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Thanksgiving Plans
What are everyone's Thanksgiving plans? Are you eating at home or going to someone's house? What's on the menu/what are you bringing?
We are eating at my parents' house. If you knew my Italian mother, you would understand. You eat at her house on the holidays, no exceptions. You cannot plan anything at another location. You also do not make anything. I think she is nuts, but it's what she loves to do, so I don't even fight it anymore.
A few years in a row, DH and I brought some sort of appetizer. We got looked at like we had six heads. One thing that always drove me crazy about our family get togethers- no appetizers! You walk in the door and 4.5 seconds later, you are eating escarole soup.
Should be an interesting holiday. My SIL is ready to pop, so we'll see when my niece decides to make her appearance. My sister is convinced it will be in the middle of dinner.
Re: Thanksgiving Plans
We are going to my inlaws. I'd rather go to my family honestly but we divide holidays although my mother has the opinion we should only eat her cooking as well.
Our families also live almost four hours apart so not like we can see everyone.
Tonight we are going to a fakesgiving. It is always fun but wish m was Not coming with. They have kids there but the house/people going aren't kid friendly.
I'm at a loss for Thanksgiving. It just so happens to be my parent's anniversary, what's supposed to be my dad's 54th birthday, and the 1 yr anniversary of my dad's very unexpected death. Quite a lot of milestones to cram into one day, let alone a holiday
.
I am heading up to his grave on Wednesday with my mom & sisters, and then we'll head back to my mom's house to laugh & cry over drinks. My family has a very innapropriate sense of humor, so it'll actually be good. On Thanksgiving, I'll slap on my happy face and have dinner with the inlaws.
-Debbie Downer
We are spending the holiday at my mom's house. It will be me, DH, my brother, aunt and grandparents. My mom always makes the turkey and potatoes and I help out with some of the other sides. I'm doing cranberry relish with cherries and walnuts, brussel sprouts with mushrooms, glazed carrots and a pumpkin pound cake for dessert.
Confession--sometimes DH's family comes in from Chicago for one of the holidays or we go there. This year, the airfares were astronomical, so DH and I will spend both holidays here with just my family for the first time ever. This makes me ridiculously happy. I still kind of don't like sharing my holidays even though we've been together for 8 years.
Jonathan Dean 4.5.08
Anna Capri 5.4.11
Kel- One of the reasons I have never hosted anything (although this is actually the first year we have a finished house for Thanksgiving). Plus my house is the size of a shoebox. My ILs are beyond dysfunctional and heaven forbid you invite someone and not invite someone else. They also don't have dinner in one place as a family. Ever. They are always broken up at other people's houses. His mom does not host anything and just goes to eat at someone's house. I am glad DH just goes with the flow and goes to my parents' house.
Years ago, my FIL used to have a Christmas Eve party at his house for all of DH's family. It was nice and we used to look forward to it. One year, DHs siblings were all fighting amongst themselves, so his dad cancelled it. They haven't had it since.
Last year, I was going to host a Christmas morning brunch for his family. They actually complained it was too early, etc. etc. The first and last time I will ever offer. So, if they ever say we are all about "my family," this is my defense.
On the turkey day menu:
Escarole Soup
Raviolis, Meatballs, Sausage, Salad
Turkey, Stuffing, Mash, Corn, Sweet Potatoes
Pumpkin, Coconut and Apple Pies
Yes, a menu fitting for two pregnant women!
We are in the midst of a standoff with MIL over the holidays. Basically, we run every year on Christmas Eve/Day and MIL gets Thanksgiving for the past few years. This year we've decided that we will continue to go to DH's aunt's for Thanksgiving but Christmas will be spent at my parents', period end of story. MIL was displeased, to say the least. She's currently not speaking to us. Next week should be suuuuuuuuuuper.
I'm not a fan of the cooking at DH's aunt's house so I usually offer to bring a side. Nobody ate what I made last year so I asked what to bring and they said pumpkin pie. Since I don't feel like fighting for it at the stores on Wednesday, I'm going to make a couple of them.
I will also be bringing wine. For me.
I will be making a turkey dinner for my little fam on Saturday or Sunday.
We're with my family in Jersey this year, which makes me very happy. Every other year we're at DH's aunt's house, which is never fun.
My mom is hosting, but I have no idea what we're eating. Between Sandy and the snowstorm (my parents got 13 inches and lost power for a few days), as well as hosting my mom's elderly cousin who was displaced from LBI, she hasn't been in planning mode much.
My dad turns 60 on Black Friday, so we'll also be having a small low-key get together for that.
DH suggested it and I'm all for it this year but the IL's didn't like the idea.
We are headed up to NY on Wednesday to be with my family. Since we have been together, we have only spent one Thanksgiving with his family, when I was in school and didn't have a lot of time off.
We will head up to Connecticut for Thanksgiving day. We will probably bring a bottle of wine being there is usually about 30 people and a selected few do the cooking which is fine with me and the rest of us bring the booze!
Sunday after Thanksgiving is my nephew/godson's Christening and I am super excited to snuggle with him because I haven't seen him since he was born-YAY!
