I hate Thanksgiving...

[higgs2]

I admit it. I can't stand the holiday. Ever since my mom died, I have not liked it. THe pressure, the cooking, getting sooooo full. Usually having dinner with more secular people whom I love but really don't consider "thankful" to mean what I do. The generalizing of the meaning of the word in the schools. "They gave thanks for their blessings." Thanks to whom? Blessings from where?

I'd love to go somewhere and stay in a b&b or a spa and miss TG completely. but my family would miss me. :(

It feels like a contrived holiday to me. I am still battered and bruised by the mega celebrations of the high holy day of Halloween. Now, I have nothing against Halloween, get a cookie and dress up at school, go trick or treating at dusk.

But here is is a grueling all day even. Kindy party in the morning. Psycho room moms competing for the best 4th grade home room party. School parade of costumes. Candy bags. And THEN!!!!

Go downtown because all the merchants are giving out candy. THen try to stuff some food in them before they trick or treat around the neighborhood.

And now, we have a holiday where we are greatful for a billion football games being played, and eat turkey until we go into a coma.

My God, I can't wait for Advent. A time to get ready for the incarnation.

Not a Christmas decoration will go up, except I suppose the tree, until Christmas eave. We will set up the creche and help Joseph and Mary on their trip around the house, ending up at the stable. We will light a new purple candle in our Advent wreath each week.

And I will NOT buy any women's magazines for December or January, thus not getting Christmas ideas or new year's organizer planning charts.

I think I'll pray the daily office through Advent. :crossrc: Christmas can just wait for its time.

[Rhamiel]

yea the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas megalapolis of the year

[SumTinWong]

My advice . . . Don't cook. Who says you gotta celebrate the way you used to? Give it up for at least one year and see if you feel better about it.

[stumpjumper]

Tell us how you really feel Higgs :p

Seriously, I think you make some good points about this time of year in general. However, I don't think Thanksgiving has to be that way.

For us, we're hosting both sides of our family. We'll be having 25+ people in our house and I'll be doing the cooking. My wife's not much of a cook but she'll get the house clean. Anyway, sure half of the people coming aren't very religious and don't see Thanksgiving for it's religious implications.

Anyway, I think we have to take the bad with the good. Take Bud's advice and don't cook, too.

[BrBob]

This year we have a fiasco-in-the-making planned for the holiday. My wife's parents divorced 17 years ago and neither of them have managed to forgive the other. They're both in their 70's and remarried... but they won't forgive. Go figure. Her father married a woman who is 18 years younger and was still peaking out in her career so they lived in Pennsylvania for the last 14 years. She just retired though so they moved to Rapid City, SD, only 45 miles from us.

Since the Father-in-law and his wife have been gone for so long they want to host Thanksgiving. They sent out formal invitations and even invited his ex-wife! Well, we thought there would be no way in God's green earth that she would accept but her new husband talked her into it. Now, we have my mother-in-law, stepmother-in-law, father-in-law's sister, sister-in-law (social worker) and my wonderful wife (who is the oldest of her siblings and insists in being in charge - another story) all in the same little kitchen!

I think I'll buy a referee's shirt so I can fit in somewhere!

Now there's something to be thankful for...that you don't have to be in that house for the holiday!

Bob
Spearfish, SD

[~*Lady Trekki*~]

I admit it. I can't stand the holiday. Ever since my mom died, I have not liked it. THe pressure, the cooking, getting sooooo full. Usually having dinner with more secular people whom I love but really don't consider "thankful" to mean what I do. The generalizing of the meaning of the word in the schools. "They gave thanks for their blessings." Thanks to whom? Blessings from where?

I'd love to go somewhere and stay in a b&b or a spa and miss TG completely. but my family would miss me. :(

It feels like a contrived holiday to me. I am still battered and bruised by the mega celebrations of the high holy day of Halloween. Now, I have nothing against Halloween, get a cookie and dress up at school, go trick or treating at dusk.

But here is is a grueling all day even. Kindy party in the morning. Psycho room moms competing for the best 4th grade home room party. School parade of costumes. Candy bags. And THEN!!!!

Go downtown because all the merchants are giving out candy. THen try to stuff some food in them before they trick or treat around the neighborhood.

And now, we have a holiday where we are greatful for a billion football games being played, and eat turkey until we go into a coma.

My God, I can't wait for Advent. A time to get ready for the incarnation.

Not a Christmas decoration will go up, except I suppose the tree, until Christmas eave. We will set up the creche and help Joseph and Mary on their trip around the house, ending up at the stable. We will light a new purple candle in our Advent wreath each week.

