<p>^</p>
<p>LMAO, didn’t realize who you referred to until you said that! :)</p>
<p>You guys are the best. </p>
<p>Speaking of feeding the dogs snacks, which always make them sick (I can’t guess, was it the apricots or the peanuts that did it?) - when I tell you to stop feeding them, why do you keep doing it? And can’t you figure out that they jump all over you because they learned that you will keep feeding them snacks?</p>
<p>Shamrock Dad – You have a standing invitation to my house for any family Thanksgiving you would like to visit.</p>
<p>I never minded people telling my daughter what the house rules are, nor would I ever object to an adult stepping in if the issue was one of safety. I wouldn’t let them tell her to sit down and shut up, however. That’s my job! But some people think that only they should tell their kids anything…but I’m not going to stand by and watch food or fist-fights, climbing on the furniture, or teasing the dog without stepping in. You don’t like it when it’s your kid I’m telling…go someplace else. My house; my rules. </p>
<p>If only I had the guts to tell my mother’s friend to…well, let’s keep it clean, shall we?</p>
<p>This thread really makes me miss my grandpa.</p>
<p>Grandma and mom would prepare a feast, with multiple entrees. We would eat at about eleven, and grandpa would have his traditional concoction with his midday meal.</p>
<p>It consisted of iced tea, hawaiian punch, coca-cola, and Wild Turkey.</p>
<p>After a wonderful meal, he would retire to his bedroom to take his nap.</p>
<p>After his nap, he would get up and do all the dishes, take out the garbage, and play with us kids and the dog in the backyard.</p>
<p>Maybe I’m too hard on my father in law, having that to compare to.</p>
<p>Or maybe I need to put some Wild Turkey in his iced tea to knock him out.</p>
<p>For many years, my wife was very similar to many posters here. Did not want of offend anyone, bent over backwards to appease nasty people and just always wanted to keep the peace. I guess being married to me for almost 24 years will change a person!!</p>
<p>She is now just as bad as I am!! MIL was always very manipulative to get things her way. DW now just says it like it is! Needless to say, celebrations now are a lot easier to deal with. Don’t ask me my opinion if you don’t want the truth!! I have no problem telling you to move your big butt off my couch so I can watch the football game (and yes I did all of the dishes after the meal!)</p>
<p>When the cranberry sidedish slid out of the can directly onto a serving plate, NOBODY SAID ANYTHING. In fact, we enjoyed it. My newly divorced brother hosted 9 people (friends and family) by potluck. He also cooked the main course. My other divorced brother brought a knock-your-socks-off Caeser Salad that he’s perfected over time. </p>
<p>Go boys! Yay for peaceful company.</p>
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</p>
<p>Brings back memories of Thanksgiving when growing up…:)</p>
<p>Uh oh…I slid the cranberry sidedish directly onto the serving plate on Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>I wasn’t supposed to do that?!?</p>
<p>As with Paying3tuitions, luckily, no one said anything.</p>
<p>“My newly divorced brother hosted 9 people (friends and family) by potluck. He also cooked the main course.”</p>
<p>-Wow! Very hard working family. Meijer’s turkey dinner was just fine for us. It is not that NOBODY SAID ANYTHING, everybody praised it. Even if they were just polite, my goal was for turkey to be gone. I sencerely loved it (I am turkey hater) and even had it next day (unbelievable!!).</p>
<p>Can we talk? I have two friends who didn’t help their hostess clean up after Thanksgiving Dinner.</p>
<p>Friend #1 - Didn’t actually eat any of the dinner (2nd Thanksgiving dinner of her day). Her hubby and son sat at the table and ate with the relatives. My friend cleaned her son’s plate and put it in the dishwasher when he was finished. Then she retreated into the computer room. This was at her MIL’s house. She said she didn’t have to help clean up because she didn’t sit at the table and eat the dinner.</p>
<p>Friend #2 - Didn’t help clean up at SIL’s house because she was in the middle of a good conversation with another SIL. This particular friend also would rather clean up by herself when she is the hostess.</p>
<p>If I were hostessing, I would love it if someone would help me clean up after the meal. Truth be told, I would be grumpy of nobody helped me. I would expect to be assisted.</p>
<p>Do you help clean up? If you are the hostess, would you prefer to do it all yourself?</p>
<p>When I host I expect not to be assisted. If they do, it is a nice bonus. But I have my H., he is good cleanning.</p>
