Thanksgiving; the joy of conflict :D

[oraphi]

It's that time of year again!  Thanksgiving my most favorite holiday of all time!  Why is it my most favorite holiday you ask?  Well that's simple really, it's the family togetherness, and the fact that me and my mother are the only vegetarians in the family.  The wonderful joy of having a constant stream of informative, helpful, and well intended advise about all the benefits of eating meat.  Thankfully I have a small family and everyone is on good terms so it really is pretty nice other then a little bit of playful teasing.  This year, in the spirit of good humor, I'm going to print out a card using this image I think.
 

Does anyone else have wonderful (or dreadful) Thanksgiving day plans?   :-)

[Oniya]

We will be having Thanksgiving at the house for the first time since the year when my mother-in-law decided to drive home through Buffalo (those of you from New York and New England understand why this is bad, right?)  The last couple years, we've been meeting up with her in Verona, NY (about halfway between here and Boston), but since she had a 'stroke-like episode', and finances are all wonky, we're both staying home.

This is both good and bad.  Mr. Oniya loves the fuss that goes into Thanksgiving - always has.  Our first clash with my family came when they waited until last minute (late October) to decide that they weren't going to cancel Thanksgiving at their place and were going to have a family pot-luck.  This was after Mr. Oniya told everyone at my grandfather's birthday about all the wonderful dishes he had planned for Thanksgiving at our house (about 15 minutes from my parents house at the time.)  Other goodness:  My homemade cranberry sauce.  I use full-flavor molasses to sweeten it, and it gives it a very distinctive flavor.

The bad part is that a) he's working a seasonal job selling Hickory Farms - all of those little gift meats, cheeses, and snacky stuff that people bring to/buy for holiday parties; b) It's NaNo; c) the house is a mess, since we haven't entertained a decent sized group of people in four years; and d) the roommate may or may not be used to her dentures by then - which means complaints about what she can't eat (and has to watch us eat), and more having more leftovers than we know what to do with.  I can definitely say I'm not making soup out of the leftovers.  The last time that I made soup, people insisted that they would eat it.  As far as I can tell, I'm the only one who dipped into it.  It's getting tossed on Tuesday.

[oraphi]

That does sound pretty hectic, but I suppose the craziness is part of thanksgiving too.  It just wouldn't be the same if it where nice and relaxing and you didn't trip over someone every other step.  Hopefully your hubby can get away from work long enough to enjoy the day, seems the most important part to me, and I'll help with the left over cranberries if you have any they sound tasty  :-)

[Oniya]

Oh, he won't be working on Thanksgiving, but the craziness means that there's only so far that we can travel, and only so much prep-work we can do.

I'll post this year's cranberry recipe once I decide what tweaks I can give it.  (It changes depending on what I can get at the grocery.)

[Serephino]

This year Thanksgiving is going to be in a retirement community....

Ever since I can remember each of my aunts and uncles took turns hosting.  They all live in the state, just different parts, so travel wasn't that bad.  But ever since my grandpa got out of the hospital everyone is treating him like he's made of porcelain.  I can understand they do it because they care, but up until this summer he was very independent.  That, and he won't get stronger if no one ever lets him do anything. 

My uncle who lives nearby could play host, but no, they don't want to take him out of the home.  A 15 minute drive is too much, so my relatives booked the common room in the building.  They've been doing it for everything, and you can tell my grandparents hate it.  That home is becoming like a prison because they can never leave it. 

/rant 

[Merry Gentry]

ouch Serephino... I hope you can work out some escape time for everyone!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  It has nothing to do with gifts, or pressures or any of the trappings that most holidays seem to come with.  It was always more about family, and getting together and kids running around.  This year will be a bit smaller than in the past, as people grow up in my family an start their own traditions and holidays.  It's nice to see, but at the same time my house is going from 17 people for dinner, (was  the max a few years ago) to about 6.  Talk about silence is deafening! I'm sure there will still be all the same food and leftovers for a hundred, but it will also be subdued, that parts bothering me a little.  Either way, the plan is what it is, and instead of all being together, we'll be calling each other and wishing a Happy Thanksgiving that way :)  Lets not talk about Christmas.. *shudder*

[Cherry Bloodrayne]

I like Thanksgiving as well, I mainly like it because family get together and we all have a good time. We have not had a 'true' Thanksgiving in our family for a couple years, to be honest. We are going out to eat, no one wants to cook anymore in our family. :(

[Hunter]

I'll be staying in with the other residents (I live in senior/disabled apartment complex).  I'll be helping out with cooking and serving dinner.

[Bayushi]

I like Thanksgiving as well, I mainly like it because family get together and we all have a good time. We have not had a 'true' Thanksgiving in our family for a couple years, to be honest. We are going out to eat, no one wants to cook anymore in our family. :(

I know how that is, Cherry Bloodrayne.

I haven't had a proper Thanksgiving since 1992, the last one with my grandmother. She died from cancer on Thanksgiving Day of 1993. Worst Holiday EVER!

She was always big on family-type holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. They just haven't been the same (if at all) since she passed on. In fact, since I moved away from my family, I haven't had much of either holiday at all. Two Christmas' ago, I spent most of Christmas Day without power (cranky roommate decided to play with the breaker box in her bedroom. Turned off the power for the upstairs bedrooms, and wouldn't fix it or let anyone in to fix it).

I cannot afford to travel home for the holiday(s), so I am stuck up here in Oregon on my own, with no one but a few roommates to spend any holiday with.

>.<

Bah Humbug!