NMMR/GTKY/Small Vent: How Do You Get Excited For Thanksgiving

Xstatic3333 · November 2015

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I find myself with the dilemma I have each year that I have a hard time getting excited for this holiday. I have so much to be thankful for, and love the idea of a holiday to give thanks, but in practice I just have a tough time getting excited for it. This year there's also a cloud over the holiday on H's side since his uncle passed away the day after Thanksgiving last year. It's going to be a hard day for his mom tomorrow. H had some rough Thanksgivings growing up, far beyond the annoying ones that I have had, so he doesn't love the holiday either.

I'm really determined to keep working on enjoying Thanksgiving and appreciating it for what it is. With that said, how do you get excited for Thanksgiving? Do you have any fun traditions that make it special for you? My favorite traditions so far aren't really related to the day so much as the prep. I love doing a big food pantry shop during Thanksgiving week, doing a turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning, and baking the night before. I want to move beyond feeling like I'm just going through the motions on the actual day itself.

jessica490 · November 2015

Aw, I'm sorry for your loss. Holidays are always tough without loved ones as the years go on.

I agree with you...I really have a hard time being excited for Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for everyone and everything that I have everyday so thanksgiving day isn't really any different...plus I don't even like turkey lol. I look forward to seeing family and eating stuffing though. The only reason Thanksgiving excites me is because Christmas is right around the corner and we decorate right after.

smetter04 · November 2015

Honestly, for me Thanksgiving Day is merely the door to a long weekend and Christmas decorating. It's nice to be with family but it's not my favorite holiday ever, and this year I'm dreading the holidays because of family stuff.

Sorry, this isn't very helpful. But, you're not alone in being somewhat indifferent toward Thanksgiving.

csuave · November 2015

Some years the excitement just might not be there and that is OK.

H and I only see our families a handful of times per year so that alone is enough to make me excited.
Time off of work is also a very happy thing for me

My mom and I bake together and I love that time we spend together. We also like looking at the decorations and serving wear that we only use during this time of the year and remembering the fun stories we have behind some of these things.

During the holiday season it always make H and I feel good to give back. We do a shift bell ringing for the Salvation Army. The SA helped both of our families back in the day (our parents' generation) and it makes us thankful for how much we have.

hoffse · November 2015

Interesting thread.

Thanksgiving has morphed into my favorite holiday. Some things I love about it:

-The food. I legitimately love the food. I do understand that for people who don't like the food it can be kind of a meh holiday. But I really love every single thing that is traditionally served, and I am more than happy to eat leftovers for a week afterwards. It's also one of the few times of year we make the effort to make everything from scratch - even down to the pie crusts and dried bread for the stuffing. I love that.

-4 day weekend because my work gives us the Friday after off as well (H's work does the same). LOVE this. I'm excited that Christmas falls the same way this year with Christmas Eve being on a Thursday, but most years the only 4-day weekend I'm guaranteed to get is Thanksgiving.

-The weather. Down here it's just turning cool (and it's cold at night), but highs are still in the 50's/60's most days, and it is usually sunny. It's beautiful fall weather.

-No gifts. Our Christmas has thankfully started to tone down the last couple of years, but I still don't like the pressure of gift-giving.

-Seeing family (obviously).

-I feel like we have the energy for it, because it's just at the start of the holiday craziness. By the time NYE rolls around I'm usually exhausted. December is going to be even more of a whirlwind for us than usual this year. At last count we have 5 holiday parties we have to go to between December 8 and December 19 when we leave for Germany. My H has a huge arbitration in the middle of all of that. Then we get back and have 4 days where I'm going to have to help close a couple deals before year-end, and then we're expected to be back in Atlanta for NYE to meet BIL's new girlfriend.

Xstatic3333 · November 2015

Thanks guys! @jessica490 and @smetter04 it actually makes me feel a lot better to not be the only who is "meh" about Thanksgiving. It's a weird feeling when the whole world seems thrilled about something and you just...well...aren't. Jessica, you especially described my feelings, right down to not eating turkey. I'd imagine if you love turkey having that special meal once a year is a huge part of the appeal. I do love the sides, though!

We have tiny families so we'll never have a huge Thanksgiving, but someday I'd love to host and be that home that also invites lots of people who don't have family nearby. I think a bigger group would make it more of a celebration. The family we see on Thanksgiving lives very close by, and I'm sure if you don't see your family a ton that's a huge part of what makes it special, too.

ETA: @csuave and @hoffse it's nice to hear the alternative perspective, too. A lot of it is probably just about changing my mindset. I also think having Friday as a paid holiday would really change things! We both have to use a vacation day if we want it off, although this year through luck of sorts I'll get to take half of it as a sick day since my eye doctor wants to see me Friday.

formerlyGDaisy09 · November 2015

Thanksgiving is a hard holiday when there has been a recent loss in the family, Hugs to you and your H and his family!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I'm a bit sad that this year we'll be missing out on my family's traditional thanksgiving plans. But I'm also gald to have a long weekend at home just H and I.

