My in-laws hosted until 5 years ago. I have a new appreciation for how hard she worked.
My daughter and daughter in law have taken over the organization and are making spreadsheets for foods and chores. Due to one grandchild with dairy and egg allergies dessert is looking different. My sister will make two fruit pies with crisco. My sister-in-law is having to adjust to the fact she can’t bring her Costco pumpkin pie and cheesecake.
I was feeling bummed out about Thanksgiving, because it’s just going to be my husband, son, and me. D will visit family near Philadelphia, where she lives.
I mentioned it to some friends who have no children and are in the same boat. They suggested that we all go up to the Lucerne Inn, near Bar Harbor. Yay! The plan is that we will arrive early afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, have dinner at 3 pm, and then stay overnight. DS looked so nice in his suit at his cousin’s wedding last month that we’re all going to get dressed up (I forgot to get any photos of the three of us at the wedding, so our friends will take some for me).
This couple is SO nice. They have never met DS, but they frequently ask me how he’s doing. They are laid back and fun. I think DS will really enjoy meeting them.
D is coming home for Christmas, so I feel better about that holiday this year.
If we hadn’t been invited to any Thanksgiving dinner, I’d think about going out. Have never done so but don’t feel up to hosting our clan of extended family.
You can do breasts and still do “stuffing” but just don’t actually stuff it anywhere and bake it instead. I’ve been skipping the egg in my mother’s recipe for years with no ill effects; just add more broth before baking it. Good luck!
I vote for you going, too.
Just we 3 (plus our grandcat) and no stress (it’s against my family rule now that those who were in charge of bringing the stress are gone!) - we’re going to vegan this up and use cauliflower instead of cabbage - make some potatoes, add a fun vegan dessert (we like to make sorbet), watch a movie, play some Jeopardy, and call it done.
I understand the thoughts
For many years we did an all encompassing thanksgiving feast.
I’m all for inviting everyone. In laws, out laws, the neighbor who has no where else to go. Cousins and friends. It’s nice to be welcoming
It’s also exhausting and sometimes it’s nice to be home. Out to dinner where you don’t have to make conversation. No chaos. No political talk, no looking at pictures from family you aren’t really a part of.
This next paragraph is not about @thumper1 situation
For us, it changed. A long term marriage broke up, my kids are far away and don’t travel home for holidays. My kids have spouses who have traditions. Some of the spouses work holidays. So while it’s nice, I’m always conscious that my nearest and dearest aren’t here. Sigh!
@ChoatieMom what is venison ham?
We’ve gone out to eat for Thanksgiving since the mid-80s when my parents divorced. We continued on with that after my mom passed. I make turkey and all the fixings (with some shortcuts) for Christmas, so I have no interest in cooking for Thanksgiving.
This will be our third year going to a local Brazilian grill. We go early at 1pm. I’ll cut up a smoked turkey from Aldi for sandwiches, make pasta salad, and get some pumpkin bars from Hy-vee for dinner that night and the next night.
Looks amazing! Maybe one day the rest of us can sample it. 
It likely will be just H and I. Turned down an invite from son’s gf’s parents that we went to last year. Had a wonderful time last year (had only met them once before briefly so it was nice to get to know them) but would more comfortably mean an overnight hotel stay and more complicatedly boarding the dog, and they have other relatives visiting them so it’s not something we could reciprocate. One other son is too far and plans to come for a week at Christmas. Third son said maybe. He doesn’t really care about Thanksgiving, just would have a couple of days off so maybe would make the long drive if he feels like it. Saw most of our siblings, who all live a distance away, over the past few months (including a funeral). If it is just H and I, I’ll likely prepare the foods we like (I’m not a turkey fan) and then go see Wicked part 2.
That also sounds like a lovely plan. I remember that I had a friend growing up that going to see a movie on Thanksgiving was a tradition. In fact, I think somehow I got permission to do that one year with her and it was The Poseidon Adventure!
We frequently went to a movie on Thanksgiving when my sons were younger. It was a rare day when none of us were busy with our multitude of other activities. Early afternoon meal, late afternoon/early evening movie and then home for leftovers. Good times.
D1 is hosting. It will be D2 and her H, my mom, so 6 adults and 2 GDs. I am looking forward to it. I don’t remember the last time I hosted.
