Happy day-after thanksgiving! Hopefully yesterday you gorged yourself just to the point of full-scale bodily exhaustion. And even still, your table was most likely left covered with platters full of yet-unconsumed food. I’ll admit this is a bit after the fact at this point (unless you left clean up until today, which is gross, by the way) but I figure still useful information. Maybe you’ll get it right for next year.

Your aim in leftover stowing should be two-fold: preservation and visibility. On the preservation front, opt for high-quality, air-tight clear containers (this Kinetic Go Green Premium Food Storage Container Set has received favorable reviews for starters). Whether you prefer plastic or glass is between you and your god, but do ensure that you have proper lids and that containers are free from stains and lots of scratches so that you can make out what’s inside for peets sake.

If you want to be extra thorough, or you don’t have the afore-blogged containers, then be sure to label. Sharpies have yet to fail anyone at any time in the history of markers, so don’t be shy about using them to identify your leftovers.

If you’re not a gigantic glutton, you may want to send guests home with some leftovers of their own. Your food packages may not be as devastatingly cute as the two in the images that follow, a fact I don’t think anyone will hold against you. But again, make sure that you extend the curtesy of a label so guests are clued in to what you’ve sent them home with.