Thanksgiving 2024, what are you doing??

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We'll have a housefull. A week from Saturday starts with some old friends from New Mexico...staying not for Thanksgiving, but on their way to family in Texas. They'll be here Saturday thru Tuesday. Youngest daughter flies in Monday before Thanksgiving and stays till Friday. Child number 4 comes in Tuesday thru Saturday with a new boyfriend. Middle child, our son, only travels by train. We leave a truck at the train station for him when we know he's coming in. Comes in at 2:30, no one likes to go and wait at that time. So guest rooms will be full. Cousin Bob and Cousin Wanda will come locally for supper, because they're on their own, and they always come for holidays. So people, food, visiting. Last Thanksgiving we were pretty snowed in awhile.
 
daughter and granddaughter are supposed to be coming. Her husband is still on the ship somewhere but supposed to finally come back in December
No other relatives within reasonable driving distance, husband has a sister with family in Florida, my brother and family are in France and dad in Germany ( besides they don't celebrate Thanksgiving anyway of course)
 
Several years ago we decided as a family that nobody wanted to cook or entertain anymore. We have gone to restaurants where we can have a large group; everybody can get what they want; and everybody can pay their own bill. Not a very cozy, huggy, family gathering, but it works for us. The plan is to meet for dinner the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to beat the rush.

Thanksgiving day I will go out an get breakfast, and my wife and I will watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. That has become somewhat of a tradition.
 
Just my wife and myself.
No big ornate deal.
Some years she bakes a turkey, some years we have turkey TV dinners.

My kids live three states away, her kids hundreds of miles away.
There hasn’t been a big get together in over 20 years.
And I know it hurts her…….
 
Still haven’t made any plans and none of the kids have asked.
Since everyone else’s food makes me sick (I’m not kidding), I think I’ll stay home and fix it the way I like it, like usual.
I don’t go out shopping on black Friday.
A friend suggested I travel but I don’t know where I’d go, too many other travelers. Safer to stay put and work on stuff at home.
Might go to one of the state parks over my days off but I’m sure it would be crowded too.
🦃🦃🦃🦃 If all the kids and their families came there’d be 17 of us.
 
Several years ago we decided as a family that nobody wanted to cook or entertain anymore. We have gone to restaurants where we can have a large group; everybody can get what they want; and everybody can pay their own bill. Not a very cozy, huggy, family gathering, but it works for us. The plan is to meet for dinner the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to beat the rush.

Thanksgiving day I will go out an get breakfast, and my wife and I will watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. That has become somewhat of a tradition.
When it's just me my mom n brother..we go out too..one year it was east Indian food, another Chinese..
We used to do a big dinner when we were younger n have too much in leftovers..
Were all just into keeping holidays simple anymore.
My friends husband likes to cook and is a good cook. So, this year it's supposed to be a few folks..all neighbors who happen to be apart of the community group I belong too. I might go for a bit..I'd be ok staying home with the pups by the wood stove too.
 
It should be DH and I and one friend of his and my friend. I will cook traditional, more or less. Turkey breast, cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, rolls, green bean casserole, a pie or two. Already bought the turkey breast and rolls and put in freezer. Most of the rest I will be cooking. Maybe make up ahead and freeze.
 
I will make a turkey with the fixins'. It's really not that hard to do and I love to have the leftovers and make hot turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup with it. Will have the kids over too. Thankfully everyone lives close so there won't be much for travels. I need to get my list going on foods to get, which won't be a whole lot b/c I already have most of it. I'll also get my 'to go' containers ready so that the kids can take some leftovers too. I'm just not sure which dessert I'm going to make yet.

After dinner, we'll probably play cards, drink beer/cocktails, and kids' GF will be parked in front of the TV watching football.

I like that it gives me motivation to deep clean the house. The kids are not good housekeepers so they probably won't notice it, but I'll feel better about it. The carpets need a good shampoo'ing and the top cabinets need a good dusting. The frig could also use a good wiping down. I'll spend more time cleaning than I will cooking.
 
My daughter and her family are planning on coming down. My son is working out of state so he won't make it. The wife's brother will come up, if he gets his truck running by then.
We picked up a couple large packages of boneless beef ribs. I'll smoke them for a few hours then finish it off on the grill.
The grandson wants to come down early to go trapping with grandpa. He's excited about trapping some ermine.
 
I will make a turkey with the fixins'. It's really not that hard to do and I love to have the leftovers and make hot turkey sandwiches and turkey noodle soup with it. Will have the kids over too. Thankfully everyone lives close so there won't be much for travels. I need to get my list going on foods to get, which won't be a whole lot b/c I already have most of it. I'll also get my 'to go' containers ready so that the kids can take some leftovers too. I'm just not sure which dessert I'm going to make yet.

After dinner, we'll probably play cards, drink beer/cocktails, and kids' GF will be parked in front of the TV watching football.

I like that it gives me motivation to deep clean the house. The kids are not good housekeepers so they probably won't notice it, but I'll feel better about it. The carpets need a good shampoo'ing and the top cabinets need a good dusting. The frig could also use a good wiping down. I'll spend more time cleaning than I will cooking.
Nothing like leftovers, and turkey soup, turkey salad, and turkey sandwiches!!
 
It's just the two of us this year. We told the kids to spend time with the DIL's grandparents who are in their mid-90's and don't have very many holidays left. We see the kids all the time, anyway.

There will be turkey with all the regular fixin's, of course.
 
We were going to do Chicken, but the son got involved and now they are targeting Duck.. I don't know what all the sides are yet but you can bet on two type of sweet potatoes (candied and plane baked), most likely green beans, stuffing, and I'm sure that the menu will grow as they still have weeks to plan for it.

As usual, I expect that the wife will discover a must have item on the day before Thanks Giving, I think she just loves sending me to the grocery while the places are in total uproar....
 
We are splitting the dinner across two days. Neighbor SIL The Princess and myself on Thanksgiving. The kids will be here the Sunday following so they don't have to do two dinners the same day.

Smoked Turkey breast and chestnut dressing and Air Force stuffing along with everything else The Princess can think of.

Ben
 
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