Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026. If several households are bringing food, you can settle who's making what well ahead, so nobody shows up with a second sweet potato casserole while the gravy is missing.
The full Thanksgiving menu, ready for people to sign up
The Menu on the Sheet
Twenty lines covering the classic dinner, plus the things people forget: ice, folding chairs, and containers so leftovers can go home with everyone.
How to Split Thanksgiving Dinner
- The host usually does the turkey. It needs the oven for hours and is hard to transport. Sign up for "Turkey" yourself before you share the link, so nobody else does.
- Hand travel-friendly dishes to guests. Pies, rolls, cranberry sauce, salads and casseroles that only need reheating travel well. Gravy and mashed potatoes are easier for whoever lives closest.
- Agree on oven time. If a dish needs reheating, say so in the note ("green bean casserole, 25 min at 350") so the host can plan the oven.
- Remember the non-food jobs. Ice, drinks, extra chairs and take-home containers are good jobs for guests who don't cook.
Food Safety When Dishes Travel
A few rules from the USDA that matter more when food goes from one kitchen to another:
- A frozen turkey thaws in the refrigerator at about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 20-pound bird needs four to five days. Whoever takes the turkey should have it in the fridge by the weekend before.
- Refrigerate perishable food within two hours of cooking (one hour if it's 90°F or hotter).
- Cooked turkey and other leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Your Safe Thanksgiving Guide and Leftovers and Food Safety.
Friendsgiving
The same sheet works for Friendsgiving, where everything is usually potluck. Rename it, remove "Turkey" if nobody wants to roast one, and give sides and desserts more spots: each item's count can be changed with one tap.
One link for the family group chat
Ready-Made Sign-Up Sheets
- Sign-up sheet: blank, for anything (volunteer shifts, class party supplies, carpools)
- Potluck sign-up sheet: mains, sides, desserts, drinks, with room for several people on each
- Thanksgiving potluck sign-up sheet: the classic dishes, turkey to pie
- Christmas list: a gift list where buyers claim presents and the person it's for can't see who claimed what
Questions
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday, November 26, 2026. In the US, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
Does everyone in the family need the app?
There is no app. Everyone opens the same link in their browser, taps Sign up next to a dish and types their name. No account or email address is needed.
Can I take dishes off or add our own traditions?
Yes. Once the sheet is created it's yours: delete what you don't make, add tamales or pierogi or Grandma's jello salad, and change how many people each dish takes.
Can two people sign up for the same dish?
Only if the dish has room. Each item has a number of spots. Pies can take two people and gravy one, and once every spot is taken the item shows Full.