Thanksgiving Planner Spreadsheet, Christmas Dinner Menu Planner, Holiday Party Guest List & Grocery Budget for Google Sheets, Excel

Host Thanksgiving, Christmas and every holiday party without the last-minute scramble or the surprise grocery bill. Plan menus, guests, a day-by-day prep timeline and a grocery list with budget vs spent, all in one spreadsheet that works in Google Sheets and Excel. A built-in turkey planner tells you what size to buy and the day to move it to the fridge.

WHAT'S INSIDE
• Dashboard: total budget, spent, left, % used, guests confirmed, days to Thanksgiving, and a table for each event (date, days to go, guests, dishes, budget, spent, left) with a budget vs spent chart.
• Settings: 6 events ready to rename (Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Holiday Party, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve), with a food and a drinks & other budget for each. Thanksgiving's date is calculated for any year.
• Turkey planner: people eating (RSVP = Yes) x pounds per person = turkey size, fridge-thawing days (USDA: about 24 hours per 4 to 5 lb) and the "move to the fridge by" date.
• Guest List: up to 60 households with event, RSVP, adults, kids, dietary needs and what they're bringing.
• Menu Planner: up to 60 dishes by course, who's making it, serves and make-ahead.
• Prep Timeline: type "days before" and each task gets its date and a countdown; overdue tasks turn red.
• Grocery List: up to 150 items with store section, quantity, store, estimate, actual paid, bought? and over/under.
• Party Costs: decorations, drinks, tableware, rentals and entertainment.

CALENDAR PACK (.ics)
14 all-day reminders (plan the menu, buy the turkey, shopping days, thawing day, make-ahead day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, New Year's Eve shopping and a January budget check-in) that import into Google, Apple or Outlook calendar, so they also show up on family calendar displays that sync those calendars, such as Skylight. Includes a 1-page import guide and a plain-text holiday menus PDF to copy into a meal-planning app.

YOU RECEIVE (instant download)
• Excel file (.xlsx), Excel 2016 or newer, Windows and Mac. Opens in Google Sheets too.
• PDF quick-start guide for Google Sheets.
• Holiday Meal Calendar Pack (.zip): .ics file, Calendar Guide PDF, Holiday Menus (text) PDF.
• Start Here tab with 5 set-up steps and sample data you can clear.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Download, then open in Google Sheets (see the PDF) or Excel.
2. Set your events and budgets, then add guests and dishes.
3. Follow the prep timeline, log what you spend, and enjoy the meal.

COMPATIBILITY
Google Sheets (free Google account) and Microsoft Excel 2016+. Set-up is easiest on a computer; tick off groceries on your phone in the Sheets app. Not designed for Apple Numbers.

LICENSE
Personal use. Please don't resell, share or redistribute the files.

FAQ
Refunds: digital files can't be returned once downloaded, but if anything doesn't work as described, message me and I'll fix it, usually the same day.
Currency: shows $, works for any currency.
Next year? Change the holiday year on Settings and the dates update.
Only need the grocery budget? It's also sold on its own as the PlanfulPanda Holiday Grocery Budget.
Support: message PlanfulPanda on Etsy. Replies within one business day.

Thawing guidance: USDA, about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 lb; cook turkey to 165°F. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Skylight / Glimpse LLC, Google, Apple or Microsoft.

Designed by PlanfulPanda with AI-assisted tools; every formula and layout is hand-checked.