Charlie, I have to organize and do a lot ahead of time because I can't stand up for very long at a time.
The first thing you need to remember is that you don't need to feed your guests the minute they walk through the door! Have a light appetizor for them to nibble on, and let everyone have a glass of wine (or beverage of choice) and visit for a bit.
Now, about the timing. You can get almost everything ready prior to the day of the feast. I make a very detailed list of what I need, and do my shopping on Saturday. On Monday, I always make my dressing and freeze it in the pan I'm going to bake it in, and start thawing the turkey (I do it in a cooler in the garage). On Tuesday, I make vegetable casseroles...mashed potato casserole, corn casserole, green bean casserole...and store them in the fridge.
On Wednesday we brine the turkey. I make the fillings for my pies, thaw the dressing in the fridge, and clean and blanch my brussels sprouts.
Thursday morning, I bake my pies, put the turkey in the oven, and boil the giblets for the turkey gravy.
By then the kids have started arriving. My step-daughter always brings a cheeseball and we thaw a roll of venison salami for snacks. She and my daughter bring assorted dishes (salads, other vegies).
When the turkey comes out of the oven, I tent it with foil and let it stand. Then the dressing goes in, as it takes the longest to cook. While it's cooking, my husband starts cooking the bacon & garlic in an electric skillet for the brussels sprouts, and I collect the juices from the turkey, combine with the liquid from the giblets, add the chopped giblets and a slurry of flour and water. After it thickens, I add one can of turkey gravy mix and adjust the seasoning.
In the meantime, the dressing will have gotten nice and crisp on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It comes out to stand, and the vegetable casseroles go in the oven & microwave to warm up.
When the brussels sprouts have sauteed in the skillet, HB adds the pine nuts and turns the heat down to low. Then he carves and plates the turkey, and we set everything out on the buffet except for the rolls and butter, which go on the table.
By the time we have all eaten, I am usually ready to drop, and the girls clean up the kitchen. There really isn't all that much mess because most of the prep was done earlier in the week.
Ya know, the food is one great thing about Thanksgiving, but the hugs are the best part.