thanksgiving for timely arrival. You can either send them out a few days prior to or several days after the holiday. The goal is to make sure they arrive before Christmas. However, you also want time for friends, family, and clients to be able to create a Christmas card display.
 
If you aren’t able to send your cards at Thanksgiving, we recommend allowing for 4-7 days for arrival under normal circumstances. However, during seasonal and holiday peaks, it is important to keep in mind that USPS often experiences longer delivery times. Therefore, it’s important to factor this into account when scheduling or mailing cards that need to arrive by a certain date.
 
If you aren’t sure if your cards will be received by Christmas, then consider mailing a New Year’s card instead.

If you’re interested in creating bulk Christmas photo frame magnets to send as client gifts or promotional marketing products, then be sure to check out our line of personalized magnetic photo frames at Magnets USA®.

For more great ideas for the holiday season, check out these other informative posts:
​

• How to Host a Holiday Party
• Christmas Shopping Tips
• How to Make a Holiday Charcuterie Board
• Christmas Realtor Pop-By Gifts
• How to Make a Holiday Gift Basket

Also make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram for insights into more exciting products like our Christmas photo cards.

Learn how to host a successful holiday party with these easy tips. Plus discover fun food ideas and party favors to make your festive event one to remember!

There’s a lot of work that goes into hosting a holiday party. While the food and decorations are obvious, there are a lot of preparations that need to be made ahead of time.
 
Following is an easy guide to hosting a successful party for the holiday season.

The holiday season is incredibly busy for most folks. Therefore, you want to carefully choose the date to host your holiday party. Plan early so you have time to check with attendees and make sure they haven’t already made other arrangement for the date you have in mind.

Rather than an impersonal text message, email, or a Facebook event, send out personal invites via snail mail. Minute Mail Gifts makes it easy to send handwritten cards. Choose a festive holiday card for your invites, then create a template so it’s quick and easy to send a card to each of your guests. You can even include a small gift with your card to help build on the excitement leading up to the day. Your cards and gifts are then mailed out within one business day.
 
When sending invites through the mail, we recommend you mail them so that they arrive at three weeks prior to the event, but no less than two weeks before. As people quickly make plans during this time of year, earlier is always better, and up to six weeks prior to the event is acceptable.

If you aren’t sure what to serve when you host a holiday party, pick a festive theme! This can help you narrow down ideas for both food and decorations. It can also add excitement to the event. Your theme can be something as simple as a color choices or food highlights.
 
If you are planning more of a celebration than a dinner party, choose a theme that encourages guests to participate. Host a tree trimming party, have an ugly sweater contest or throw a Secret Santa gift exchange.

Hosting a holiday party can be a huge undertaking. However, it doesn’t have to be daunting. We recommend that you ask for help if it all seems like a bit too much for one person to tackle. Enlist friends or family members to help with the planning. Or assign holiday sides or desserts they can bring to free up time you would otherwise spend in the kitchen.

We tend to spend a lot of money throughout the holiday season, whether it’s on home décor or gifts. You can save money when hosting a holiday party by repurposing existing Christmas decorations into your party décor rather than buying new ones.

People love holiday parties. What they love most about these parties, however, is generally the food. Therefore, it’s always a good rule of thumb to overestimate the amount of food you’ll need to provide. It’s always better to have leftovers then to run out of food or drink mid-party.
 
If you’re concerned about having too many leftovers in the fridge after the celebration, then invest in inexpensive storage containers or take-out boxes. Then send guests home with the extras.
 
Not sure what to serve at your Christmas party? We offer some holiday ideas for party food below.

If you aren’t hosting a sit-down dinner, then we recommend you set up food and drink stations throughout the area. This not only encourages guests to move around and mingle, but it also keeps them from hovering in the kitchen.
 
Set up a designated area for appetizers or grazing platters as well as a separate dessert table. You can also create a hot chocolate bar for the kids. And, to save yourself from serving drinks all night, make the bar self-service with pre-made pitcher cocktails and a nice selection of wine.
 
