14 Thanksgiving Day Fails and How to Fix Them

A big blunder on Turkey Day doesn't have to derail the entire celebration. You can overcome spills, stained clothes and burnt food this Thanksgiving with our helpful how-to guides.

Is there anything worse than being ready to sit down for your meal and finding the turkey isn't done? Poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165 F at the thickest part of the bird to ensure that it is cooked fully and safe to eat.

If your turkey is struggling to reach a safe internal temperature, cut it up into smaller pieces and return it to the oven so it will get done faster.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the turkey is overcooked, unevenly cooked or simply too burnt to serve.

Charcuterie is a perfect alternative to Thanksgiving dinner if something goes wrong with the turkey. You can also serve a charcuterie board consisting of leftover fruit and vegetables from your prep work alongside any side dishes and desserts you already prepared. Nuts leftover from preparing baked goods will go great on a Thanksgiving charcuterie board.

It never fails that the darkest wine is the one that we always spill on the whitest shirt we own. Why do we even wear white to meals? The good news is that it's easy to get red wine out of clothes.

Don't panic, you have options. You probably have the supplies on hand to get wine out of your clothing and save the look for another holiday.

With so many different dishes cooking at once and a house full of people, it's easy to forget and wind up with a scorched pan. The burnt food may not be salvageable, but it's not hard to clean a scorched pan.

Baking soda and vinegar is so much more than a cool kids' volcano experiment — it's also your ticket for cleaning a scorched pan. Pour equal parts water and white vinegar into the scorched pan. Heat it to boiling and allow it to boil for one minute. Pour the vinegar down the drain and then add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the pan. Scrub with a scouring pad to lift the burn marks.

Has it even been a holiday celebration if somebody doesn't drop a plate of food on the floor?

The trick to preventing permanent stains is to clean up quickly and stop it from setting. First, pick up all the solid pieces of food and then blot up any moisture with paper towels or a bath towel. Stand on the towel to apply enough pressure to draw the moisture out of the carpet. Next, apply a carpet cleaner according to package directions. If you don't have carpet cleaner, try plain club soda instead. Pour a small amount on the area and blot dry again.

Eat, drink and be merry may get a little messy. Don't worry — you can fix this one, too.

Clean wine from your carpet by blotting up as much moisture as you can before applying a solution of 1 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap. Always remember to test an inconspicuous area first.

Your own dog knows better, but your brother's furry plus-one was clearly too excited about some spilled food and peed on the floor. No worries! We have a quick fix.

Once again, the star of this fix is the vinegar and baking soda duo. For urine, press a towel or a couple paper towels into the carpet to soak up as much of the moisture as you can. Then, mix 2 cups of vinegar, 2 cups of warm water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a spray bottle and spritz on the area. Allow it to set for 5-10 minutes before blotting up with a clean towel.

Not all guests will accept your offer of an adult beverage this holiday season, and that's OK! Quick etiquette tip: Never question why someone isn't drinking, simply offer them something else and don't draw attention to the matter.

You probably already have lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, juice and fruit on hand. Use them to whip up some quick and easy mocktails for your sober guests.

The more the merrier, right? There are plenty of easy solutions to this welcome scenario.

Give all of your holiday guests a space of their own by using temporary room dividers. You may consider standalone dividers or using a tension rod and curtain. You can move around furniture and add air mattresses to the temporary room to give everyone a place to rest. If you have them to spare, double up on pillows and blankets to make things extra comfortable and cozy.

We've all been there on Thanksgiving — the refrigerator is full of all of the regular groceries as well as the Thanksgiving meal ingredients and already-prepped food.

If you're running out of room in the fridge, take a look inside and make sure you've thrown away anything that is out of date or spoiled. Then, remove anything that doesn't have to be stored in the fridge — many drinks, for example, can spend Thanksgiving day in a cooler or even outside if you live somewhere cold. Consider repackaging some foods in stackable containers to make more room as well.

Or maybe it's a meddling in-law or your very opinionated great-uncle who isn't afraid to delve into politics as you carve the turkey.

Stave off holiday drama by creating a kids' corner with activities for pint-sized visitors, steer conversation way from controversial topics and keep the food and drinks coming.

Did you miscalculate how much salt you needed? Did the lid fall off the salt shaker and make a horrific mess of your potatoes? The dish may not be ruined!

If there's a visible pile of salt, scoop out what you can. Otherwise, you have some more options. According to our friends at Food Network Canada, you can always make more of the oversalted dish to bring the salt you added into balance. You might also consider adding a liquid that adds to the dish and soaks up the salt without diluting the overall flavor. Options include unsalted broths, unsalted tomatoes, and cream or wine. Adding aromatics like onion and garlic can also help bring balance to saltiness.

Leftovers can be a welcome sight at the end of a large meal, but what's the best way to use them all without wasting any food?

Your Thanksgiving leftovers are now ingredients for new meals. Sandwiches, casseroles, soups and more can all be created in the days after Thanksgiving. You can also freeze leftovers if you can't eat them all before they spoil.

Have the unannounced plus-ones left you concerned there won't be enough food to go around?

When your growing guest list leaves you concerned there won't be enough side dishes, add some fall dishes to the menu to help stretch the meal.

Roasting a turkey in the oven is the traditional way to cook it on Thanksgiving, but what if you need the oven for side dishes or desserts? What if the whole thing quits working?

Free up oven space or work around a broken oven by roasting your turkey outside on the grill — just make sure you have plenty of propane!

While the adults linger in conversation, the kids may start getting restless. Bored kids are primed for less-than-steller choices to keep themselves entertained. You can stop (mostly) innocent mayhem in its tracks!