People have worked thanksgiving day long before the stores opened - waiters, cops, the people at the parades and at football stadiums, hospitals. Those in retail who I’ve asked didn’t mind as they made a lot of money and usually had a good chunk of the day off, working either early or late but not both. I don’t shop, but don’t see a problem with those who want to.
My daughter is going to Universal Studios for the day (where, yes, people will be working on Thanksgiving). She and a friend were asked to friends’ homes for the day, but decided to just go to the park and have fun. For the rest of the weekend she’ll study and go to the beach.
Ten years ago we started a tradition of spending Thanksgiving at our vacation place. All my kids are coming and their spouse/signicant other. Son-in-law’s mother and father will be here too. They have been divorced for years and have partners, but they come alone. The other regular is youngest D’s former roommate. She is a playwright and often brings actors and other theater people. My son-in-law, who is in grad school, invites fellow students. His best grad school friend is from Denmark and he has been here for the last three years. D2 is in grad school this year and she just asked if she could invite a classmate from Puerto Rico who isn’t going home. There is always an interesting mix of guests. H cooks and I am the sous-chef. H is a foodie so he spends lots of time planning a menu.
Highlights of the weekend–Turkey Plunge on Thanksgiving morning. It’s a fundraiser for the local children’s library. People jump into the ocean at 10 am and then run back out. It is a fun event–prizes for the best costume, largest family group, oldest plunger, and youngest. On Saturday night there is a town tree-lighting and carols, which everyone attends as well. In between, lots of games, food, etc. Last year, one of the guests was a yoga instructor so she did a class for anyone who wanted to participate each morning. I loved it.
I’ve been known to buy missing ingredients Thanksgiving morning - usually ice cream or whip cream for pies. You’d think I’d remember they are required! Otherwise no shopping Thanksgiving weekend ever.
Our nephew who is working on his PhD at MIT and his Mom from DC will come - we provide a nice midpoint. Our son out in CA takes off for most of the week - which is always nice, though it makes me wish Thanksgiving and Christmas were further apart in the year. Younger son is still living in our attic. Last year we had his girl friend and hope we do again. She’s from Hong Kong, but has some relatives in the US, so sometimes goes there, at least for part of the weekend. Sometimes we go in with the neighbors or at least have them for dessert. I think they are going to be minus their kid this year, so I should invite them.
I’m impressed and heart-warmed by all of you who invite “extras” - be it neighbors, classmates, random friends. I’m sure they are so thankful for YOU!
Thanksgiving is at my bro/SIL’s about 45 minutes away. Their D cooks the turkey and the pies. My mom does the mashed potatoes and out of the bird stuffing. I’ll bring a veggie side or two and some muffins/bread type item. We eat, watch football (often the Lions- their team are playing the Packers, our team!), play CatchPhrase and draw names for our Secret Santa.
My niece who plans the dinner overall is VERY traditional with the dishes - I mean, you practically have to get “board approval” to stray from what you usually bring! HAHA . I always have to bring the hot pineapple casserole.
Luckily, all three of my kids + one DIL will be able to be there!
Haha - I think I post it on here every year - and every year there will be people who know it and love it and people who say “yuck!” - it really is very, very good!
My version cuts the flour down to 4T, the cheese down to 1 cup, the butter down to 4T , the sugar down to 1/2 c. (can do a mix of white and brown), and the cracker crumbs down to 3/4 c.
Her version is surely more decadent, mine just is a little kinder calorie/fat wise.
@abasket – that looks like a party in your mouth, for sure! @Bromfield2 and @twoinanddone – I’m so jealous of your beach proximity! What a cool way to spend Thanksgiving. @mathmom – I always run out of something vital (vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, sweet potatoes) and have to run out that morning.
I’m going to a coworker’s apartment with a couple other coworkers. None of us have family in San Francisco, and leaving town isn’t practical because we’re all working early in the morning Black Friday. So we’re eating with friends instead.
I will be hosting dinner, probably for 14 but maybe 15. One brother brings a smoked turkey. The other brother escapes to the Caribbean (for work, lucky duck.)
I always look forward to cooking. This year I have an Instant Pot.
abasket – I love Friendsgiving!
Missbwith2boys – what’s an Instant Pot – like a CrockPot?
kandcsmom – I’m sorry for your loss. I would definitely go out or do something pretty minimal.
Thanksgiving was always the holiday we spent with my parents, and Christmas belonged to my in-laws. My parents used to host huge Thanksgiving parties for 40-50 extended family members and friends, with a menu that defined “excess.” (A few years ago, we had to explain to our son that hors d’oeuvres of shrimp, crab salad, and French pate, and chocolate mousse at dessert alongside many pies, were not traditional Thanksgiving foods.) With all of the parents gone, we have taken to celebrating Thanksgiving with my wife’s sisters and whichever children can make it at the house they co-own in Cape Cod. We tend do the big dinner on Friday, because one branch of the family is Canadian and can’t easily take both Thursday and Friday off, much less leave early on Wednesday. It also lets my daughter and her boyfriend spend Thursday with his family.
This year, for the first time, absolutely everyone (almost) is coming – all four sisters, all their children (6), all but two of the extant significant others of the foregoing (6), two young grandchildren (my grandnephews), and possibly a brother, sister-in-law, and mother of a cousin-husband. Missing will be only my son’s fiancee, who has to to work Thanksgiving and the weekend, and a sister-in-law’s bi-coastal boyfriend, who has Thanksgiving with his children in Los Angeles.
It’s a big house, but a small kitchen; that’s a bit of a challenge. Last year, we came close to a meltdown, because sister-in-law C decided to take over the kitchen for four hours to cook and can applesauce, while sister-in-law B (a professional caterer) and cousin #8 (my son) fumed because they couldn’t properly prepare, respectively, a set of elaborate pies and an overcomplicated cabbage dish he had reverse engineered from a Maccanese restaurant in his neighborhood. As a result, dinner got delayed, which caused a baby #1 meltdown and evoked criticism from his mother. We hope to do better this year, in part by insisting that canning occur elsewhere and looking for simpler ways to prepare vegetables than you might find at a banquet in Macau.
@Classof2015 an instant pot is not a crockpot, though it does have a crockpot function. It’s really a pressure cooker but not those scary ones from the past. It’s electric- so it plugs in- and has a ton of safety features. I bought mine on Amazon’s Prime Day and it’s my favorite kitchen tool.
I make hard boiled eggs in it. They magically peel. Takes 15 minutes from putting them in until peeling a cooled egg.
You can also make a cheesecake in it, in about 30 minutes. I do a simple pasta dish- cooked sausage, dry penne pasta, sauce and water - in 4 minutes. Last night I made chicken tikka masala with a 16 minute cook time (scratch ingredients including raw chicken breasts.) it takes a few minutes for the pot to come to pressure but it’s a set it and forget it cooking tool. Oh, and I love doing spaghetti squash or pumpkin in there- so much faster than roasting and easy to peel afterwards.
My daughter and son-in-law are hosting - it will be his Mom and grandparents (& maybe one of their neighbors), his dad and Stepmom, myself and husband. They do the Turkey and usually some yummy beverage and we bring sides! I was asked to make mashed potato and pumpkin cheese cake (same as last year).
They hosted last year and did a great job. I think they got nominated to be the thanksgiving hosts going forward. Just hope dad and Stepmom don’t show up an hour and a half late again this year.
Looks like two sisters and their families, my parents, and my brother will be in town.(about 12 of us) So far haven’t figured out what we will be doing but most probably it will be a potluck with all of us cooking together. Maybe some grilling at my sisters home. The thanksgiving meal isn’t always all the traditional things but a combination of whatever each person is an expert in or an opportunity to try a new recipe found on pinterest.
We will each make our favorite dish and the family favorite for dessert is apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Maybe a chocolate fondue. With all the kids running around it won’t be formal but it will be fun. Everything set on the kitchen island and we make our plates and sit between the dining room and the kitchen table. Usually my bil takes the help of family to go pick up a fresh, tall Christmas tree to bring home and the kids help decorate. May go for a walk of Christmas lights at a local park or go for a movie together. Possibly squeeze in a little shopping sometime on the weekend. Probably be a weekend of planning different meals perhaps a brunch one morning. It is nice to be with a big family. The only ones missing will be my sisters family on the west coast.
Thanksgiving will be a quiet one with just DH and I and our kids. We were planning to drive to SIL’s house where we usually spend the day with extended family but the older kids have work and school and can’t make the long trip. I feel a little pressure to make Thanksgiving as grand as SIL does. I think I’ll ask my kids to choose their favorite sides so I won’t be guessing. This will be a busy week for me as I hadn’t planned on hosting.
Some of the sides I’ll be preparing: green beans (DH’s favorite), cornbread stuffing (my favorite) and garlic mashed potatoes.
abasket, I like to stock up on all of the glasses and dinnerware at this time to carry us through the holidays. We host an annual work party and its nice not to have to have a stash. Costco is my go to place, too, but I like the plastic wine cups from Smart and Final. We also use them for desserts.
Right after Tony Romo got hurt again, DH contracted to rent a stadium suite for Thanksgiving day. Prices were rock bottom as it was now projected that we’d have another crappy season. So we are going to have Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of family and friends in a suite to watch the 8-1 Cowboys (by that time they will be 9-1 or 8-2) play the really good Washington team in the stadium.
It’s not normally what I’d want to do, but it will be a nice change, I won’t have to cook, and everyone seems pretty pumped about it.
We will have a nice brunch with family on Friday late morning at home, so we will get some of that holiday spirit.