After all, a good host doesn’t spend the entire evening hiding out in the kitchen! Self-serve food and drink stations make it easy for you to mingle and introduce guests to one another without feeling overwhelmed.

While the hope is that guests will interact and talk amongst themselves, it’s always nice to at least have festive music playing in the background. If you don’t subscribe to a commercial-free music service with holiday channels, create your own playlist for the party. Or drag out your old records and give the classic Christmas songs a spin.

If your party isn’t a formal event, providing games is a fun way to break up the monotony if conversation dwindles. Provide card or board games by coffee tables for interested parties. Or create a craft station to keep people busy decorating ornaments, icing cookies, or making handmade Christmas greeting cards.

While not a necessity, setting up a photo booth with props is always a hit. People love sharing their memories on social media. So, something as simple as providing a designated photo space with selfie props makes a nice addition to any holiday event.

Now that you know how to plan and host your upcoming holiday party, you may be looking for party food ideas. Here are some of our top ideas for holiday food that you can serve at your next holiday or Christmas party.

• We all know that kids can be picky eaters. Cater to their tastes with pizza in the shape of a Christmas tree. Or make this Christmas tree pull-apart bread.
• Desserts can sometimes be overwhelming. With all the food you have to cook, sometimes it’s just easier to skip the homemade pumpkin pie from scratch. Make something simple to satisfy your sweet tooth instead, like these make-ahead eggnog cinnamon rolls.
• If baking is your forte, then go all on dessert with a beautiful yule log cake.
• Who says you must serve dinner? Have a breakfast themed Christmas party instead and celebrate with holiday themed gingerbread pancakes.
• Not everyone drinks cocktails during the holiday season. That, however, doesn’t mean the drinks you serve at your holiday party need to be boring. Check out these nonalcoholic Christmas drinks guaranteed to delight all your guests.
• If you need an easy main course, this Instant Pot cranberry pork tenderloin from Sugar Spices Life is great choice! (You can also find this holiday recipe featured in our 2022 recipe tear-off calendars.)
• Rosemary is the perfect herb for the season. Put it to use with a delicious rosemary & peppercorn beef tenderloin roast.
• A holiday cheese board is perfect for grazing. If you don’t plan to serve a full dinner, this option is highly recommended. Learn how to create the perfect charcuterie with these holiday charcuterie board ideas.
• If you’re looking for creative ways to serve cheese as an appetizer and a grazing board is out, then give this pomegranate & pistachio brie a try. Or give the standard cheese ball a holiday upgrade with this Christmas tree -shaped cheese ball appetizer.
• Much of holiday food tends to be heavy. Therefore, we recommend you serve a healthy side dish like this winter salad with candied walnuts and balsamic fig dressing.
• Mulling spices are huge during the holidays. Why not make slow cooker mulled wine to serve guests? Or mix things up with a tasty pomegranate cider recipe.

While having a theme for your holiday party isn’t a necessity, it can make your seasonal celebrations more exciting! By including holiday themed party food, such as a Christmas charcuterie board or a hot chocolate bar, you can make your festivities even more memorable.

If you don’t plan to spend a lot of on gifts this holiday season, send your guests home with party favors instead. Homemade Christmas food gifts make the perfect for party favors for large groups of friends, family, and neighbors. Not only are they a thoughtful gesture, but they’re also an affordable option if you’re on a budget.
 
Following are our favorite choices for food gifts you can give your guests to take home:

• Chocolate dipped spoons
• Hot chocolate bombs
• Bourbon balls
• White chocolate covered pretzels
• Vanilla chai tea mix
• Snowball cookies
• Christmas chocolate bark
• Cocktail bitters
• Candied pecans
• Hot chocolate ornaments
• Holiday fudge
• Homemade biscotti
• Pumpkin pie spice mix
• Cocktail syrups
• Pumpkin cheesecake brownies
• Gingerbread cookies
• Nut brittle
• Lemon almond cookies
• Pumpkin butter
• Dulce de Leche
• Chocolate cake in a jar
• Mason jar gifts
• Chocolate covered marshmallow reindeer
• Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats

 
These homemade food gifts are also great if you’re putting together a holiday gift basket with personalized kitchen gifts!

