Where are you spending Thanksgiving??

[vjm1639]

I always do the Thanksgiving feast at my house.  My family all are 6 - 8 hours away and rarely get to make the trip, but DH's family is only about an hour and a half away so they always come down.  There are usually around 10 of us. I love to cook so I really enjoy putting it all together. It's a little stressful but it's also a lot of fun.  
 
The main meal consists of Turkey, Ham, Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Broccoli/Corn casserole, Peas, Cranberry Sauce, Fruit Salad, Rolls, with Banana Pudding, Pumpkin Cheese Cake, and Pumpkin Pie for dessert.  
 
The nicest part of having it at my own house, is once dinner is over, I don't have to get up to drive anywhere...I can flop and stay there until I feel comfortable enough to move again!  

[topcat7736]

We, and the rest of our family, will be at my middle sisters house for the day. All those kids and noise on a day off......... :rolleyes:

[B-flat]

campingboaters, I know exactly what you are talking about, but let your two brothers be.....as my grandfather used to say when certain ones could not come for family gatherings:  "That just leaves more for the rest of us."  Well, he came through the days of rationing, the drpression and putting food on the table during hard times.  So he would know.  Grandpa died in 1983 at age 83.  I enjoyed his wit and wisdom.  One of his sayings was also "If I were doing any better, it would cost me too much.....or it would be too expensive."  So just enjoy being with your parents and really, really enjoy yourself.  Don't even worry about the brothers.  Don't even bother to try to rub it in with them that they should be there.  Apparently everyone tried and it didn't work, so just stop and let them be.  One day they will wish they had those memories with the parents.  You will have your memories.  I encourage you to enjoy yourself immensely and be happy with where you are and what you are doing.  Your mother could always tell the brothers that "I will be doing something different this year, since you cannot come on Thursday."  It is the brothers who seem to be controlling everything and making the holidays stressful.  She could just put the bird in the freezer and save till Christmas.
 
We had ours on Tuesday at Noon because everyone was going other places on Thursday.  That worked fine for me.  I am flexible and will just enjoy Thursday with my significant other.
 
I used to get bent out of shape on every holiday because nothing could get decided or agreed upon.  I opted to have everything on Dec 24 so the rest could enjoy their Dec 25.  If some can't make it, I don't lose sleep over it....I still enjoy doing what I want to do.

[birol]

Campingboaters,

Do what B-Flat said .... Just ignore the slightly self centered, probably too important to be bothered by their parents wishes part of your family. GO have a great day with your parents. Let everyone else be  ..... You will have the memories and the satisfaction that you were where you were supposed to be.

[campingboaters]

B-Flat & Birol,

I hear what you all are saying and I am going to have a nice holiday despite my selfish brothers -- if it kills me!    This whole mess is really not about them being there or not, it's about the games they are playing with my mom and I which made us cancel with my one brother and then have to ask to come for dinner again... And you are right, I will have my memories with my parents and they will be left with regrets.  It'll serve them right!
 
Now, let's eat some TURKEY and PIE!  :J

[forestwalker]

It's coastal camping near Santa Cruz for us.

[vjm1639]

I'll be cooking the huge meal at home with a little help from DH.  My son is home from college, the two girls and their families are coming and my mother in law is coming.  I'll get up EARLY and get the big bird stuffed and in the oven, put the ham in to cook a little later, hopefully, most of the sides should be done tonight and will just have to be heated through.  The kids will all start coming around noon;, then we'll stuff ourselves silly with appetizers, the meal, and dessert, enjoy everyone being together, then DH and I will flop on the couch after everyone goes home!  :>

[NightOwl]

this will be an entirely new experience for us--no kids.  so we are going to have a very different Thanksgiving Day this year.  First of all, neither of us is nuts about turkey so, by special  request from Billy, our main dish will be SLTrawick's Philadelphia Cream Cheese Chicken over broad noodles.  There WILL BE  PIE, though.  (apple and pumpkin custard)  And we are going to pack it all up and take it to a place we have in the mountains and have a picnic lunch beside a pretty little spring..  :p

And, like the rest of you, we will be giving thanks for our many blessings.

[B-flat]

That sounds great NightOwl.  We did our Thanksgiving yesterday with my children and BF's DD, so Thursday it will just be the two of us.  I have no real plans but now that you mentioned the cream cheese chicken and broad noodles I may have to get out the crock pot.

[Dayton Dave]

We will be on the road, and not camping.  

My parents live in Lawton, OK.  My Mom has just moved into an assisted living place and we will be going to bring back all the stuff that she does not need anymore.  This includes the handicapped conversion van that my Dad does not need anymore.  I have no idea where we will put everything.  It seems that my sister had gotten what she wanted and packed the rest of everything else for me to deal with.  My house is so crowded as it is, so more junk is not what I need.

We will drop off the girls (wife's nieces) at their mothers, in Springfield, MO. for a visit and the rest of us will then head for Lawton.

This will be the first long trip in our new Suburban, so it will be interesting to see how everyone gets along in cramped spaces.  Some of you might remember that we sold our conversion van to get the 'burb.

Now I get another conversion van with a wheelchair lift installed.  So, if anyone knows of someone who need this type of vehicle, let me know.

Maybe Christmas will be quite and peaceful this year.....