And I will NOT buy any women's magazines for December or January, thus not getting Christmas ideas or new year's organizer planning charts.

I think I'll pray the daily office through Advent. :crossrc: Christmas can just wait for its time.

:hug: Go out to dinner instead. It will make Christmas dinner all the more special. We stopped doing the whole turkey dinner thing awhile back. It has been very nice not to have to worry about two huge dinners. And it makes Christmas time even better. :thumbsup:

[ladyt28]

I grew up in a small house and we never had enough room to be very 'traditional' as it seems you need a lot of stuff to pull all of that off. My favorite Thanksgiving while growing up was just mom, dad and myself eating ring balogna, crackers and cheese off of tv trays in the living room while watching tv. We talked and laughed and had a blast - I loved that year!

[Izdaari]

You can buy a pretty fair prefab thanksgiving dinner at local supermarkets if you wish. It's a little work to fix, but far less than if you did it from scratch. Or you can go out for dinner. No reason to make a big production of it if you don't want to.

[MrJim]

My advice . . . Don't cook. Who says you gotta celebrate the way you used to? Give it up for at least one year and see if you feel better about it.

Great idea~my dad is a chef and as kids he almost always did the big spread. But I remember a couple years where he was too tired/busy or something and we went to a nice restaurant in a larger town...and it was great and really memorable. I was probably 12 or so.

[Rhamiel]

since my uncle died 4 years ago we stoped doing things with my Mom's side of the family, my aunt now has thanksgiving at her place and it is pretty much just for her kids and their family, she invites us at the last minuet as a guester

[Melethiel]

Thanksgiving? You mean the "eat turkey and then spend the entire weekend finishing class projects and papers" day? :P

Never been big in my family...I really do use it mostly as time to finish projects and stuff.

[PaladinValer]

I have an idea.

Instead of having all but one or two people do everything, get everyone participate: divide people into "teams" that do certain things: cook dishes 1 and 2, cook dishes 3 and 4, set the table (perfect for the little ones) clean up, make coffee, etc.

Then, at grace time, have everyone say why they are grateful for X right to their right, including mentioning what they did to make the day special.

[higgs2]

This year we have a fiasco-in-the-making planned for the holiday. My wife's parents divorced 17 years ago and neither of them have managed to forgive the other. They're both in their 70's and remarried... but they won't forgive. Go figure. Her father married a woman who is 18 years younger and was still peaking out in her career so they lived in Pennsylvania for the last 14 years. She just retired though so they moved to Rapid City, SD, only 45 miles from us.

Since the Father-in-law and his wife have been gone for so long they want to host Thanksgiving. They sent out formal invitations and even invited his ex-wife! Well, we thought there would be no way in God's green earth that she would accept but her new husband talked her into it. Now, we have my mother-in-law, stepmother-in-law, father-in-law's sister, sister-in-law (social worker) and my wonderful wife (who is the oldest of her siblings and insists in being in charge - another story) all in the same little kitchen!

I think I'll buy a referee's shirt so I can fit in somewhere!

Now there's something to be thankful for...that you don't have to be in that house for the holiday!

Bob
Spearfish, SD

:doh: :swoon: Oh my. You will have to update us on it after it's over. :hug:

[longhair75]

I love to cook, and we have a thanksgiving style dinner with roast turkey and all of the trimmings every couple of months. Last Thanksgiving, I cooked New York strips on the grill with baked potato and salad.

I have much to be thankful for.

[higgs2]

Hey you all, thanks for the nice replies and advice to my rant! :)

[edb19]

I used to work with someone who had (I think) a perfect solution to the Thanksgiving who eats where and what stressors.

Being in NW Ohio (on the Michigan border) makes her solution very easy - but when her boys were growing up they'd pack a cooler and go up to Detroit for the Lion's game. Her boys are adults now and I don't know what they do for the holiday - but I know they loved their "tradition" at the time.

[Criada]

We don't have thanksgiving in Britain.

But Christmas started about two months ago :(

The best Christmas we ever had was four years ago when there was a power cut from 4am until 6pm.
No cooking (we had soup warmed up on the gas hob), no electronic games, no TV
We sat around the fire by candle light, sang carols and talked.

I am seriously considering removing the fuse this year! :)

[3girls2dogs]

We are going to Vegas for Thanksgiving this year. I always cook. In the past, we have always invited Marines from dh's unit who have no family nearby and can't go home. But he has only been home for a month, and I just don't have it in me this year. So we decided to do our vacation week that week, and we picked Vegas so we don't have to fly anywhere.

Thanksgiving is always a toughie for me. My family used to do it up huge, and I really miss that, but even if we lived nearer to home, they don't do it anymore. Thanksgiving is the start of my father's busiest time of year for his business, and the Aunt who always had it at her house has passed away.