We hope this collection of ideas help you host the perfect holiday party. For more hosting help, be sure to check out helpful Thanksgiving tips and tricks for holiday dinner along with these Thanksgiving safety tips.
 
Also be sure to check our Christmas shopping tips to help you plan and prepare for gift giving this holiday season.
 
For even more great holiday ideas, follow us on Facebook or Instagram!

Learn how to make your Thanksgiving easier with these helpful tips for Thanksgiving. We’ve pulled together an epic collection of tips and tricks for hosting your holiday dinner. Discover our top recommendations for preparing, cooking, and carving your Thanksgiving Day turkey! And don’t forget to download and print our free Thanksgiving shopping list.

Preparation is the key to being a wonderful host. With advanced planning, you’re able to avoid mishaps and undue stress. So rather than feeling frazzled, you’re sure to be this year’s hostess with the mostess.

Start with a game plan. If you’re hosting dinner, then menu preparation is a must. Create a tentative menu of what you’d like to serve. If your guests will also be bringing a dish, you can then make suggestions as to what to bring and mark off any excess from your own menu.

Write out your guest list and get a headcount early. This will help you to prepare your shopping list, so you know how much food to buy. While leftovers are common, you don’t want to buy more food than you and your guests can handle leftover in the fridge.

When planning Thanksgiving dinner, be sure to check with guests to see if they have any food allergies or dietary restrictions. This way, you can ensure there’s something that everyone can enjoy.

Make two shopping lists for the holiday to make sure you don’t forget anything or have to make unnecessary trips. We advise making two trips to the grocery store when stocking up on staples and recipe ingredients.

​Buy your non-perishables early to avoid running around to multiple stores to find that sold out cranberry sauce. You’ll also want to pick up your frozen turkey at this time. (Not only do you want to make sure you get it while it’s available, but it will also take several days to thaw.) Then buy the remaining perishable items a few days before the holiday.
 
We created a handy, printable Thanksgiving shopping list to assist you. You can print and download two copies, one of each shopping trip.

Not only should you set your table for Thanksgiving a day ahead, but you also need to double check to make sure you have enough platters, serving bowls and utensils for everyone who will be in attendance.
 
If you aren’t sure whether or not you have enough serving ware, inventory what you have at least a week ahead of time. This allows you ample time to purchase any pieces you are missing.
 
You’ll also want to make sure you have ample seating and table space for everyone that is attending. If not, see if you can borrow additional table and chairs from a friend, family member or neighbor who is attending.

Take notes when cooking and preparing. This is especially important for those fall recipes that need to be tweaked and can save you time when baking next holiday season.

There are always leftovers. And you certainly don’t want to send you cousin, Martha, home with your favorite $10 glass storage container that you take to work every day. Therefore, invest in a set of disposable containers to make sure everyone gets to take their favorite dish home without having to worry about bringing it back.

Make things easier and less stressful on Thanksgiving Day by cooking ahead. Sides dishes and desserts and easy to prepare a day or two before to free up time for guests on the big day. We recommend that you make these dishes in advance:
 

• Turkey stuffing
• Any casseroles like the ever-popular green bean or sweet potato casseroles
• The gravy, which can be frozen up to 3 months ahead
• Cookies, cakes, apple bread, and the classic homemade pumpkin pie

 
Things you should wait to prepare the day of include:
 

• Mashed potatoes
• Turkey and other meats
• Cornbread and rolls
• Any sides made using fresh greens

Set out snacks and appetizers for guests that arrive early. This gives them something to nibble on while waiting on dinner. It also keeps people out of the kitchen while you finish up cooking tasks and make final preparations. A holiday charcuterie board is perfect if you don't want to cook any additional dishes.

