<p>I live across the country from my hometown, where most of my siblings still live, or close to it. My older two kids grew up as close as siblings to all of their cousins, and on holidays I really miss that time when we all lived near each other, my parents were still living, and adding on the strays my mother would invite, holiday dinners could include 20 people. </p>
<p>So-Thanksgiving this year is at our house, with H’s sister and boyfriend, the three kids, and possibly a cousin or two on H’s side. Christmas will be bigger, with nieces, nephews, their SO’s, SO’s parents, sisters, brothers, adopted nana and aunties and maybe one or two of THEIR kids. H’s family really believes it takes a village and I am grateful to be included in their growing circle. It’s not “home” and I will still miss my own family, but I couldn’t ask for better in-laws and extended family.</p>
<p>We’ll have a mix of soul food, Mexican food, gourmet creations, recipes found on Food Network and fruit and veggie trays found at the grocery store. Sounds good to me.</p>
<p>It will be me, my dad, and my grandma (and potentially my cousin) at Thanksgiving this year. Normally I stop by and see my mom’s side of the family, but they failed to remember I’m flying home now and can’t just up and drive 2 hours to see them</p>
<p>Thanksgiving is at our house this year and I am struggling with the menu.
My wife wants traditional but other than lettuce doesn’t like green things.
Her mom doesn’t like garlic or sage
My ex-wife (son’s mom) doesn’t tolerate dairy
Her significant other won’t eat onions
Over the summer, my son became a vegetarian</p>
<p>Update: It looks as if my SIL is bringing only one extra friend. So we will have a total of 16 people in our house for several days. Breathe deeply…</p>
<p>We always do everything at my Mom’s. It’s tradition, at least for now. We have started trying to take more of the burden off of her, but it’s difficult because she’s a bit of a control freak. It might be as few as 13, or as many as 23 just depending on who can show. And possibly an extra dog or two.</p>
<p>We all get along MARVELOUSLY though, and thoroughly enjoy each other’s company! It’s a grand time. Can’t wait.</p>
<p>I’m always blown away by all the fighting in my BIL’s family. They are always at each other’s throats. I cannot imagine.</p>
<p>If I am made aware of a new vegetarian I make two stuffings…one with chicken sausage and one without. The latter has vegetable broth instead of chicken of turkey broth. I always make a casserole of the canned sweet potatoes which my family doesn’t like, but guests seem to enjoy.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving–for the second year in a row, we are flying cross country to be with our 2 kids and son-in-law. D will make everything at her apt since she has all new cookware,dishes from her recent wedding. SIL is Canadian so we will always have D for this holiday and we’ve been with both kids every year. When they were off in college, we always flew them home.</p>
<p>Christmas–D and SIL will be spending it with his folks in Canada.S will fly back for a week. He declined my suggestion that we fly or cruise somewhere for a holiday.He just wants to come home and chill but I am afraid he wants easy access to work and not be many time zones away.</p>
<p>ellebud - AH, stuffing. There’s the age old fight! Stuffing vs. dressing. Here, it would never be stuffing, but would ALWAYS be the family recipe for dressing. LOL. Most people feel very strongly about one way or the other!</p>
<p>After you wrote about the sweet potatoes I remembered that. Those ARE pretty tasty and something we do all the time. We don’t make many savory vegetarian friendly dishes - but the truth is, if we KNEW a vegetarian was coming - there would be a wide variety there to choose from. We would never leave someone hungry on Thanksgiving or Christmas! :)</p>
<p>Thanksgiving is a 45 minute drive to the in-laws, which is fine by me. MIL has a large house that can hold all the relatives. DH is a vegetarian and he’s never left the table hungry. </p>
<p>Because he is from a big family there are many dishes other than turkey and ham that he can eat: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, wild rice, quiche, green salad, fruit salad, usually broccoli and spinach, plus pie!</p>
<p>My favorite part of Thanksgiving is that we leave and head to the beach afterwards. No muss, no fuss.</p>
<p>Well in our house K1 will be back from college and we are very happy to have a few days together.</p>
<p>My parents live across the state. I have invited them to join us though the expected bruhaha over their stupid ill behaved dog has become an issue.
