What Do You Think of Thanksgiving?

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What Do You Think of Thanksgiving?

  • Where I go... the food isnt great, but I love the people!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • People come to MY house. I cook and they better like it! :)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    31
  • Poll closed .
I LOVE Thanksgiving! It was better when my mom was alive and we had my Aunt Janet, Uncle Ted, my cousins Dan, Duane, and Sandy, and my Uncle Glen over, but I still love it. Even though it is just James and me, we do the works. I cook the full meal just as if we were going to have guests, then we have a lot of left-overs. Of course I always start the day with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I'm getting hungry for it already! I could live on dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy!

:) Barbara
 
I love Thanksgiving. Its just all the obligations and dinner I have to attend that makes it a little confusing. I prep food for different family functions and really love trying out new recipes on my family before I try using them in the restaurant. All that aside we do need to look at the many blessings that we have. Remember to do what you can to support your local second harvest organizations.
Mark
 
Okay, I am one that thinks every day is something to give thanks for; not just any one day out of the year. If I have had a crummy day, I always find something worthwhile; even if it just something silly like birdsong or some of my animals being funny. Growing up, we always had a big to-do with all family members; now with so many living farther apart, it is hard for everyone to get together. But we all call each other and try to make the others drool over what each of us may be cooking. It is all a state of mind, I guess.
 
Polly,

I agree that every day is a day to be thankful for. But I'm sure not going to cook a full turkey dinner every day! :LOL:

:) Barbara
 
:ROFLMAO: Me neither!! In fact our favorite time to have a turkey dinner is some non-descript day and then the neighbors get jealous!!! :LOL:
 
When I was a child, Thanksgiving was very stressful because I grew up in a very dysfunctional home at the hands of a very controlling mother. My siblings and I lived under what could best be described as martial law and everything, everything, had to be done perfectly. We came to dread major holidays.:( There was always something my mother would find wrong with the day and, as a result, we could expect the day to end with a screaming tirade.

When I left home and established my own home, things were different. I vowed NOT to subject my family to the conditions I lived under. Our Thanksgiving days were more like celebrations that were filled with lots of laughing and lots of food. I still remember the hours we would sit at the dinner table talking and laughing. Many a time, we would laugh until tears ran down our faces.:ROFLMAO: Those memories have diluted my childhood ones.

Now that it's just Buck and me, we still prepare the "big" meal and set the table with the good china, glassware and silver. And we still sit at the table and talk and laugh together. The last 30 years of very happy, thankful Thanksgivings have been wonderful and I hope I have at least 30 more.:)
 
When I was a little girl, Thanksgivings were wonderful! My grandmother's house was full of wonderful aromas, love and laughter.
As I grew older, people started passing, and the house got awfully empty. My mother and father-in-law both died right before Thanksgiving, which made it rather depressing.
Then, the grandbabies started coming along, and our home became "grandma's house".
The wheel keeps on turnin'.
 
I LOVE it because of answer #2 - it's a time for family and friends with NO other reason for getting together except food and friendship.

Constance - I wrote this several years ago but I think you could have written it word for word!!!
 
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we don`t really have such a thing here in the UK, but non the less we celebrate it in this household in our own quiet way, usualy using the canadian date for it.
basicly we pick the best of all the things I`ve grown during the year and make a good meal out of it, a bit like Harvest festival combined :)

I think it`s a Fantasic idea, and anything that can bring friends and family closer can`t be a bad thing can it :)
 
Even though it is not in my custom, I think it is one way to bring the American family closer besides having the opportunity to eat turkey once a year. It is like the traditional Chinese Reunion Dinner held on the eve of Chinese New Year.
 
I will be at my son Johns home along with my other son Kevin. It will be so different without Paul this year. It will also be our 52 nd. Wedding Anniversary.
 
Dove, I feel for you and the first celebration without Paul. I remember the first Thanksgiving without my dad. We decided to have it at the farm instead of at my mom's because none of us could stand the thoughts of being at her house celebrating a holiday without him. He was always the most generous of people and enjoyed every celebration. We won't be at the farm for Thanksgiving, but will celebrate here with our dd, sil, gd, gs and go to the farm the day after to prepare for my mom's 89th birthday party. She is very excited.
 
Dove said:
I will be at my son Johns home along with my other son Kevin. It will be so different without Paul this year. It will also be our 52 nd. Wedding Anniversary.

God love you Marge. I will be thinking of you. I will say a special prayer for you on Thanksgiving day. Please stay strong, Paul would want you too.
 
I have two Thanksgiving stories.


The first takes place around 1976. My mom hates to cook and she kept seeing these ads on television for "Let Kroger Cook It For You!" So she caved, called up and ordered a turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, a pumpkin pie. We went to pick it up. My brother helped us put in in the trunk of the car but he said, "Hmmm, this feels awfully cold."

Turned out everything was frozen solid. The turkey was not only frozen, it was not cooked. The mashed potatoes were in a bucket, cooked but frozen. Ditto the dressing and ditto the pumpkin pie. Um, HELLO? The ads led everyone to believe the meal would be hot, cooked and ready to go. Apparently they just stuck it in a box. We had steak and baked potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner that year.

Meanwhile back at the ranch... it was around 1988 and my brother and I were roommates. My brother decided it would be a good idea to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey. Happened to be the coldest November in Memphis on record. My brother had decided to go out the night before and have a little bit to drink. He came home around 3AM. Dragged himself out of bed around 6AM to put the bird on the smoker. Heh. It was sooooooo cold outside he couldn't keep the smoker going. By the time the bird was done, lets just say it's a good thing we weren't expecting company! And after all that, the turkey didn't taste very good. :-p


Fraidy
 
Barbara L said:
I LOVE Thanksgiving! ............ I could live on dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy!

:) Barbara

Me, too. I really don't care all that much for turkey. But give me a plateful of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. That is just the closet thing to Heaven!! Pumpkin pie is not a favorite either. But this year I have to save room for dessert because I am ordering a chocolate cream pie from the local bakery. Mom and I are making the other desserts from scratch, but I could not resist that chocolate pie.

What I really like is the leftovers. For some reason everything tastes better the next day. Turkey sandwiches for lunch are the best.
 
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Thanksgiving used to be a huge event for my family. I live 7 hours away from my family and used to travel there every year. Since my parents have both passed within the past four years, things have changed.

This year it will be just the two of us (like Barbara and James), but we also make the full big meal, and I faithfully watch the Macy's Parade! My extended family and I always call each other to tell what we ate, how the day was, etc. My husband is British, and his family really doesnt do anything for Thanksgiving, but we always talk to them on Christmas!
 
Dove,I know this day will not be easy for you or your family - I will be thinking of you.

Thanksgiving is always a celebration in my family. I usually have this holiday (I ususally have all holidays, come to think of it) - but this year we are going to my sister's house! Yahooo, I get to bring the vegetable casserole and be done! I actually enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner - to me, it is once of the easiest to prepare. My family tends to be very particular about the traditional food - mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, turkey, cranberry sauce, vegetable casserole, bread, pumpkin pie, that is it! I have often tried "new things" - daddy likes everything I make, maybe my DH and brother in law might like it, but that is it.
 
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