I love having a weekend for our family to get together, and having an excuse to spend several days just catching-up with people that we maybe haven't seen in a while. some things are the same every year; my dad always smokes the turkey, which in NE is risky business; he always starts it around 9 or 10 pm on Wednsday), there was one year that it was freezing and snowing on thanksgiving and the turkey took a full 21 hours to cook, my mom had planned on dinner being at 2pm and had all the sides ready, the turkey wasn't done until 6 or 7 pm, then there was the year that the turkey was done and sitting on the counter while we were all eating breakfast...

My family is pretty low-drama, we usually go out for a walk/run thanksgiving morning; for a long time we went out to the local 5-mile turkey trot, my sister and I would run ( and then spend 20-30 minutes shivering while the rest of the family finished up walking), and then we'd all head back to the house to shower, cook, and start drinking (usually local beer...we switch to wine for dinner). my parent's neighbors (people we grew-up with) often would stop by the house for a drink or for dessert. It's always been a relaxing day with lots of food (and alcohol), and not a lot of structure. everyone has their own dish that they make; my dad does the turkey, my mom makes my grandmother's dinner rolls (the first instruction on the recipe is "melt a cup of butter"...they're delicious) and roasted brussels sprouts, my sister and uncle make the mashed potatoes and butternut squash, I make the stuffing, my cousin makes the pies...its really nice that the pressure isn't on any one person to make the whole meal.

I can totally see this being a "meh" holiday if there's lots of family drama or if you don't particularly enjoy the food.

H and I are doing thanksgiving on our own this year. we're having cornish game hens insead of turkey, I'm hoping we can just have a relaxing day of cooking together...and I'm asking my BFF who is also an OB/GYN to please tell H exactly what "just a little bit" of wine is (I'm pretty sure the answer is one 4-5 oz glass) so we can open one of our favorite bottles of red to enjoy with the meal. we'll probably take the dogs for a decent walk and then find a few Christmas movies to watch. We don't plan to do any Black friday shopping (I feel very strongly about boycotting any stores making their staff work on thrusday...which most the ones in our area are). so we'll probably spend Friday/saturday cleaning the house, Sunday we plan to pick-up our Christmas tree.

vlagrl29 · November 2015

Its not my fav holiday but I enjoy the time off with family. I know the first Thanksgiving after my first H passed was super hard for me - so was xmas that year. I hated all the cheer when I was trying to figure out the grieving process. Since then though I've enjoyed it although I still think xmas is too materialistic but that could be my minimalism coming out.

bcarb · November 2015

I am also "meh" about this holiday. I like our local Turkey Trot, so that is always something to look forward to. I also like that I can start decorating for Xmas that Friday after. I also love Black Friday shopping(I would perfer if it was still on Friday, that was the fun of it, getting out there at like 4 in the morning, having it on Tday is just stupid.). The Food is okay, not my favorite food, but still good. Honestly, my favorite holiday is the 4th of July!

PurpleBookmark · November 2015

Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday but the last three Thanksgivings I have ended up ill - twice due to regular pregnancy nausea and once due to me being a dummy and eating way too much. So while turkey and the trimmings used to be my favorite food ever, now not so much.

Despite that I still love Thanksgiving, I really enjoy seeing DH's extended family and spending time with everyone. I like seeing my family the day after, we can relax and eat and watch Christmas movies. I do like that it's kind of a gateway to the Christmas season. I'm excited to set up decorations, address our Christmas cards, wrap presents, etc.

I actually used to have a hard time with Christmas, but I'm really enjoying it more now the last few years. I think my favorite holiday is Easter.

cbee817 · November 2015

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I love the food, the long weekend with the girls and DH, no gifts, just spending time together. Usually the weather is really nice too and we go for a walk after lunch- it's just a nice, no stress day.

brij2006 · November 2015

I'm a foodie, so my excitement is all in the food. And I love to entertain.

But we host Friendsgiving every year. This year everyone has kids, so we're setting up pack n plays in our bedrooms and everyone is coming over for all 3 meals. The rules are yoga pants and sweatshirts, bring a bottle of booze, and just relax and play board games.
We also do a game where everyone writes down their most horrific thing that happened at their family Thanksgiving this year, and puts it into the hat. They all get read, and we have to guess which persons' family had that happen. It's hilarious.

Xstatic3333 · November 2015

brij2006 said:
I'm a foodie, so my excitement is all in the food. And I love to entertain.

But we host Friendsgiving every year. This year everyone has kids, so we're setting up pack n plays in our bedrooms and everyone is coming over for all 3 meals. The rules are yoga pants and sweatshirts, bring a bottle of booze, and just relax and play board games.
We also do a game where everyone writes down their most horrific thing that happened at their family Thanksgiving this year, and puts it into the hat. They all get read, and we have to guess which persons' family had that happen. It's hilarious.

