Do you have a big family get-together, or a small gathering? Are you usually the one doing all the cooking or do you split the duties amongst whomever's there? Do you eat at noon or later in the day? Is football a big part of the festivities in your family? Do you watch the parade(s)? :thanksgiving: :D

My husband's family rotates this holiday and this year it's our turn to host about 20 people.
The hosts usually provide the beverages and main meal fixings.
The guests usually bring desserts/ and or appetizers.
None of us like football, thank goodness, so we just enjoy good food and conversation. We usually eat around 3. When my kids were little we would watch the parade, but no longer. Although I want to tune in this year to see Elliott
at the Philly parade ( sure hope NY cuts over to Kelly Ripa & this parade).


I LOVE the holidays and Thanksgiving gets me in the mood for Christmas, my favorite of all. The thing I like least is cleaning the house. UGH!

I should be cleaning right now. I'll be baking my famous pumpkin bread pretty soon. Yummy!

Well I am thinking if I keep bugging my kids I will get my way and go to Philly to see Elliott at the parade... If not I will be here cooking my butt off while the kids sit around asking is dinner ready yet.
My family lives all scattered around so I don't spend any holidays with them. Maybe a blessing in disguise, Can you say Dysfunctional ? lol
So if I don't get to Philly we will be here watching the parade.

I can't even imagine 20 people! :blink: We may have 7 or 8, depending on what's going on. I can take or leave football, but I think that my Mom's favorite team is playing Thanksgiving night. She doesn't care who does or doesn't watch with her, so long as they leave her alone to yell at the top of her lungs in peace! :rotfl: I'm sure I'll use that as an excuse to get some quality time in on the E-Train, like I wouldn't find a way to do that anyway! :P :D I'm not much of a cook, so I have no problem volunteering to do all of the clean-up afterwards! Trust me, NOBODY wants to eat anything that *I'VE* attempted to cook, but I still feel bad happily eating what other people have prepared, so I don't mind cleaning up at all! We usually eat anywhere between noon and 1:00, sometimes later. I love the holidays too, but I always go into withdrawal having my soap opera constantly pre-empted for holiday programming! :( But I always manage to "get over it" and enjoy the holidays! :rocker:

ETA: Isn't the Parade in New York the only one that's nationally televised? I'm not so sure that I'll get to see Elliott in the Philly parade where I live. :( :glomp:

OK so your coming to my house what time? lol I'll feed ya just as long as you clean up! WOOHOO ... :rotfl:
I believe from what I have heard { again just hearsay} that CBS I believe covers all the MAIN parades. so there may be a chance of seeing Elliott.
You live in Philly? Your not going to the parade? What if I go can I drag you with me?
Your mom likes Football. that's really cool. sounds like she has a great time by herself.
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Oh, I live in the Great Midwest! :rolleyes: :D I'm nowhere near Philly, that's why I was wondering about which Parades were being nationally televised and which ones weren't? I hope I didn't type something in a confusing way, I have a tendency to do that! :no: I just meant that people who live on the East Coast, even though they may not live in Philly, might get a chance to see that particular Parade on their local channels, while people in the Midwest and farther West probably aren't likely to see the Philly parade. I admit that I don't always pay attention when I watch the Parades, so I don't really know which one I'm watching, and if there are different ones on different channels, or if it is the exact same Parade being broadcast on all of the channels! So, I would LOVE to go with you, but you would be travelling quite a bit out of your way to pick me up! :rotfl: I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, too! :thanksgiving: :D

TYE,
20 people is a SMALL gathering in our family. I am thankful for them because it's only me and my sis on my side of the family. Italian-Americans
are known for lots & lots of food at the table. G-d forbid anyone should leave hungry.
I absolutely love it when someone enjoys what I've prepared.
To us food equates with love. (not a good thing with all the obesity of today).
Years ago we would have like five- course meals every holiday.
We'd have soup, and lasagna, and then the turkey and fixings.
Now we take it easy. Just appetizers & turkey-- no pasta or soup,
thank goodness, or I would be cooking for ever.

D,
Take a trip up to LI-- I'd be happy to feed ya! :)

I'm EXTREMELY introverted and shy, and I get claustrophobia just THINKING about that many people together in one small space! The smaller gatherings DEFINITELY work better for me! Of course, I imagine the type of gathering you describe is PERFECT for the outgoing, talkative, extraverted types! Everybody's different, thankfully! Have a GREAT Thanksgiving! :thanksgiving: :D

well, for most of my married years, i hosted the holiday, mostly because i love doing it. We usually had anywhere between 15 and 20 people. Turkey and all the trimmings!
My daughter got married a year ago, and she now has "hunked" the day from me,last year was her first t'giving so i stayed over her place the night before to help her get ready for the 25 people she hosted.it turned out wonderful, the 2 families melded together for the first time since the wedding. It was really quite pleasant. her in-laws are Jewish, and we are Catholic, so she figures it s the only non- denominational holiday, she can have both families together.
I thought I would miss all the hoopla at my house, but you know what?? It was great turning over the baster to the next generation!. This year, she wants to prepare everything all by herself, so I just have to bring the turnips!
Football? I love it!And I always somehow make my way to the television, while everyone else is cleaning up!!
:thanksgiving: :etrain: :allaboard: :etrain: :allaboard:

