Thanksgiving In A Bucket Will Be Your New Favorite Tradition

Like, an obnoxious amount of space. Hardly anyone has enough room on their dining table for a turkey and half a dozen sides, and that's not even taking into account the fact that you probably have to find room to actually eat on said table.

Not to mention the fact that the turkey is usually served on an enormous turkey platter, which is hard to store and easy to break and useless for 11 months of the year.

...get it?

Look at it with its little outfit on!

HELLO.

We used this one, which is available online, but any big, clear ice bucket will work. Plastic is a good idea, because glass is a) breakable and b) heavy.

Cook each layer separately, and make enough of everything to feed 10 people. The recipes below are suggestions, but feel free to use your favorites.

*Or, you could just buy all six layers, ready-made.

Use your favorite stuffing recipe, but try to keep it simple. There will be a lot going on in your bucket, and you probably don't need things like fennel sausage, quince, or oysters making things more complicated.

For easy bucket assembly, bake your stuffing in a round baking dish that's similar in size to your bucket. A 9-inch pie dish is ideal.

Here's a simple stuffing recipe that'll work well in your bucket.

The fluffier your mashed potatoes, the better.

Here's a great mashed potato recipe. Or you could just, you know... peel five pounds of potatoes, cube them, boil them until they're soft, then mash them together with a stick of butter, a cup of cream, and a whole lot of salt.

Shredded Brussels sprouts look very pretty in a bucket, but if you're dead-set on whole or halved sprouts, that's OK too.

To make the shredded Brussels sprouts: Preheat your oven to 425°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Trim the ends off of 5 pounds of Brussels sprouts, then use the shredder attachment of your food processor to shred them into thick slices. If you don't have a food processor, you can use a knife. Put the shredded sprouts in a large mixing bowl and toss them with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Roast for 30 minutes, turning the pans halfway through, until the sprouts are tender and browned on top.

If shredded Brussels sprouts aren't your thing, here's a classic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe.

Trust me, you want 'em mashed.

Here's the perfect mashed sweet potato recipe.

Here's an easy-to-follow recipe for a turkey that's brined, then roasted, which makes for a deliciously tender bird with brown, crispy skin. Use any turkey recipe, but be sure to buy a 12- to 14-pound turkey. After you roast it, let it rest for about 20 minutes then quarter it and use your hands to shred it into bite-size pieces, keeping the skin and discarding the bones.

Coating the turkey with gravy is optional. If you want, toss your turkey in just a little bit of gravy, to keep it moist. You can also keep the gravy separate and pour it on when you serve your bucket. There's a recipe for gravy here.

Canned cranberry sauce is great, but it won't look as good in your bucket. Luckily, fresh cranberry sauce is easy to make from scratch.

Here's a three-ingredient cranberry sauce that's almost as easy as opening a can.

You just put Thanksgiving in a bucket. And you liked it.

And most beholders will be too hungry to care.