Usually 2 or 3 pm, it gives us more time to relax and ejoy everyone's company after dinner. We never host Thanksgiving, it's always at my Aunt's house in Brooklyn, and if we get there earlier, we hit less traffic as do all the other people attending who are traveling a distance to get there that day.

We usually have our Turkey Day meal around 6 pm, with my adult children and the grandchildren spending the night here with us, since they live 2-5 hours away. This year, DS has to be back home for an early Friday trip, so we will be having our meal earlier, probably around 3 pm. This will allow him enough time to relax for a while afterward, and then make the 2 hour drive back to his own home. No company this year, just family, but even with that, we'll be 12 for dinner.

I shoot for 2, then as the day goes on hope for 4, but by the time everyone gets there it's about 5.

I wasn't going to do the big thing this year, saving it for Christmas, but now DD2 wants to come and have me teach her how to make the bird...so 2 of the 3 kids (and their SO's) will be over for an informal meal. 3 of them are vegetarians, so I'm going to make a very small bird for DD2 and DH.

Christmas dinner is always at 3, no if's, and's or buts.

I prefer starting the meal around 2pm. I do the turkey the day before (I used to cook it in the morning, I just don't like the stress anymore) and everything is just "reheat" ready. This counts as the main meal of the day (duh!) and supper is a "fend for yourself" thing later...if at all, LOL!

My in-laws like to have dinners that start at noon. On the dot. I hate eating a big meal that early! But I want to be able to join in with the football-watching/socializing later too. So 2pm is my favorite time to eat.

We usually have ours between 2-3. Our DS and his GF come, and our cousins are regular guests. They're getting up in years and also live about 2 hours away. Sometimes they stay for a couple of days and sometimes they travel back home at night. When they stay we all just change into our PJ's early in the evening and continue with our food and wine fest ;o). This year they'll be going home (waaah, sniff, sniff), so eating early will give them plenty of time to enjoy and relax before the evening's drive.

We always eat around one and have always. My niece is having Thanksgiving dinner in Chattagoona this year. With my brother and sister coming from Michigan, can't wait.

I am making my famous coconut cream pie, with all the pumpkin and pecan pies it's nice to have a selection. And I am going to eat a piece of everyone of them, oh yeah.

....Jane

It's always been around 1:00 p.m. in years past, but this year, things are totally up in the air. My brother and SIL, who have hosted the event for our extended family at their home for several years, are divorcing and both living in cramped apartments at the moment. My grandparents, who have been a huge part of our Thanksgiving get-togethers for as long as I've been alive (and longer) are now residing in a nursing facility and far too frail and feeble to even have much company on the day. Other family members are scattered here and there, and it just seems like in a sense, our family has sorta "fallen apart" this year. Those of us who are still here and wanting to do something as a family (small group though it may be) are thinking of just going out for Thai food instead of trying to recreate what we've had in the past. It feels like all of these passings of what was and new starts calls for a new tradition.

My family has always been told to get there at one pm, and we usually eat around 2 pm. Then the women clean up and gossip while the men fall asleep in front of the football games. I think this arrangement is completely lame, but apparently that's just the way it is.
My DH thinks eating early is bizarre, because his family had their Thanksgiving dinner at 7 or 8 pm. I personally love to eat early and then have pie for dinner :)

I normally do the big prep the day before - taking care of the veggies that go into the stuffing as well as any desserts I'm making. Once I clean up, I get out what I'll need the next day so that when I wake up & have my coffee, all I have to do is take the bird out of the fridge; rinse it, throw butter in it and put it in the oven.

I tell everyone to be over about noon and shoot to eat between 1 and 2. This year we didn't start eating until 3.

Yes, I said this year as we did our Thanksgiving on Sunday because my hubby is going for his 2nd chemo the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It will be an over-night; so there is no way for me to pin down what time to do dinner. Also, if he's as bad as he was after the last chemo, smelling turkey and everything else will only make him feel sicker. He's just able to eat again after his 1st round, so I'm thankful I did it when I did. Radiation is burning his throat.