Oh, I live in the Great Midwest! :rolleyes: :D I'm nowhere near Philly, that's why I was wondering about which Parades were being nationally televised and which ones weren't? I hope I didn't type something in a confusing way, I have a tendency to do that! :no: I just meant that people who live on the East Coast, even though they may not live in Philly, might get a chance to see that particular Parade on their local channels, while people in the Midwest and farther West probably aren't likely to see the Philly parade. I admit that I don't always pay attention when I watch the Parades, so I don't really know which one I'm watching, and if there are different ones on different channels, or if it is the exact same Parade being broadcast on all of the channels! So, I would LOVE to go with you, but you would be travelling quite a bit out of your way to pick me up! :rotfl: I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, too! :thanksgiving: :D[/QUOTE]
Nope you didn't state anything wrong I read it wrong. That's what I get for breezing thru. Sorry. A bad habit of mine.!
I do think that the parade is shown nationally, again I think it's on CBS where they show parts of each parade, not 100 % sure.
If I go I will defiantly take the video camera so everyone can see E!
Nothing wrong with the Mid west would love to live there myself. I'd give anything to see a Mountain again. Sure I'll pick you up so it's a little out of my way !
:rotfl:

:thanksgiving:

C
lol sure on my way! :rotfl:
AHHHHHHHHH yes the Italian meals sigh miss them good ole days! My best friend in NY was Italian I will never forget going to her house and sat down to eat with them for the first time. There was Sausage and meatballs, salad and bread, Pasta { Homemade} ate till I burst THEN they said ok who's ready for the main meal? LASAGNA! I could NOT believe my ears nor my belly! and if I refused the lasagna I was insulting Grandma! YIKES don't do that! So I ate till I did burst!!
The good ole days. sigh.
Ok see now C I KNOW I can pick you up and take you to Philly with me, just tell your family that you'll be back late for dinner! ROAD TRIP! :rotfl:
Enjoy your family sounds like a beautiful Thanksgiving.

Italian-American Thanksgivings sound Yummy! :drool: :thanksgiving:

:woohoo: I love thanksgiving! I was born on Turkey day... so maybe that has something to do with it. Now, when my birthday does fall on the day it's pretty cool.. i used to hate it.. stole my thunder.. but now its cool cuz I get to see everyone!! This year my birthday BLACK FRIDAY. (nov. 24th) which is my least favorite day to have my birthday because it SUCKS to try to go eat dinner anywhere since everyone on the planet is out being crazy tired nasty shoppers. God bless EVERYONE who works in retail. I did it once.. damn near killed me.

Anyways, Thanksgiving Lately has been a lot of running here and there to make my moms side, dads side (ah divorce) and my fiances family happy. Lucky for us.. we love to do this :grouphug: We go to my moms family around 1 and have an early lunch/dinner thing.. then we run down the road to my fathers family and have some pie.. then we go to my fiances CRAZY Italian family (holy food!) and are FORCED to eat yet again :P luckily for us everyone always has such great tasting food.. but the nap after all that stuffing face is pretty severe!
I hate football.. so I dont pay much attention... and the guys are "watching' (aka sleeping) through it... we are hockey people.. what can I say?


anyways :thanksgiving: E-train!

WE ALWAYS GO TO MY SISTER-IN-LAW'S HOUSE IN VA. USUALLY AROUND 12-14 PEOPLE. VERY NICE GATHERING. I USUALLY MAKE THE MASHED POTATOES, SALAD OR WHATEVER AND HELP WITH CLEANUP.
FOOTBALL IS ALWAYS ON THE TUBE, THAT'S A GIVEN! :thanksgiving:

OUR NEPHEW'S BIRTHDAY IS ALWAYS AROUND THANKSGIVING.(THE 25TH). SO, WE ALWAYS CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY EITHER ON THANKSGIVING OR A DAY OR TWO AFTER. GOOD GRIEF, HE'S TURNING 22 THIS YEAR. I FEEL OLD!!

Okay, call me bored, but I found this website: http://www.celebrate-thanksgiving.com/ . It has Thanksgiving recipes and menus and how to entertain your family! Oh, I just found the section on Dealing With Holiday Stress. I haven't looked at everything, but what I have seen so far is pretty interesting. :rocker: :thanksgiving:

Now we know (as of the latest news from Brandon) we'll all be tuning in to the Disney ABC special with our own special guest, Elliott Yamin!! No need travelling now!! Unless, of course you get word of which Disney spot will be hosting, and you have the money to go there!! Good luck!! :woohoo:

Absolutely! Everybody's TV set around the world will be all tuned to the same thing! :woohoo: :rocker: :etrain:

I'm stuck going to Pittsburgh to visit with my future in-laws for Thanksgiving. I have no idea how my fiance suckered me into this. I'd much rather be with my own family. :(

I'm sorry about that. There is no way geographically that both families could get together? I understand about wanting to be with your own family. But, if you're going to get married, his family will be a new part of your family, too. :glomp:

I'm just being negative. Our families are too far apart, so we cannot manage going to see both. I have to get used to alternating between families for the holidays. I should be thankful that I have somewhere to go, a family to share the day with, and that I will have food on my plate. OK now I feel like an a$$ for even complaining in the first place.

I am looking forward to having some cranberry sauce, although I haven't met many people who actually like it. :)

I just wondered if maybe you didn't like your in-laws, but I wasn't too sure that that would be a very polite question to ask. :( :glomp: It's been known to happen, though. :grouphug: