[tunisianswife]

I love to know what people do for the holidays. What are everyone's plans for Thanksgiving?

I stay home and just cook for hubby and me. We both love turkey. He is not from this country so most of the traditional thanksgiving dishes he doesn't like. He basically eats the turkey, mashed potatoes, and a baked sweet potato, homemade roll. that's it. yep. so I don't bother with all the stuff I'd love to do. Last year I did make an apple pie but I ended up eating a quarter of it. I had to give the rest of it away or I would have ate the whole thing. I do make homemade rolls. I hate the idea every year of buying boxed stuffing but it is too much work for just one person to enjoy it so I don't mind. I have to have my fresh squash. That I don't feeling guilty eating all of. Oh and the homemade cranberry sauce. I adore it. I found a new recipe this year on Allrecipes that is basically the traditional sugar, orange zest and cranberries cooked but instead of water it uses Port Wine. I already bought the wine.

anywhoo, thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the foods and love fall, and it is non-commercialized. Love it.
how are you spending yours? any traditional dishes? any traditions? I'd love to have you share.

[cheryl allen]

Totally different this year. Sister in Law is ill. We are having it at Mom in Law and everyone is bringing.




Cheryl

[Juletones]

We're going to my SIL for the big get-together. I'm bringing pies again this year, but thinking about baking them this time instead of buying them. Tough decision.

As much as I like the ease of having Thanksgiving at someone elses home, I always yearn for leftovers and many times I have baked a turkey here at home right after Thanksgiving.

Wacky, but I prefer the next day turkey sandwich over the hot meal.

[becky]

Going to my daughters house for Thanksgiving. After she got married and bought a house, she took it over......it's VERY nice

[fleur17]

We have a big family gathering, between 20-30 people. It is a fun day!

[DebbieT]

Since my mom died Thanksgiving has been at my house. We have about 15 people from both sides of our family.
I do the traditional stuff, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatos etc.
I love Thanksgiving, its all about family time without the added pressure of giving gifts.
Debbie

[Terrie70]

We are having Thanksgiving at our house - we ususally have it every year. I do all the traditional cooking, turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, pies ect. All three of our kids and their familes come and also my DH sisters and their familes too. It is a lot of work, but I just love having everyone together. I'm taking off work all next week just to get ready. After we eat we play some board games and watch the movie Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation - it has become a tradition that we watch it every year now. It seems you can watch that movie and never get tired of it. I am really excited this year as my yougest son and his family is staying all night and we are all going to get up super early on black Friday and go shopping. Also we have the grandkids make their lists for Santa so that I will have ideas on what to get them for Christmas. I just love the holidays!

[mpfand]

This year, we are making the 12 hour drive to ID to spend the holiday with my parents. My brother, his wife and their two kids will join us for Thanksgiving dinner. My mom cooks all of the traditional foods. All of the girls go shopping the day after and make a day of it with lunch out.

[Juletones]

Christmas Vacation movie is hilarious! It gets better every year.

[candlefaninokc]

I love reading about what everyone's doing for the holidays, too! This year Thanksgiving is at my mom's house. We have a smallish family, so it's about 17 people attending I'm guessing. All the traditional turkey and fixin's, and we usually play a game or just visit. I will bring my perennial green bean casserole. Then the next day, I always put up my Christmas tree and deco. I'm so looking forward to it! Hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving!

[Dabbadooey]

I also love Thanksgiving ...the fun of the holidays without the commercialization of Christmas! We go to my oldest brother's home and are joined by my parents, my two other brothers' families, and the mother of one of my sisters-in-law. It will be a little different this year because a niece and nephew have been away at college, and another nephew will be away visiting his mother in Boston, so we will miss him. We all bring food so that the burden of cooking is not left to one person.

[MaggieMae]

Yep...I love Thanksgiving too! I will be hosting at my Dad's this year. It was my mom's favorite holiday and since she's been gone it feels like she's there if we have it at "her house"! There will be about 16 of us this year so not too bad. I usually get up and shuffle over to my Dad's (we live in the same town...I didn't move too far when I got married... ) in my PJ's and get the turkey started....then I go home and watch the parade. Later on we all meet at his house. Can't wait.

Tunsianswife~ Where is your DH from?

[tunisianswife]

I love reading everyone's posts. I'm 'nosy' that way, that's why I started this thread. I just find it fun to hear what everyone does for holidays. I always ask people I work with what they are doing.

so nice to spend the time with your families and have a day of food, fun, games, movies. Love hearing about it all. Maggie, that is so nice you still have the celebration at your parents' home. I'm sure it does make it feel like your mom is there. My father died when i was 14 and the holidays are never the same. I will admit it here now, I get very melancholy @Christmas. I won't say depressed but I find it a very melancholy time. before my dad died, it was magical and after, it just is a very sad time for me. For years, I would 'go through the motions' of Christmas traditions along w/the rest of my family but I finally decided that if I just shed it all and just spend it simply and quietly and reflect on what the reason is for the day, it has made it a much better time for me. I can't say I care to listen to christmas music. it just triggers that memory-association thing. sorry to blabber. lol

Maggie, my husband is from Tunisia-which is in North Africa between Algeria and Libya. Very mediterranean-arab culture. I've been twice and have enjoyed the visits. His family is wonderful to me.

[sharonana]

Thanksgiving is also our favorite holiday of the year.

My husband always smokes a turkey and makes his famous cranberry stuffing.

Nothing special going on. It's Grantata and me, our son and his friend who is a girl. It's an inside joke.

We just hang out around the kitchen cooking, having a few and enjoying each other's company.............

and we might eat some turkey too!

I hope you all have a blessed day!

[beatrixpug]

I love Thanksgiving! I cook a huge traditional meal, enough for an army even though there are only three of us. My mom cooks the turkey because she is the only one who eats it, my SO and I are vegetarians. Well, the pugs have a bit of turkey too. We basically stuff ourselves and drink mulled wine, then fall asleep on the couch watching Christmas movies. It would be nice to have a bigger family to celebrate with, but my brother and his family live too far away to spend the holidays together.

[tunisianswife]

Beatrix, you've probably been asked this a million times but have you ever had one of those tofurkeys? I've always been curious as to how they taste. they do look good and I love soft tofu.

[MaggieMae]

Tunisianswife~ Oh, what a "knucklehead" I am....Tunisia....hence the name!
I am sorry for the lost of your Dad...it doesn't matter how many years pass, it still aches. I am glad you found a way to "celebrate" that is peaceful for you.

[cbgirl]

Having Thanksgiving dinner at my Daughter's house this year.....looking forward to it!

[PuppyLove]

Fun subject! My DH will be on the other side of the country, my DD may be working (cardiac nurse), my DS will be at his in-laws. I might go with his family, or I might go to my sister's, or I might go to my best friend's. Or, more 'n likely, I'll stay home and prepare for my young granddaughters' visit. They're coming to decorate my tree on the weekend. Now THAT is a ton of fun!

Truth is, I don't care much about Thanksgiving. I hate to cook and don't eat the meal (23 years of being a vegetarian). So after decades of making the big ol' family Thanksgiving dinner, I'm really thankful to simply pass.

Does this mean I'm saying "Bah Humbug" to Thanksgiving? Hmmm, mebbe.

Gail, not very traditional...

[debra99]

Our usual Thanksgiving celebration with cousins fell through a couple days ago, so I have been pulling out the cookbooks - looks like we will be cooking the whole deal this year.

Since I love to collect cookbooks, I should have been holding it every year!