In the end I doubt they will come. Sad they put the dog before their grandchildren…and my mom is terminally ill…</p>
<p>My MiLs (yes–DH’s parents divorced/remarried and are now both widows) have been invited.</p>
<p>The step-mom also lives across the state. For years she has been the opinionated MIL and recently told me she is proud my late FiL didn’t change diapers etc…and how she thinks all of her daughter in laws should do more–because the guys should not have to do those things…
I doubt she will come - as she won’t drive anywhere. I used to think she was independent…now I realize how that is not nearly the case.</p>
<p>My other MiL (lives locally) will likely have Thanksgiving with brother in law and family…at my sister in law’s parent’s house…
(my sister in law is not much of a cook I guess–and her mom likes to entertain, so it works for them.)
My DH asked me to make sure his mom knew that ALL of the grandparents were invited (ie the other woman/step mom)…</p>
<p>sheesh–all of this drama and it would be nice if they acted like adults.</p>
<p>In the end, we will smoke a turkey breast.
Have some favorite salads and desserts etc.
and be VERY happy to be just the 4 of us…
…we really just want relaxed no drama holidays.</p>
<p>Crommette: I don’t know where you live…but it has ALWAYS been stuffing…Although the stuffing has never stuffed anything but our stomachs. </p>
<p>My grandmother (who died before I was born) made a goose for Thanksgiving. Someone once told me that my grandmother must have been from an upper class in the Boston area. No…Jewish from Russia. It seems that what you eat on certain holidays tells who you are and where you’re from. </p>
<p>So…no goose, no dressing…no creamed onions…and 5 different pies.</p>
<p>Texas - always dressing, never stuffing. But I don’t like just anyone’s dressing, in fact I’ve found that I’m VERY particular about my dressing. It has to be Mom’s. :)</p>
<p>Thanksgiving menu:</p>
<p>cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon
chips, salsa, guacamole & pico de gallo
cheese tray with apricots and artisan cheeses
little smokies in bbq sauce
deviled eggs</p>
<p>turkey and corn-bread dressing with gravy & cranberry sauce
green salad
corn casserole
broccoli, rice & cheese
hot rolls and butter
maybe a ham if there’s a crowd
tortilla soup
sweet potatoes with marshmallow</p>
<p>cookies
chocolate cake
sweet potato pie
pumpkin pie
pecan pie
vanilla Blue Bell ice cream</p>
<p>I lost a brother and both parents in the space of five months last year. In fact, today is the one year anniversary of my brother’s death. My cousin on the west coast has invited my two surviving brothers (both single) and my family to join them for Thanksgiving. My D can’t get off work so will go to her fiance’s family. H, S and I will go to California for the week. One of my brothers will come, too. Lots of that side of the family we haven’t seen for a while. I’m looking forward to it. There should be very little drama, just a good time.</p>
<p>I think of stuffing as cubed bread - stove top type concoction or even something sweetish with cranberries in it. Dressing to me is always cornbread, broth, tiny tasty bits of turkey, with celery, onion, egg, sage - strictly savory. (of course then you put a big heap of cranberry sauce right beside it)</p>
<p>At this point, just the four of us in our immediate family. My family is out of state and my H’s siblings all spend this holiday with the other side of the family.</p>
<p>In past years it was the four of us plus H’s mom. She passed away 2 years ago, so it’s down to just us.</p>
<p>The family of my D’s new BF invited us over for Thanksgiving. They have just been going out for 2 months, and we know do not know them very well, even though we go to the same church. Seems weird to us to go to Thanksgiving with the BF’s family. Maybe in a few years down the road if they get engaged! (D is only a HS senior, so we definitely aren’t rushing any relationships!)</p>