October is not too early to invite your Thanksgiving guests.
Now that you've committed to starting your Thanksgiving arrangements, you'll be surprised at the response you'll get to your early invitation. Your friends and relatives, still in the Halloween mode, will be surprised at your organization (at which point you can graciously accept their compliment!). The mere act of officially inviting guests will make the event more real to you, and will force you to actually start organizing your plethora of menu ideas, decorating concepts, and all the little details that make Thanksgiving such a fun day.
I made my calls this week. I contacted my local friends and my relatives at a distance, to make sure they knew that they are welcome to join us at our Thanksgiving table. I finished the process by talking to the friends and family members that ALWAYS attend our gatherings. I encouraged them to share the invitation and bring a guest to our celebration. And before you start to stress about not having enough room or enough white meat or enough anything to open your home to additional guests, remember that the first Thanksgiving was about being gracious and about sharing one's gifts with others. The rest of the details will always fall into place -- just keep the main thing, the main thing!