This sounds so much fun! I want to institute this once we have kids.

brij2006 · November 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

I'm a foodie, so my excitement is all in the food. And I love to entertain.

But we host Friendsgiving every year. This year everyone has kids, so we're setting up pack n plays in our bedrooms and everyone is coming over for all 3 meals. The rules are yoga pants and sweatshirts, bring a bottle of booze, and just relax and play board games.
We also do a game where everyone writes down their most horrific thing that happened at their family Thanksgiving this year, and puts it into the hat. They all get read, and we have to guess which persons' family had that happen. It's hilarious.
This sounds so much fun! I want to institute this once we have kids.

Not going to lie, it was more fun before kids. Now it's just changed. We used to have dinner and would set up beds everywhere. Everyone would get drunk, play games, and spend the night. Now everyone comes around 9-10am. We have mimosas and pastries ready, then we do the big meal for lunch, and dinner is something light. Kids go down for naps whenever, and people come and go as they please.

It's still fun though, and is very stress free.

julieanne912 · November 2015

Thanksgiving has never been a big thing in my family as my mom often worked on holidays (hospital). This year I'm actually looking forward to it though as it's just friends coming over. I love to cook big meals so even though the type of food isn't my favorite, I still like to cook it, and H loves it all. I also look forward to some days off where I don't have to do anything... my house will already be clean so I can just relax all weekend.

short+sassy · November 2015

@brij2006, Your Friendsgiving sounds like a ton of fun!

I'm not a big holiday person, in general. But I like them all just fine. Like @smetter04 said, my favorite thing about TG is it is the door to the only 4-day weekend (outside of taking vacation days). I LOVE a whole cooked turkey and stuffing. I love having the best turkey sandwiches for the entire week after it.

JoanE2012 · November 2015

We alternate holidays between my family and DH's family - this year Thanksgiving is my side. My mom does an amazing spread for Thanksgiving. I've been salivating for weeks now. The food alone is almost enough for me. I also love seeing family and the long weekend that comes with it. I think we'll put up our Christmas tree and decorations this weekend too.

kmurphy2131 · November 2015

You definetly aren't alone. I love the spirit of the holiday season and the idea behind it all, but since getting engaged we have not been able to strike a good balance of the families. H and I have been fighting for two days now about christmas (we had our plan set months ago, and my mother planned around it, but now that whole things has to be changed ugh). It makes me want to fast forward through the holidays. Such a negative attitude to have, but when it feels like every holiday second is being counted and tallied up for who has more time...it's hard to be excited.

blondie42107 · November 2015

I enjoy Thanksgiving. We love drinking coffee while watching the Macy's parade in the morning, watching football and the food!

If it's a tough holiday for you both, talk about what would make it more enjoyable for you as a couple. It could be the perfect time to start your own traditions.

My cousin used to dread Thanksgiving because she moved half way across the country but she and her husband soon realized many of their friends were in the same boat with no family nearby. They started hosting Friendsgiving. Each year they do a different menu. Her husband is from Costa Rica so one year they did a menu of his favorites. They have a diverse group of friends so they love trying new things.

Our friends have their parents and siblings over for Thanksgiving each year. They plan their Black Friday shopping, figure out who will ride in what car, etc. They start bright and early Friday morning. They love it!

lbonga1 · November 2015

blondie42107 said:

\ Each year they do a different menu. Her husband is from Costa Rica so one year they did a menu of his favorites. They have a diverse group of friends so they love trying new things.\

I really like this. I get bored of having the same things every year. FI's aunt usually hosts, and I hate to say it, but her food is kind of bland. This year plans got changed around, and we're going to be going to his cousin's. They're Samoan, and I think we're having some sort of island bbq. FI's kind of upset because this is the first holiday season after finding out he has a gluten allergy. His mom is going to make him gluten-free stuffing and gravy, and I'm going to make him a mini cobbler, so hopefully that will make it better for him.

Xstatic3333 · November 2015

lbonga1 said:

blondie42107 said:

\ Each year they do a different menu. Her husband is from Costa Rica so one year they did a menu of his favorites. They have a diverse group of friends so they love trying new things.\

I really like this. I get bored of having the same things every year. FI's aunt usually hosts, and I hate to say it, but her food is kind of bland. This year plans got changed around, and we're going to be going to his cousin's. They're Samoan, and I think we're having some sort of island bbq. FI's kind of upset because this is the first holiday season after finding out he has a gluten allergy. His mom is going to make him gluten-free stuffing and gravy, and I'm going to make him a mini cobbler, so hopefully that will make it better for him.

I would like that, too! I'd really like to try cooking some minor twists on Thanksgiving favorites. Nothing crazy-spicy Brussels sprouts, butternut squash ravioli, etc. I know it can be a bit fraught to mess with the standards, though.

NMMR/GTKY/Small Vent: How Do You Get Excited For Thanksgiving

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