Holiday Meal Planner
$5
I want one plan for both holiday meals — who is coming, what we will cook, what to buy, and when everything has to go in the oven.
This planner is built for that. Add your guests and dietary notes, plan a menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and let the spreadsheet turn the recipes into a grocery list by store section. A cook-day timeline works backward from serving time, and a leftovers tracker keeps the days after the meal from getting away from you. A 16-page printable is included for the fridge, a binder, or the store.
How it works
1. Type the year, serving times and grocery budgets on Setup. Thanksgiving is calculated for you; you can overwrite the date if you need to.
2. List each guest, dietary notes, and who is coming to which meal.
3. Plan every dish on the Menu tab: who is cooking it, oven time, and whether it can be made ahead.
4. Add ingredients once. The Grocery tab totals the same item and unit, then groups the list by store section.
5. Pick Thanksgiving or Christmas on the Timeline tab. Start times are serving time minus cook minutes minus rest.
6. Use Make-Ahead and Leftovers when you need them.
What's inside
- Spreadsheet (Google Sheets + Excel): Setup, Dashboard, Guests, Menu, Ingredients, Grocery, Timeline, Make-Ahead and Leftovers. Real formulas, so you never do the math.
- Two copies: one filled in for a sample household (the Hale family — every name is made up) so you can see how it works, and one blank.
- 16-page printable planner: US Letter and A4, plus light-ink versions. Guest list, Thanksgiving and Christmas menus, grocery list, cook-day timeline, make-ahead plan, leftovers and notes. The color edition has original holiday food photos on the cover, two section dividers, and the example menu pages. The light-ink edition has no photos, so it is cheaper to print.
- Start Here guide: how to open the file in Google Sheets or Excel, a tab tour, printing tips, and answers to common questions.
Good to know
- Free Google Sheets works. No Excel needed.
- Reusable: change the year on Setup next year. The printable pages have a write-in year on the cover and no dates on the inside pages.
- Leftover use-by dates are a planning guide only, not food-safety advice.
- Your information stays with you. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Because this is a digital download, all sales are final, but message me if you have any trouble with your files.