I like the memories I have of Thanksgivings past, but now it is different entirely. I do enjoy cooking for Marines who are far from home, though. It makes me realize that no matter how far from my own family I am, I still have "family" all around me, and we are all in this together.

[BrBob]

:doh: :swoon: Oh my. You will have to update us on it after it's over. :hug:
Higgs, I'll try to remember to do that. It could be a hectic weekend, that's for sure!

I notice you are Episcopalian. My father-in-law was an Episcopalian priest for 32 years. That might explain a little more of the personalities involved.

Thanks
Bob
Spearfish, SD

[Rowan]

...Anyway, sure half of the people coming aren't very religious and don't see Thanksgiving for it's religious implications...

There's religious implications to Thanksgiving? :scratch:

[Joykins]

Boston Market has some very excellent Thanksgiving fare. Just order the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sweet potato casserole and you are 90% set. Then the cooking doesn't seem too bad ^_^ Or you could do what our family does which is farm out half the work of cooking to the guests (you have to bring something or cook something onsite and the host makes the turkey only and all the men do cleanup. This year I am bringing corn pudding, btw.)

[£amb]

I know for our family we enjoy Thanksgiving. We are a christian family and enjoy the day thanking God for the things that have happened in the year.
We always split the meal up so everyone has a dish to make so no one is left with cooking it all. It's our day to have a good time, and I found out last night that my nephew's wife is coming to spend the holiday with us with their new baby boy. YaY! Hadn't held a newborn in ages...:)

This year will be very hard for us because this is the first year without my mother. She had finished up her radiation for cancer the Tuesday before Thanksgiving last year. We were thankful that she came through as well as she did, but little did we know that the cancer had spread down to her lungs at that point. I know this year we have many things to thank God for even though our hearts will be heavy.

[Latreia]

I admit it. I can't stand the holiday. Ever since my mom died, I have not liked it. THe pressure, the cooking, getting sooooo full. Usually having dinner with more secular people whom I love but really don't consider "thankful" to mean what I do. The generalizing of the meaning of the word in the schools. "They gave thanks for their blessings." Thanks to whom? Blessings from where?

I'd love to go somewhere and stay in a b&b or a spa and miss TG completely. but my family would miss me. :(

It feels like a contrived holiday to me. I am still battered and bruised by the mega celebrations of the high holy day of Halloween. Now, I have nothing against Halloween, get a cookie and dress up at school, go trick or treating at dusk.

But here is is a grueling all day even. Kindy party in the morning. Psycho room moms competing for the best 4th grade home room party. School parade of costumes. Candy bags. And THEN!!!!

Go downtown because all the merchants are giving out candy. THen try to stuff some food in them before they trick or treat around the neighborhood.

And now, we have a holiday where we are greatful for a billion football games being played, and eat turkey until we go into a coma.

My God, I can't wait for Advent. A time to get ready for the incarnation.

Not a Christmas decoration will go up, except I suppose the tree, until Christmas eave. We will set up the creche and help Joseph and Mary on their trip around the house, ending up at the stable. We will light a new purple candle in our Advent wreath each week.

And I will NOT buy any women's magazines for December or January, thus not getting Christmas ideas or new year's organizer planning charts.

I think I'll pray the daily office through Advent. :crossrc: Christmas can just wait for its time.

Do you happen to have a really cute little doggie named Max?

:scratch:

[Albion]

I'd love to go somewhere and stay in a b&b or a spa and miss TG completely. but my family would miss me. :(

I know where you are coming from and it makes complete sense. However, you are a fortunate person in a world populated by many who have no families to care.

So, if this isn't the day you'd want to set aside to thank God, choose another occasion. Advent might be perfect; I don't know. Meanwhile, the idea another poster suggested of buying the dinner ready made sounds like a good way one to me. Probably less expensive in the long run, too.

[MrJim]

This year I am bringing corn pudding, btw.)

what's that?

[Izdaari]

And I will NOT buy any women's magazines for December or January, thus not getting Christmas ideas or new year's organizer planning charts.
It depends on what women's magazines you buy. ;)

[higgs2]

I know where you are coming from and it makes complete sense. However, you are a fortunate person in a world populated by many who have no families to care.

So, if this isn't the day you'd want to set aside to thank God, choose another occasion. Advent might be perfect; I don't know. Meanwhile, the idea another poster suggested of buying the dinner ready made sounds like a good way one to me. Probably less expensive in the long run, too.

Yes, you're right. I am very grateful for my family. I would never leave them to go on a solo trip on thanksgiving, I was totally kidding about that! Thanks for the reminder of my good fortune, I am indeed blessed.