<p>We hosted 27 people this year and many help with the clean up. I don’t expect them to help, but everyone usually takes their plates and scrapes them into the trash and puts the dishes by the sink. Someone will help dry the wine glasses and serving platters that my husband washes while I put food away and pack up leftovers for those taking them home. The men will take the folding tables and chairs to the basement after I have cleared all the tables and put the decorations and things away. This year I actually started a load of the linens as someone had spilled a glass of red wine on one of the tables. It sure was nice getting those out of the way.</p>
<p>My family plays Trivial Pursuit every year on Thanksgiving although I have never been able to play as I am still in the kitchen, but it works out just fine. With the help of my cousin, aunt and SIL, we seem to get most of the work done and they tend to walk back and forth to the game. My mother doesn’t like when people help clear as one year a fork got thrown away. By the time we realized it, there were 8 trash bags outside and we never found it. Now I watch people like a hawk to make sure a piece of silverware doesn’t end up in the trash.</p>
<p>Well, my MIL (before she lost most of her mind) used to say to count the silverware before you throw out the trash to make sure nothing gets lost. We don’t have a crowd so that is fairly easy to do, and I try to remember to do it. </p>
<p>If I cook, I usually get to clean up too. I am not too fanatical, so if I can just leave it in the sink, I wait until my company is gone to start cleaning. If it is too much, I fill up a load in the dishwasher and leave the rest for later. Yeah, I might be up late getting it clean, but that way I can spend time with my guests. And yes, I always help at the inlaws house (but they wouldn’t dream of it in mine.)</p>
<p>
Hubby and I hosted 25 people this year and I lost a fork, too. I realized it once I was putting the last pieces of flatware (I don’t have real silver) away. I briefly entertained the idea of going outside and digging through several trash bags, but then I heard the recliner call my name. </p>
<p>My parents rarely visit because you’d think I’m asking them to drive across the country when, in reality, we’re 3 1/2 hours away. When they do visit, I can’t get my mom to sit down and relax. They arrived early the day we had dinner so we could just visit for a while before everyone else got there. I couldn’t relax because she couldn’t. “Oh, honey, I can’t just sit.” Really? Because I gotta tell you, I can! I had arranged several tables that stretched the length of our sunroom and kitchen eating area … enough room for all! After filling her plate, I notice my mom looking around. When I asked what she needed, she said she was looking for a “quiet” place to eat. I told her I had hoped and planned for all of us to sit together so we could visit together as one big family. Surprisingly, she sat where I suggested and appeared to enjoy it.</p>
<p>Yes, I too lost a fork one year 
That really makes the control freak resurface!</p>
<p>Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever counted forks.</p>
<p>p3t, at my BIL’s house, there is one person who really wants the jelled cranberry sauce straight from the can. It’s the easiest part of my job! 
We do TG at my BIL’s house and pretty much everyone pitches in. Of course, OCD SIL cleans up after we have cleaned up, but at least I feel I’ve made the effort.</p>
<p>LOL - doesn’t all cranberry sauce come from a can? That was my mom’s recipe–and I’m sticking with family tradition.</p>
<p>I prefer homemade cranberry sauce but found out this year that my daughter’s fiancee likes the canned jellied type, so that will be added to the shopping list next time. I was surprised as he us a real “foodie” who loves to cook, but I guess it is what you are used to from childhood. (I have no childhood cranberry traditions as cranberry sauce was not a typical accompaniment to turkey in England, now cranberries are one of my favorite things - which reminds me - I need to go find that recipe for cranberry liqueur from one of the CC threads and and make it for Christmas).</p>
<p>I always make homemade, but it’s never that impressive; this year I tried an Ina Garten recipe adding the zest & juice from one lemon and one orange to the basic recipe on the bag. Everybody loved it, very light, it loses the muddy cranberry flavour. It made especially good turkey sandwiches after, with some laughing cow swiss spread on the brear. Yum</p>
<p>We are so “dysfunctional” we must have 3 kinds of cranberry sauces: solid jellied from the can, whole berries from the can, and homemade cranberry sauce with canned mandarin oranges! Too many preferences!</p>