We are going to S2/DiL, as agreed upon with S1/DiL who had intended to go to her folks, but now apparently that has changed and I said no, we all agreed to do it this way, S2/DIL have prepared for hosting, and I am not telling S2/DiL that they now have to haul *** to us because you guys changed your mind after all. We will host everyone at Christmas for a whole week 
S1/DiL will likely happily end up at her sister’s. (We are all hours and hours and hours apart)
My inlaws (live 30 min from S2) were invited to come as well, and are going to DH’s brother instead (2 hrs away). They didn’t tell us, he did. My MIL’s reason she gave DH was “we just don’t like to drive very much”. You can’t make this stuff up. I told S2 that his grandparents turned down a chance to see him and he said “Of course they did. Mom, you really didn’t think they’d say yes?” And that is the cautionary tale for all grandparents everywhere. You might fool a 10 yr old (she would tell S2 that his present got lost in the mail) but you can’t fool them as adults.
Update. DD called tonight. Dinner might be at her husband’s uncle’s house…which can more easily accommodate everyone. DD will get back to me with the details at the end of the week. Her in-laws house really doesn’t have the space for this dinner.
We can host Thanksgiving here, and that is also now an option.
■■■ have I gotten myself into? I invited my brother and his ex-wife (#2) who are back together after he left her to remarry (and then redivorce) his fist wife (#1 and #3). It’s confusing…
They will be driving 10 hours and bringing 3 of their 6 dogs. DH will drive an hour each way to get my mother and then bring her home.
Although I don’t really love entertaining, I have food allergies and don’t trust my mother to do the cooking (with good reason), so I take it on. My brother has recently had a lot of health issues and should be following a special diet, but doesn’t.
Both my kids will be home, but I’m not really sure where everyone is sleeping as I haven’t upsized our bed in the guest room, and I don’t think a double will be comfortable for my brother and his partner. I feel bad having S23 give up his room, as he is the one who lives furthest away and rarely gets to come home. Plus, he’ll be working a lot over break so will be on the big monitor he has set up in his room. He likes to work late into the night. D22 isn’t agreeable at all to giving up her room, which is just fine with me. God only knows what she has in there.
I have a feeling I’ll be ready to check myself in somewhere by the time they leave on Saturday.
We gave up on any Thanksgiving travel years ago. We don’t go and don’t expect anyone to either. We have dinner with dear friends. We split the menu. I do some appetizers, the sweet potato casserole, broccoli and hollandaise, some crudities, and the pies. She does the rest. Although DD and DIL now contribute too. This year it’s getting exciting with 3 under 4.
We have not traveled for Thanksgiving as far as I can remember. My siblings all live on Oahu and my folks did, so there was really no need to go anywhere. When in college, our kids would celebrate with their friends our our family friends who lived near campus. Since then, they generally have friends and gather with them. I don’t believe my kids host. We used to host Thanksgiving at our house when our kids were young and still lived at home. H and D and sometimes S would rush off to CompUSA or similar to get the Black Friday deals.
We usually host Thanksgiving at our house and that’s definitely happening this year, but it’ll be a slightly bigger crew than usual. Total of 9: the 4 of us + my sister & her adorable dachshund, 2 friends (husband & wife) driving out here to AZ from southern CA + my husband’s aunt & uncle.
Husband’s aunt & 1 of our friends both have celiac disease. I’ve made many Thanksgiving dinners that are gluten free and so far nobody has ever gotten sick. I even have regular stuffing/dressing, but we keep it far away from the non-gluten dishes and everybody knows to pay attention to cross contamination.
I always brine the turkey the night before Thanksgiving. It always comes out tasting fabulous. Seriously, like THE best turkey you’ve ever had. Even the breast meat comes out juicy and wonderful.
Gonna do mashed potatoes (husband usually put in charge of those), stuffing/dressing (not stuffed in the bird of course), glazed carrots w/New Mexican chili pepper, some sort of green bean dish (not a casserole) that you can make quickly in about 10 min, cranberry sauce (the kind that comes in a can), lingonberry preserves (I get it from IKEA; in my family on every big holiday meal we’d have lingonberry preserves to go w/the chicken or turkey or whatever).
Snack items to nibble on while we all wait for the main meal to be ready later includes some sort of meat & cheese tray + cut-up vegetables w/a couple of gluten-free dips. Also tortilla chips & salsa and at D24’s request, Ruffles chips + French onion dip.
Dessert will be ice cream + some sort of gluten-free keto dessert that our CA friends make + my sister is bringing homemade marshmallows that we’ll all roast in the fire pit out in the backyard once the sun goes down.