Refrigerator space is precious. For this reason, you don’t want to tie up needed room with things like drinks. Instead, drag out your summer cooler and fill it with ice for storing cold beverages. This also gives guests room to add their own libations as they arrive. And it’s a handy way for them to grab ice without interrupting you in the kitchen.

For many of us, eating turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is a huge tradition. However, there’s a lot that goes into roasting a giant bird versus cooking an everyday family meal. Following are some tips for preparing, cooking and carving your Thanksgiving turkey to guarantee the best results.

In addition, you can also save time by planning ahead. You need to prep your Thanksgiving turkey for roasting ahead of the holiday. This includes thawing and brining the turkey so it’s ready to go on Thanksgiving Day. Or you can make the compound butter for your poultry and store it for up to one week in the refrigerator.
 
If you plan to brine your turkey, you need to allow time to completely thaw it beforehand. Combine the thawed turkey and brine in a clean brining bag or large stock pan. Brine for 8 to 18 hours before roasting. Take care, however, not to exceed this timeframe as over-brining can lead to overly salty meat and a spongy texture.
 
In addition to the prepping the turkey to be cooked, you can also prepare the gravy ahead of the big day using low-sodium turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth. We like to add sweet onions, butter, flour, soy sauce and fresh herbs for flavor. Once made, you can freeze the gravy for up to three months. Simply thaw it overnight the day before your dinner. Then reheat over low heat, whisking occasionally to counteract any separation that may occur.

Allow plenty of time to thaw out your turkey prior to cooking. Otherwise, dinnertime will roll around and your main entrée will still be in the oven! The safest way to thaw your turkey is in your refrigerator. Just keep in mind that it takes a minimum of 24 hours for a 5 lb. turkey to thaw. Therefore, a large bird weighing 20 lbs. will need 4-5 days to completely defrost.
 
We advise against thawing a turkey at room temperature or in hot water as this can lead to bacterial growth and the potential for food borne illness.

The second most important part of Thanksgiving dinner (other than the quality time with loved ones!) is the main course. If you’re serving turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, then here are some tips for roasting the best Thanksgiving bird:

• To get a crisper skin on your turkey, unwrap it the day before you plan to roast it. Then leave it uncovered overnight in the fridge.
• Roasting a Thanksgiving turkey is a slow process. Plan on roasting your bird 15 minutes for every pound to ensure it is cooked thoroughly. If you’re short on time, then you can spatchcock your turkey to cut the cooking time in half.
• If you aren’t planning to stuff your turkey, make sure it hasn’t already been done for you! Check inside your bird before you put it in the oven. Often the giblets from the poultry, like the heart, neck, gizzards, and liver, and contained inside. You’ll want to remove this bag from the cavity before cooking.
• While filling your turkey with Thanksgiving stuffing is common, what you don’t want to do is overstuff it. It’s hard to get even airflow with a turkey full of stuffing. Therefore, we recommend cooking the stuffing in a casserole dish. You can then add vegetables and aromatic herbs to the cavity instead for extra flavor. Loosely stuffed ingredients provide better air circulation and result in more even cooking.
• Cover your prepared turkey with aluminum foil prior to roasting. We like to lightly coat the outside with avocado oil or butter first, then lightly salt and pepper. Alternately, you can also use seasoned mayonnaise to help lock in moisture and attain a crisply skin. We also like to rub a flavorful blend of roasted spices inside the bird. This way they won’t burn but impart their flavor during the roasting process.
• Opening the oven door to check on your turkey can be tempting. However, resist the urge! Fluctuations in temperature can result in a dry meat. Instead, keep an eye on your main course through the window in your oven door.
• Wait 45 minutes before the cook time is up to remove the foil from the turkey breast. This will keep it from getting too brown or charring.
• If your turkey is dry or overcooked, you can replenish some of the lost moisture by drizzling it with warm chicken broth. Not only will this add additional flavor, but it will also help to moisten the meat.