[higgs2]

Do you happen to have a really cute little doggie named Max?

:scratch:

Haha! I just couldn't figure out where you were coming from, I thought maybe you were wondering if you knew me in real life. THen I realized you were probably comparing me to the Grinch, who has a little dog named Max, and whose heart was several sizes too small.

Not sure what to do with that, but I do thank all the the people in this thread who made constructive suggestions or posted supportive comments. :)

[higgs2]

I know for our family we enjoy Thanksgiving. We are a christian family and enjoy the day thanking God for the things that have happened in the year.
We always split the meal up so everyone has a dish to make so no one is left with cooking it all. It's our day to have a good time, and I found out last night that my nephew's wife is coming to spend the holiday with us with their new baby boy. YaY! Hadn't held a newborn in ages...:)

This year will be very hard for us because this is the first year without my mother. She had finished up her radiation for cancer the Tuesday before Thanksgiving last year. We were thankful that she came through as well as she did, but little did we know that the cancer had spread down to her lungs at that point. I know this year we have many things to thank God for even though our hearts will be heavy.


God bless you and your family. It will be hard without your mom, I'm glad you will have family around during this time. I think one reason why this year seemed particularly hard is that my dad and sister will both be gone, so there will be no family around.

I'm sorry about your mom, it is hard to lose a momMy experience is that time does make it easier but I still miss her. :hug:

[higgs2]

Thank you everyone for the support in this thread. I hope I didn't bring anyone down with my "rant". I have decided to get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and am therefore dressing appropriately :)

We have made our plans. We will go to a nearby hot springs and stay in a cabin Wed. night. the kids will love it! Then we will have an early TG dinner on Thusday at the restaurant and drive home. That night we will probably take the kids to see a movie. And I'm going to get a small turkey and the fixings, so my husband can cook it on Friday or Saturday. He likes to cook, so I don't want to deprive him of that.

I think soaking in hot pools will be fun for everyone, and I could use the stress relief I guess.

I will take some of the suggestions here in mind -- I'm thinking of having everyone think of a small list of things they're thankful for and we'll share them with eachother at dinner.

:)

[Rochir]

I, too, hate the time between T-day and News years! So much family stuff going on, and when you live alone it just sucks roxs! :(

[Criada]

I, too, hate the time between T-day and News years! So much family stuff going on, and when you live alone it just sucks roxs! :(
:hug: :hug: :hug:

[Joykins]

higgs2, that sounds like a really FUN Thanksgiving!

[Joykins]

what's that?

This (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Corn-Pudding/Detail.aspx), is what it is. Kind of like an almost-sweet baked custard with corn in it.

Make it one time and people will ask you to bring it to family dinners for the rest of your life--don't say I didn't warn you!!!

[Albion]

We have made our plans. We will go to a nearby hot springs and stay in a cabin Wed. night. the kids will love it! Then we will have an early TG dinner on Thusday at the restaurant and drive home. That night we will probably take the kids to see a movie. And I'm going to get a small turkey and the fixings, so my husband can cook it on Friday or Saturday. He likes to cook, so I don't want to deprive him of that.

Now...THIS is a plan! :thumbsup:

You're going to give all of us new thoughts about how to celebrate our own holidays from now on.

(Actually, we have taken to dining out on Thanksgiving in recent years ourselves and have been surprised at how many other people, including large families, are doing so as well. There's a very festive feel about it, too, unlike the scene in "A Christmas Story" where the family can only find the Chinese restaurant open and no one's there but themselves and the restaurant staff. Deck the Halls with balls of horry, etc.)

[edb19]

This (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandmas-Corn-Pudding/Detail.aspx), is what it is. Kind of like an almost-sweet baked custard with corn in it.

Make it one time and people will ask you to bring it to family dinners for the rest of your life--don't say I didn't warn you!!!

I agree - after having made it for a church pot-luck once I get asked for it all the time now. It is always a big hit.

My recipe is very similar - except it includes a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix and a cup of sour cream. For big groups I double (have even tripled) the recipe and use my crock pot insert for the baking dish. I bake it in the oven for ~75-80% of the recommended time (enough to get it browned on top) and finish it in the crock pot (makes it especially easy to take to a pot luck or another house that way).

edie

[edb19]

I enjoy the holidays - but have to admit, they aren't the same anymore. My dad and sisters frequently spend the holidays with their spouses families - 2 of my sisters live a day's drive away which makes it even more difficult for them to get together for the holidays.

So, while I enjoy them - there is a certain sadness associated with the holidays now. If the truth be told - this is the time of year when I really, really miss my childhood.

edie