What are your Thanksgiving traditions or routines?

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
For many years I did a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner, made numerous sides, roasted a turkey, set a tasteful table, and the end result looked like a Normal Rockwell painting. ;)

I've changed a lot in the last few years! It's a pot-luck now, and everyone who attends brings a dish. All my kids always come, their spouses or significant others, the grandkids, I have several "adopted" children (kids I've befriended over the years) who attend, and sometimes a close friend or two. I still make several of the sides that my kids love and associate with Thanksgiving, but I no longer take on the whole burden of cooking. My son in law smokes or deep fries a turkey and it's always amazing.

As my children like to tell people "Mom takes in strays at Thanksgiving" which is a good way of putting it. Any of their friends or mine who have nowhere to be at Thanksgiving just come and celebrate with us. The food is served buffet style because there just isn't enough table room or room-room for everyone to sit together.

We also don't eat on Thursday. Too many conflicts with other schedules..the spouses families' etc., and as I don't care WHEN we all get together, just THAT we do, I prefer to not fight the scheduling issues and just do it on either Friday or Saturday!

What about you? What are your routines or traditions?
 

After many years of hosting the Holidays at our house, our grown daughters/husbands have now taken over that tradition. The oldest daughter has Thanksgiving at their place, and the youngest has Christmas at theirs. My wife usually makes a couple of nice pies to take along for desert, and that works out well. The Only question...at Christmas...is if there will be a White Christmas....in which case, we take the 4WD truck, and leave early.
 

I stopped doing it for my small family a few years ago. Years and years ago, I did it for my in-laws and there were usually a dozen. I never made pies. My mother- in- law did that or later, I just bought a few.

My own mother never made that green bean casserole. When I finally did taste it somewhere I didn't like it, so no one at my table got to have that. They had to bring their own if they wanted it. No one ever did.

I used cut-up turkey the last two times. Drums, thighs, wings and the breast split in two, in a large, shallow pan The breasts went in somewhat later. It was great and much easier.

I have tasted deep fried turkey and it's delicious, but there's no gravy!
 
I grew up with a big family Thanksgiving and we continued it for many years with a table in the living room, dining room, kitchen and a few kids eating while glued to the television.

It eventually fizzled out about fifteen years ago and became a much smaller unstructured day for folks to go shopping, catch a movie or perhaps spend the day with friends.

These days I fix a mini feast for one.

As far as traditions go:

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RadishRose said:
I have tasted deep fried turkey and it's delicious, but there's no gravy!
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Why not? I mean sure, there are no pan drippings, but there are still giblets. I make the stock from that several days before. And then make the gravy day of, thickening the stock, seasoning, adding back some of the minced giblets and some of that delicious crispy skin with onions that I’ve run through the food processor to mash it up. The end result is gravy that my kids tell me I need to make a gallon of so they can slurp it up like soup, or make gravy bread with till Christmas! :lol:
 
Ronni said:
Why not? I mean sure, there are no pan drippings, but there are still giblets. I make the stock from that several days before. And then make the gravy day of, thickening the stock, seasoning, adding back some of the minced giblets and some of that delicious crispy skin with onions that I’ve run through the food processor to mash it up. The end result is gravy that my kids tell me I need to make a gallon of so they can slurp it up like soup, or make gravy bread with till Christmas! :lol:
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I'm just a pan drippings kinda gal, Ronnie. I love the intensity of those caramelized juices.

I do make stock from the neck to make the gravy with, while the liver is sauteed separately to be minced for the stuffing-unless my grandson runs off with it. I don't bother with the heart and kidneys.
 
RadishRose said:
I'm just a pan drippings kinda gal, Ronnie. I love the intensity of those caramelized juices.
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I completely agree! While it's definitely better with the pan drippings, making it anyway from scratch is STILL so much better than store bought!!!
 
I'm having Thanksgiving this year....Our family takes turns....It will be my daughter's family, my son's family and my daughters husband's Mom...She is a widow....We love her..
We have Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, veggies, (don't know what kind yet) daughter brings them....Sweet Potatoes, and Mashed Potatoes....Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate
Cream Pie, Pecan Pie, Apple Pie and whatever anyone wants to bring....We pray before the meal....And remember my Mom who was born on Thanksgiving...
And give thanks for all that we have and pray for my husband who went through Cancer this year....So far he is doing OK....We wait for the five year's when he will be
cleared....Thanks be to God....
Happy Thanksgiving....
 
My adult son and I will run over to Albertsons & pick up all the stuff in paper/cardboard/ aluminum foil; Turkey , ham slices,
smashed spuds, veggies, sauces etc. bring it home and have a feast, perhaps wash it all down with a couple cans/bottles
of Coors Lite.
 