Thanksgiving dinner to me does not have to fall on the actual day; as long as everyone can make it. We had a very good dinner. The one bad thing about doing it early is that the usual desserts have not been put out at the supermarket bakery; so I over-paid for Sarah Lee pies. Too much on my plate to make a fresh cheesecake as well as pies; so I did the cheesecake as well as brownies and settled for frozen pies. lol

Is there anything that smells better than Thanksgiving dinner, I think not.

"It feels like all of these passings of what was and new starts calls for a new tradition."

Jen ~ You could always be the one to start the "new" tradition and host it at your lovely home. You could make the bird and ask everyone to bring their specialty. It would be a nice way to have everyone bring somthing to the table (literally & figuratively LOL). There would be less stress on you because it's a group effort. I certainly would understand if you wouldn't want to do it, but somehow it sounds like you're a bit melancholy and wistful. Food for thought ;o)

We will be hosting Thanksgiving this year. My first, although last year, I did much of the actual cooking and prepping, but helping my mom to have the dinner at my grandmothers. Much too hard. So, this year they will come to us. We will eat around 2:00. Everyone is here, other than my brother and sister-in-law who are a little less than 2 hours away.

tina

Mrsmarv, I've actually been mulling that around for the past several days! I'm not sure if I'm really up for it, but it's still something to consider. Maybe I'll bring it up to DH this evening and see how he feels about it. Thanksgiving day may be the first opportunity we have to meet my brother's new girlfriend in person (yep, he already has one -- I was kinda dreading when this would happen, but I've "chatted" with her several times online and gosh darn it, I like her!), and it sure would be nicer to be able to do that at home than in the less-than-intimate environment of a restaurant. I wouldn't even make a bird (most of our small group are vegetarian), but we could do something different like a stir-fry perhaps. Thanks for encouraging me to keep thinking on this as a possibility.
:-)

In the past we've always done it around 1-2:00. Last year was the first time I ever hosted and insisted on making everything myself instead of allowing people to bring food. Had my Grammy come the night before and she helped me get the turkey ready and explained how she always does her stuff. Growing up we always went to their house for Thanksgiving. I failed to put milk in the mashed potatoes and didn't realize it until we were eating and the potatoes were really cake like. Oops.

Anyhow, this year is #2 for me and I'm looking forward to it. I bumped the time down to 4:00 because My sister and BIL have their thing at 1:00 at his Mom and Dad's, my Mom and one Aunt both have to work and can't be there until later. I feel like the day is totally shot doing it that late and it seems weird to me. As long as everyone's there that's the good thing. There will be 10 all together.

For the past few years, we've gotten together with a group of friends and had a vegetarian potluck dinner. It's been pretty festive -- we all sit a long table with a tablecloth, eating and talking for several hours. IIRC, we have been starting around 5:00 and going until fairly late into the evening.

Also, no one's interested in football, so no TV. :)

We eat at 1 p.m.. With kids and grandparents, we find it easier to stick to a regular lunch time. Otherwise, I have to fix a lunch in addition to Thanksgiving dinner, or the kids are filling up on snacks or hors d'ouvres, and my elderly parents get hungry. We eat pies and have tea around 4. Those that want it have a turkey sandwich later. The 1 p.m. meal also allows me plenty of time for games of scrabble with my sister and mom.

I usually break into the champagne at about 11:30 a.m., as I move into high gear with the meal...

Quick update: Thanks to that last little bit of encouragement that Mrsmarv provided, DH and I have invited two other couples to our home for a simple Thanksgiving brunch, and they have accepted - so I guess it's official: It's at our house this year. :-)

We usually start appetizers around 2:30, dinner at 4:30 or so. I have always done both holidays but my DB and DSIL are hosting this year. I like the idea of starting dinner by 2:00, but it just wouldn't work for our family.

