Vitauta-- I hope you and your mom enjoy the celebration of the holiday together. In fact, because it is a holiday, I hope you set the table with the "good dishes", a real tablecloth, not just place mats and wear your holiday Sunday-go-to meeting clothes. And a Apron when you are in the kitchen, which should be removed before sitting down at the table. I get lazy around home most days, so this is as much a self-reminder when I forget my own manners and ettiquette rules. I join other family members at their house, but I always bring along my best pair of slippers to wear, as we remove shoes and their floors are chilly. It works.
As far as vegetable side dishes, I recommend brussel sprouts. To me, these are a holiday food, because it's one I seldom make other times. And Delicata or dumpling squash, which are available (here, anyway) only in the fall. Fall Squash takes so little oven space and a piece of foil under them if you don't set them in a pan, in case they leak butter. I also think rutabaga is a treat when diced, cooked and mashed in with Mash potatoes.
An easy way to make brussels sprouts is to take a frozen package, use however many you want, cook until crisp-tender, allow to cool to handling stage, cut the larger ones in half and pour pre-made caesar or italian salad dressing over and let them macerate for serveral days ahead. Instant pickles. Add additonal herbs or a garlic clove or dried chili pepper to the marinade. Well, I like pickles. Watermelon pickles, beet pickles, spiced crab apples. Any one or several makes a holiday table seem more special.
One of the fun things to do on thanksgiving is to run around the block while dinner cooks. When you come back in the kitchen, take a deep breath and just smell how delicious everything is. I can hardly wait.
Fred