Tips for surviving Thanksgiving

2. When you load up your plate, make good use of the room. You can stack food on top of each other to create a dome-like shape. Or use 2 plates. Ask someone to help you fill them with food since both hands are occupied.
Pro-tip: a lot of times we say things like, "oh i'll come back for the green bean casserole later", but when "later" rolls around it's all gone. so it's better to grab it up front.

When I was a kid, we had family potlucks pretty frequently. I developed a technique of putting food onto my plate in layers. First you want to build something to contain the runnier items; use dense foods like stuffing that will not let the green bean casserole or creamed onion escape. Your bottom layer should be made of the denser foods and their very runny counterparts. Then you would start on the second layer. Obviously you don't want anything runny here but you can do the lighter items like mashed potatoes. This method enables you to get one plate with twice the food.

Rule:

They might run out of one of your favorite pies.

Take a slice of each to prevent this happening.

My #3 would also include: "Rub your legs with your hands repeatedly while taking a deep breath. This action causes food to move through your stomach quicker therefore making room to stuff more food down your gob."

Also, #6. When you're nearing "wafer thin mint" territory, remember: there's always room for a cold turkey sandwich at midnight.