Three men are gathered around a table outdoors, engaged in plucking turkeys beside a wooden building in a snowy winter landscape. The figures are dressed in 19th-century rural American clothing, with one man in a brown coat and hat, another in a red shirt and black cap, and the third bending over the table in a white shirt and blue cap. Several plucked turkeys hang from the wall, and a large black pot sits over a fire on the ground nearby.

The composition is carefully arranged, with barrels, a basket, and farm tools scattered around, and a distant farmhouse visible across the snow-covered fields under a cold, cloudy sky. Preparing for Christmas (Plucking Turkeys) was painted by Francis William Edmonds in 1851, using oil on canvas. The scene reflects the genre painting tradition in mid-19th-century America, which often depicted everyday rural life and seasonal activities. The work is characterized by its detailed rendering, naturalistic use of light, and warm depiction of communal labor in preparation for a holiday.

The painting is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as documented by its inclusion in their open access project.