SJU: sorry this holiday will be tough for you, but it's nice you're going to spend time w/ your mom.
We always go to my aunt's house (local) so we'll do that again. We bring an appetizer (usually something British - hehe - like Jamie Oliver's sausage rolls). We usually go visit our friends in NYC that Friday or Saturday but DH is going alone this year. I'm only 34 weeks preg. but I don't want to be 2+ hours from our hospital. I have to deliver at CHOP and it makes me nervous to be that far away from it. I'll probably ask my mom to come stay over the night DH is away just in case.
If you need anything please let me/the nest know. I'm sure everything will be fine but I understand being nervous as all.
Uh, if they expect you to prepare everything even though you don't want to, I think you should get your way, whether it's just going out or maybe ordering the whole meal or just sides from somewhere (I think Wegmans, Whole Foods and Boston Market do this).
Our plans are sort of up in the air right now. We have three potential places to go - my aunt's house, Mr.D's aunt's house or my dad's house. We always shuffle around and it gets a bit tiring. We are definitely going to my aunt's house because my grandmother is not doing well (Alzheimer's). Depending on what time she serves the meal will depend if we go visit anyone else.
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
My in laws and my mom are coming to us (but staying in a hotel)
Awesome drama on how this came to be:
SIL came to visit us in late September. A few months before her trip, the in laws (her parents) suggested the visit at the same time. SIL freaked out and told them no and had a variety of reasons, which were like "we can't go anywhere because we won't all fit in the car" but really we think it was because she didn't want to have to share her time with Max. So, in laws called and were like "SIL doesn't want us to come at the same time, but no worries, we've figured out a plan. We will come to you for Thanksgiving and take you out to dinner" DH was like "yes come to thanksgiving but we are not going out to dinner, we'll eat here"
My dad is travelling for work right now, so we invited my mom as well and she and I are rocking the Thanksgiving menu like no one's business.
SIL was not invited. Actually, my inlaws never even mentioned to her that they were coming to us for Thanksgiving! Weirdos.
(my sister is in Canada and doesn't care about American Thanksgiving so she's fine with it)
Sounds like I'm extremely lucky in one respect--Thanksgiving is super easy because all of my in-laws are Canadian, so they had Thanksgiving in October. DH calls ours Fakesgiving.
So we'll be at my grandmothers' again this year. She's 93, and still insists on hosting, although this is the first year she's given into the fact that she can't make the entire meal for 20ish people. So I'm making pies (apple, pumpkin, pecan, shoo fly), my parents are making the turkey/stuffing because they live about 100 yds from my grandmom's, and pretty much everyone's bringing one thing or other.
Thanks
JessieLynne - I'm lucky to be drama free as well. No in-laws here either to deal with.
From the time DH and I met, he has spent every holiday with my family and couldn't be happier.
Menu is the usual favorites of the day, turkey stuffing, mashed taters, brussel sprouts, some other veg, cranberry, etc...
Erbur! Sorry to hear you are bummed!
I've mentioned it before but both Mr.D's and my parents are divorced and remarried and the holidays are always so hard because everyone wants us to come to their house. We try and juggle both Thanksgiving and Christmas but it definitely gets frustrating sometimes because people get offended/upset if we don't come or leave early to go somewhere else. I've been tempted to just stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet!! Hopefully everyone will be mature and respect your choices and you get to enjoy the holidays, wherever you go.
#1 12.11.11
#2 10.23.13 EDD
Our family is relatively drama free. Usually we just go to my MILs, but H's aunt is hosting this year. Since my mom is also hosting at her house, which is about 20 minutes from H's aunt, we'll do both and gain 2009389409 lbs.
The only drama that may happen is with another one of H's aunts. She hasn't shown up to any family function in a year (and this family gets together a lot), and no one knows why she's pisst off.
We are going to H's cousin's house this year. My family is bummed because it is DD's first Thanksgiving, but we will be with them on Christmas Eve and Christmas day this year. We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas day and have done so since we got married. It's so much easier now that we aren't driving all over creation. I hated spending most of the day in the car.
SJU - sorry to hear about your dad. You seem like you are approaching it with a great attitude. Good luck.
Erbur - that is a bummer. Hugs.
Sju - sorry to hear about your dad. And erbur - sorry to hear about your parents.
This year the ILs are going to my BILs house which is right down the street. We are having my immediate family over to eat and then we will all walk down to BILs for dessert. Easy enough. My sister is coming over early to make the bird. I'll make the potatoes and my mom and other sister will probably handle the rest.
My little nuggets
Yep- this is us too. We have Tgiving with my side and Christmas at the ILs. With Sandy and some family drama we are down to about 10 people but my aunt and uncle ordered a turkey for the 20 people we usually have...... ummmm leftovers?
DH told his parents we wouldn't see them until Friday and I almost fainted. It is waaaay too much with DS and I am so happy that it wasn't a battle to at least "stop by" and see people on Thursday. I am hoping we can do the same for Christmas. I really want to be able to enjoy it.
I really miss being back home where I'd go to my mom's. Well, this year, I am hosting again. My IL's will be here and some friends from the football office who don't have family coming in or can't make it home in a day.