My mother-in-law told me to get up at 4 a.m. to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her 30 guests. My husband added, “This time, remember to make everything really perfect!” I smiled and replied, “Of course.” At 3 a.m., I took my suitcase to the airport. – usnews 0/2

Hudson finally looked up from his phone, but only to nod in agreement.

“You got this, babe. You always pull it off.”

I stared at the list, my eyes blurring slightly as I tried to process what they were asking. In previous years, we’d hosted maybe fifteen people, and even that had meant I’d started cooking two days in advance, barely slept, and spent the entire dinner running back and forth between the kitchen and dining room while everyone else relaxed.

“When did you invite all these people?” I asked, my voice smaller than I intended.

“Over the past few weeks,” Vivien said dismissively. “Don’t worry about the timing, dear. You’ll manage just fine. You always do.”

“But I haven’t bought groceries for thirty people. I haven’t planned a menu for—”

“Oh, I took care of the planning part.” Vivien pulled out chafar another piece of paper, this one covered in her precise handwriting. “Here’s the complete menu. I’ve upgraded a few things this year. The Sanders are used to a certain standard, you understand?”