For some, Thanksgiving is a pleasant few days with family they haven't seen for a long time. For others, it's like the Thanksgiving episode of The Bear, "Seven Fishes": an onslaught of anxiety from all directions. The most common fears are that the meal won't be perfect and that family members will want to cut each other's throats by the end of the evening.

Yet these two worries can be completely manageable. As a perfectionist myself, especially when it comes to cooking and baking, I can relate to the people for whom the turkey is never cooked well enough and the mashed potatoes aren't the creamiest to their potential. And, as far as family goes, the key is not to talk about politics.

Those hosting Thanksgiving this year might already have every step planned—there are only a few days left, after all! Experts claim that the very start of Thanksgiving dinner should be a month before: that's when you go over the guest list, find the recipes, and get any gear that will be necessary for your meal.

According to Martha Stewart, the actual food preparation should be a week before. That's when you clean out your fridge to make room for the turkey and thaw the turkey itself. A week before Thanksgiving is also when you should prepare the brine and finish your shopping list for sides. Those who want homemade pies might also make pie dough and freeze it up to a month in advance.

Today is actually the perfect day to prep your veggies and make dips, relishes, and dressings. Did you know you can peel your potatoes two days in advance and keep them submerged in water so they don't brown until the day of? Try out that trick! As for dressings and relishes, they'll only get better once they sit for a few days in the fridge. 

Then, the star of the evening—the mighty turkey. To cook the kind of turkey we often see in pictures in cooking magazines—roasted brown and crisped skinned—is quite a feat. As food scientist Nathan Myhrvold explained to NPR, that's because different body parts of the turkey don't cook the same way.

"The breast meat will dry out if you cook it at the same temperature that you need to cook the thighs to have them be done," Myhrvold says. The breast meat might also just be dry by nature. For the skin to turn brown and crispy, you need to cook it at least at 175 degrees Celsius.

What he recommends doing so that the breast doesn't turn out dry is injection brining. When you brine a turkey by submerging it in salty water, it makes the meat juicer but does the same to the skin. Instead of crispy, it then turns rubbery. Myhrvold says he takes a brining syringe, fills it up with brine, and pokes the turkey. "You'll probably put about a cup into the turkey," he says.

To make the skin even crispier, Myhrvold advises keeping the turkey in the fridge uncovered for at least three whole days. This dries out the skin even more. Then, after three days, you take it out of the fridge and rub it with any neutral oil: canola, sunflower, etc. However, if your turkey still doesn't look like from a magazine, don't fret. Myhrvold says a common food photography trick is to use brown shoe polish. Ew!

What if you're not worried about food this Thanksgiving and the eminent evening together with certain family members is the thing you dread? Well, you're not alone, as 59% of Americans are worried about political disagreements causing tension at the Thanksgiving table. Family and relationship experts told Spruce, who conducted the survey, that families should set a "no politics" rule, turn off the news, and distract themselves with board games.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry told Today that families should look for opportunities to connect. That can come in the form of question card games or simply asking your family members open-ended questions like: "Did you see that movie?" and "What was your favorite part?"

"We all shine when someone conveys interest in us and when you draw out a person’s thoughts and feelings you create a connection and deepen your understanding of the other," she explained.

What about your Thanksgiving, Pandas? Have you ever had any doozies like these? Share with us in the comments. And let us know your plans for this year: are you hosting, being a guest, or skipping Thanksgiving altogether? If you're feeling like seeing more disappointing Thanksgiving pics, you can do that here, here, here, and here.