What is your reaction when you think of Thanksgiving? Family and friends gathered around an elegantly adorned table… dropping turkey drippings, spilling wine, splattering butter, knocking over coffee cups, dripping candle wax and causing general mayhem in your home. Sound familiar? Most people like the fond memories, not the colors that remain. Stains-from the first toast to the last piece of pie. Now you no longer have to wince every time a spill lands on something you love.

These valuable holiday stain removal tips (and more) will give you something to be extra thankful for this year.

• Pretreat your tablecloth. Spray it with a fabric and upholstery protector to help prevent stains from setting and becoming permanent. You should apply it at least 24 hours before you serve food on it.
• Greasy stains require special care. Foods like gravy, butter, salad dressing and turkey contain starches, proteins and fats. For these stains, scrape off excess solids with a dull knife and then pretreat. After pretreating, wash in the warmest water that the care label permits. If the stain still appears, repeat the pretreating and washing process before drying to avoid setting the stains.
• Sweet stains develop and set over time. Fruit stains (cranberry sauce, wine, pumpkin pie and apple cider) respond better if you remove excess solids with a dull knife, then rinse with cold water to remove excess sugar. Then pretreat and follow the same washing instructions as for greasy stains.
• Don't allow masks that impair vision in any way. Also, securely fasten whiskers, wigs and hats to keep them out of the line of vision.
• Food and drink stains aren't the only holiday culprits. Remember the dripping candle wax? How about the annual touch football game — turned tackle — with grass and mud stains? And Aunt Betty's electric orange lipstick on your favorite linen napkins? For these, and all your Thanksgiving stains, visit the Advisor for the official Tide solutions.

Other ways to curb the chaos

Now that we've addressed stains, here are a few other ideas for making things even easier on yourself:

• Use disposable dinnerware and pans. Not as pretty, but you've already got enough dishes to wash.
• Wash the worst pans after dinner. Save the rest for later. Better yet, get the "football team" to do them.
• Keep things informal. Then you don't have to worry about risking your good clothes or having to change at the last minute.
• Pick an earlier or later serving time. Nothing says it has to be on Thursday. Give yourself more time to prepare by entertaining the weekend after.

This year, stop and smell the turkey. Don't give the stains another thought. This day comes only once a year. Relax and enjoy it!