Before Thanksgiving Day, it’s a good idea to decide on who will carve the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll also want to be sure you have the right tools to get the job done. If you’re new to carving cooked birds, we have a great video (below) on how to carve your turkey for the holiday to avoid any mishaps.

Safety is another important consideration this time of year. Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is the top day for cooking fires in the US. Therefore, we rounded up precautions to take when cooking, traveling, and preparing food for your guests. You can avoid the most common mishaps that occur on this holiday by checking out our post filled with Thanksgiving Safety tips here.

We hope you find these tips for Thanksgiving useful! If there’s someone you know who loves to cook, then also be sure to check out LifeLong Gifts™ for a wonderful selection of personalized kitchen gifts you can give for the holidays.

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Discover our top Thanksgiving safety tips for a happy and healthy holiday. This post covers precautions to take when cooking, traveling, and preparing food for your guests.

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is a top day for cooking related fires in the home. There also tend to be a lot more kitchen and travel accidents this time of year. To help avoid turning your holiday upside-down with a mishap, we rounded up a collection of the best Thanksgiving safety tips. These tips are just a basic reminder of where you need to take extra precautions to keep you and your family safe. So, you can simply enjoy a well fed and happy holiday without incident!

When you think about Thanksgiving, staying safe likely isn’t something that automatically springs to mind. (Unless maybe you have relatives that terrify you every holiday for one reason or another.)
 
However, cooking fires are common this time year, with Thanksgiving being a peak day for cooking fires. Not only are more people spending time in the kitchen preparing for guests, but there are also a lot of folks who are making Thanksgiving dinner themselves for the very first time.
 
Therefore, in order to help you avoid any unanticipated surprises, as well as any potential disasters such as a kitchen fire, we’ve put together a list of our top Thanksgiving safety tips to keep you and your loved ones safe.

Foodborne illness is never fun. Not only do we want to protect ourselves from getting sick unnecessarily, it’s also vital that we keep our pets in mind as well. Here are some simple rules to follow this Thanksgiving to ensure food safety.
 

• Always wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw poultry.
• You should also use separate cutting boards for preparing raw meat and produce to avoid cross contamination.
• Cook your turkey thoroughly to avoid illness cause by under-cooked meat. It’s recommended by the USDA that you cook your bird a minimum of no less than 325°F. It’s safe to consumer once it reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 180 degrees.
• Leftovers should be put away in the fridge within two hours for food safety. Anything that’s been left out too long should be tossed.
• Don’t feed pets remnants from your Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey and chicken bones are a huge choking hazard for pets. Dogs should also not be given anything that contains onions, leeks, garlic, raisins, grapes, or chocolate, as these foods are toxic to your furry friends and can cause health problems.

Most of us travel for the holidays. Whether we’re visiting friends or family or need to make that last minute run to the grocery store, it’s important to be cautious and extra diligent on the holiday. Following are our best Thanksgiving safety tips to consider when you travel.
 

• 40% of car accidents that occur over a holiday are caused by driving under the influence. Therefore, don’t drink and drive. If you’ve been drinking, call a ride or get a sober friend to drive you home.
• Many of us travel for the holiday season. However, weather conditions this time of year are constantly changing. Be prepared and keep an emergency kit in your car. We also recommend the 5-in-1 LifeTool which comes equipped with a tire pressure gauge, glass breaker, seat belt cutter, LED light, and compass.
• If you are traveling to visit friends and family, make sure to plan your route ahead of time. You should also make sure your vehicle is properly maintained. This includes checking things like oil life, tire pressure and brakes.
• Make sure to wear seatbelts when traveling and never text and drive.
• Stay aware of changing weather conditions to avoid unsafe situations. You should also look up the weather forecast prior to traveling or solidifying plans.

We hope you found our Thanksgiving safety tips helpful! For more ways to stay safe and help protect your friends, family and community, be sure to check out our emergency and safety tip magnets. These custom magnets can be personalized with your business information. So, they’re a great way to look out for your neighbor, while also staying in the forefront of your customers’ minds.

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