We have my two cousins over for dinner. They are brothers, and their family is all down south, so they go down there for Christmas. I cook the regular turkey, with my moms stuffing. Sweet and white smashed taters, cranberries, pie and all that.

My brother told me something neat a few years back. My niece never met our mom, but he taught her how to make mom's dressing and she makes it every year. He told me it was almost as good as moms. I just think it is neat she carries on the tradition of her grandma she only knows through pictures.
 
Is it just my experience, or do people tend to favor the type of stuffing they grew up with? My family always had giblet stuffing and that's what I prefer. My wife's family always had oyster stuffing and that's her preference. A friend grew up with chestnut stuffing and won't eat any other kind. Is this common?
 
We'll just do what we have done ever since I've been here (nine years)...DD, DSIL, g'kids, me. All the usual fixings, most of them made by me. G'daughter makes an apple pie, and just somehow can't seem to get started until about an hour before dinner. Good thing there's a full kitchen in The Hovel. LOL

On Black Friday, we don't go out to brave the crowds because...why would we? We spend the day picking at leftovers, then make a whole meal of them for supper.

Anybody have drama going on? You know, the relatives who get all bent because they want to/don't want to have dinner at their place/dinner at your place/dinner with another relative and expect everybody else to go along? The "guests" who only just discovered that they're allergic to everything you're serving and want a whole different menu but don't cook so expect you to provide it? The relatives who haven't spoken to each other for years but can't seem to remember why?

On another forum, there are stories that would curl your hair. A couple of the posters gave up long ago and take cruises for Thanksgiving AND Christmas.
*One has told their son's new(est) GF that if she wants gluten-free and vegan, she's welcome to contribute those dishes.
*Another one who insists she can't be anywhere in the vicinity of any kind of nuts.
*How about the MIL who's always picked up by her g'son on his way from college (she lives two hours away from the poster g'son goes to school four hours away). He just bought a car and is excited to show his grandmother. His GF will be with him. MIL refuses to go because g'son and his GF will be sharing a room.
*Oy!
The demands are endless. ​

Gosh. Growing up my family was positively boring according to the stories I've read about others' holidays.
 
Sounds like you work hard for your guests Georgia.

I like to remember Thanksgiving is about giving thanks... also while sharing a table. It doen't necessarily mean being with family and friends. It's about giving thanks... a prayer.

If invited guests have all these allergies and food rules these days, that's fine. We just need to change any giving of thanks dinners to BYOSF... Bring Your Own Special Foods. It will be so much nicer.
 
No, no! Not me, Rose. Those were all episodes posted on another forum about drama at their holiday celebrations! We're "normal" at our house. Or maybe not, if what's "normal" is the antics in other families!
 
I always had Thanksgiving but now that my daughter is married we switch off. Over the years I have really simplified my way of making the dinner. Having two big freezers help. If I go to my daughters I bring some side dishes.
 
This year going to the County Club for T-Day dinner with my SO. Last year went to my son's in Colorado. 2 years ago had a frozen dinner at home (on the Big Island) by myself.

And now I'm sitting here racking my brain to remember what we did 3 years ago - it was my late wife's last T-Day, but I just have no idea what we did. All i can do now is to ask for her forgiveness for my faulty memory.
 
Ronni said:
What about you? What are your routines or traditions?
Click to expand...

Choking on jokes with a shard of half chewn turkey leg sucked into my esophagus

Smearing whipped cream on my beard while gobbling punkin pie

Waddling outside with the guys and cigars

Joining the annual belching contest

Playing fartball (football while farting)

Falling in a heap, on the bed, any bed, or couch

Waking, venturing into the dining room to fill any possible space left in my intestines

Hiding, in the bathroom, hoping those people (relatives) would freaking leave, already



Being thankful



When they do
 
I haven't really celebrated the holidays since my son was in the Army,now he lives in Texas and attending a business college in a medical billing class. We do talk on the phone now and then and keep in touch by Facebook.
 
I always enjoy watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. I keep waiting for one of those big balloons to escape. My family has always had celery stuffed with pineapple cream cheese. There is never any of that left over. I'm not a fan of turkey but I fill up easily on all the side dishes: stuffing, the celery, candied yams and of course lots and lots of mashed potatoes with gravy.
 
My MIL hosted TG for years. When she was ready to hand it off our daughter requested the holiday which worked for me. Turkey has never been a favorite of mine and five years ago DH and I stopped eating meat anyway. We host at least four big parties during the period from TG-Christmas, plus Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. One of our sons hosts Easter.

We all bring something to TG. Like dkay, I find there are more than enough side dishes to fill me up on TG.
 
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