I have nothing done so far which is pretty much my MO every year. Being a procrastinator I always wait until 3 days before Thanksgiving to start shopping/cooking. Then I spend the next 3 days feeling the pressure of getting everything done in time. I generally work better and faster under stress. If I know I have plenty of time it takes me forever to get stuff done and then it feels like a chore instead of something I enjoy doing. The one thing I have started doing ahead of time and will hopefully get done this week is writing out a shopping list and a prep list/timeline. I "may" this year do some dessert ahead of time. I was thinking of making individual pumpkin cheesecakes and I know that is gonna take me longer than making one large sized one. Any one else wait till the last minute?

Ditto on what other folks said...except...if you use flour, be sure and simmer the gravy for at least 10 minutes after you add it to avoid a raw flour flavor. A mixture of cornstarch & just enough broth or water to liquefy it takes less time than flour and water, because it thickens almost instantly. A novice gravy maker should probably stick to one or other of these methods, especially the day of! For myself, I would probably make a roux (blond is fine) and thicken it to my taste ahead of time so as not to worry about it later. Instructions for making roux are easy to google up, but the basic idea is to cook flour in some form of fat (for gravy, I like to use chicken fat or bacon fat, but oil, lard or butter are fine-slightly more fat than flour) over a medium heat until the raw flavor of the flour is cooked off. This mixture is then whisked in, thickening the gravy or sauce or whatever. Cooking a roux for longer periods of time, so that they grow very gradually darker, produces a thickener that adds certain desired flavors to a dish. For example, a dark roux, called a "chocolate roux" by many, is both a thickener and a flavor enhancement for dishes such as etoufee or gumbo. Remember that the longer flour cooks, the less it retains of it's thickening property. A dark roux thickens far less readily than a blonde roux. I hope I didn't just make this sound way too complicated. :)

"...The definition of gravy refers specifically to a sauce made from pan drippings of a roasted protein. If you are not roasting the protein first, where are the drippings? Roasting necks and wings is not gonna do it! IMO," I picked up our turkey Monday night and did all the misc shopping. They had big necks and wings. (usually gone by the week or two before thanksgiving). Decided to make another fresh stock. One wing, one neck. DH roasted with veg when he got home. Then into the mauslin. I got home close to midnight last night and did the finishing. Straining and chilling. 2 quarts of gorgeous stock for gravy and the stuffing/dressing. Roasted proteins make drippings. Necks and wings are proteins and they are huge.

I know the OP asked about a turkey gravy mix; but I just have to post this recipe. It is the only one we have used for the past several years, and it is so good - no one can get enough of it. I made my notations to be in Italics. FAMOUS TURKEY GRAVY http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/turkey-gravy/ This is the old recipe from years ago on the site, 11-6-12. The recipe currently posted on the site is a bit different. We just stick to the old one. Turkey drippings from turkey gravy packet (if included with turkey) 1-3 tsp. Wyler’s chicken bouillon granules I use the BTB pepper, to taste 1 – 2 c. milk be sure to use only 1 cup 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/3 c. water Leave drippings in roasting pan or Dutch oven (remember to read above about roasting pans) and carefully place on your largest stovetop burner over medium heat. Remove any grease or fat from turkey drippings with wire mesh strainer or slotted spoon. If a gravy packet is included with your turkey add that to the drippings– if not, no biggie. Whisk up any little browned bits that may have cooked to the roasting pan… these add extra yummy flavor. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in bouillon granules (start with 1 tsp and add more later if it needs it) and pepper, to taste, then add milk (depending on how much gravy you want– we like LOTS of gravy so she usually adds about 2 c. of milk). Add more bouillon if needed for flavor. Keep tasting it as you add bouillon until you get the flavor you want. Bring back to a simmer. In a separate, small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Whisking constantly, slowly add cornstarch mixture a little at a time until thickened. REMEMBER…. make the gravy slightly thinner than what you usually prefer because it will thicken a little as it cools.