Holiday Dinner Planner Cooking Timeline Calculator, Thanksgiving Friendsgiving Christmas Meal Planner, Excel Google Sheets Printable

Enter your serving time and turkey weight, and get your whole holiday dinner as a backward cooking schedule. No more guessing when to thaw, when the oven goes on, or why the gravy is ready before the turkey.

THIS IS A DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. Nothing is shipped.

WHAT YOU GET (5 files)

1. Quick-Start Guide (PDF)

2. US Thanksgiving Planner (Excel and Google Sheets): pounds, degrees F, 12-hour clock

3. UK and EU Christmas Planner (Excel and Google Sheets): kilograms, degrees C, 24-hour clock

4. Timeline Calculator (HTML): opens in any browser, works offline, phone friendly

5. Printable Planner Pack (PDF): 8 pages in US Letter and the same 8 pages in A4

HOW THE CALCULATOR WORKS

Type your serving date and time. Type your turkey weight in pounds or kilograms. Choose frozen or fresh, stuffed or not.

The planner works backward and gives you:

• When to start thawing (fridge thaw plus a buffer day)
• When to season or dry-brine
• When the turkey leaves the fridge, when the oven goes on, when the turkey goes in
• When to rotate the pan, check the temperature, and take the turkey out to rest
• When to carve and when to bring everything to the table
• Start times for every side dish, sauce, bread and dessert on your menu

INSIDE THE EXCEL AND GOOGLE SHEETS PLANNERS (10 tabs)

• Setup: serving time, weight (lb or kg), guest count, key times, turkey size check
• Timeline: your schedule, sorted earliest first, with a Done column
• Menu Planner: up to 14 dishes with prep time, cook time, oven heat, ready-by time, dietary tags
• Guest List: RSVPs, party size, dietary needs, allergies, head counts
• Potluck Sign-Up: a still-needed counter by category so nobody brings five desserts
• Grocery List: items, quantities, estimated cost, budget and totals by aisle
• Shopping List: your grocery list sorted by aisle, ready to print
• Make-Ahead Countdown: tasks with real calendar dates
• Quantities: how much to cook per guest, scaled to your head count
• Roast Chart: USDA roast times, thaw guide, oven conversions, safe temperatures

EXTRAS

• Add to calendar: the HTML calculator exports an .ics file with a reminder before every step
• Oven and stove plan page so nothing collides at 3:30 PM
• Works for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas dinner and any big holiday meal

GOOD TO KNOW

• Excel 2010 or newer (Windows or Mac), or Google Sheets (upload to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets). No macros.
• Roast times follow USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service guidance at 325 F (163 C). Every oven is different, so always confirm with a thermometer. A whole turkey is safe at 165 F (74 C).
• The sample menu, guests and groceries are examples. Replace them with your own.
• Colors on your screen and printer may vary slightly.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD

After purchase, go to Etsy, open Purchases, find this order, and click Download Files.

TERMS

For personal use only. Please do not resell, redistribute or share the files. Because this is a digital product, refunds are not available, but message me and I will happily fix any problem.

Questions? Send a message any time. Happy hosting!