I do love the smell of turkey cooking on Thanksgiving, but have to say that I am very excited at the prospect of going to DB's home this year. This being DD's first year away at school, I really am looking forward to staying in my pajamas, relaxing with my coffee, watching the parade with DD. I may cook my own turkey the day after since I will really miss having the leftovers!

Wow - I didn't realize so many other families ate early like my side!

To be honest I have to admit that I Was being a little sneaky and gathering information because I would like to have it early between 2-3 but I know that my MIL is not used to that. You have given so many good reasons for having it earlier - especially Morton5. Dealing w/ SIL usually takes a glass or 2 beforehand!

I'm going to tell them 2 w/ all of the wonderful reasons listed above!

And Jen - glad we could help you start a new tradition!

We usually have Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner with my inlaws, who eat at 12 noon. That is too early IMO, especially Christmas Day. We talked them into waiting until 1pm once, but they're very traditional.... and Thanksgiving & Christmas Dinner is at 12 noon. Was in the beginning, is now, and will likely forever be.

The bonus is that my family always has a later dinner at my aunts, like 4 pm, and if hubby & I time it just right we can be there to have coffee and dessert with my family.

Always about 3 pm. That way you can eat all morning, stop at 12 and be hungry by 3. Then be hungry again at 6:30. Yep-optimal stuffing schedule.

We always ate around 6 when I was growing up, but I like the idea of 3, so I think I am going to change it this year and do that. I like the idea of turkey sandwiches around 7. I also like the idea of being cleaned up before midnight!

Christmas and Thanksgiving are both timed to when the pizza place closes.

DH's family hosts a holiday lunch mid-December. We haven't attended any of my family's functions for 8 years. I don't fit in with my family. Who does a Christmas evening wine tasting? Isn't Christmas supposed to be warm and fuzzy fun? I wish I had a regular family.

Anyway, DH and I eat pizza whenever. :OD

Our only other holiday is actually a made-up day, but it is one of the BEST days of the year. DH and I call it Tree Day. We buy boxes of different types of Christmas cookies. We put up the tree, decorate, and eat cookies all day. One year we ate 4 boxes! On the other hand, the week before Tree Day is spent celebrating the salad.

It's been just the two of us on T'day since DH's mother died and I've been unable to manage the drive to my mother's. We both enjoy football so we time our meal for kickoff on the first game (12:30 this year) and dessert for kickoff on the second (around 4pm). LOL That also makes it early enough that we can have turkey-stuffing-and-cranberry sandwiches around 7, although DH is asking that we just do that for the main meal this year because according to him that's the best part!

We don't celebrate Christmas - really miss having Chinese restaurants open Christmas Day for those who don't observe, since that used to be "our thing". There is NOTHING open on Christmas here, total drag.

We have traveled for the last 2 years over Thanksgiving to non-family destinations, because it is the only time that all 3 of my kids have vacation time at once (3 different schools) other than Christmas time, which is DH's busiest time at work. Two years ago we went to Captiva Island and had an awful turkey buffet at the hotel. After that we decided we didn't like having Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, so we'd just ignore that part when we're away. Last year we were in Aruba and went to one of those all-you-can-eat meat places -- Churri-something? -- lots of different meats, but no turkey! This year we'll be in Florence, Italy -- Turkey Lasagna? Next year we'll go back to the traditional meal at my SIL's house, because it may be DS's first visit home from college! Yikes. Dinner there is usually around 2-3 pm.

My family always had dinner at 1 pm. with reheated sides and turkey sandwiches for supper.

Paint chips, Tree Day and the Festival of the Salad sound delightful!

LOL, thanks Tish. They both beat Odds-and-Ends week where we make it a point to eat every odd bit so nothing goes out of date.

We are currently on a Stew Weekend. Even ate stewed veggies for breakfast! :OD

Theme weeks make everything more fun. :O)

Dh works 14/14. If his 2 weeks offshore fall on Thanksgiving they also fall on Christmas. We've missed a lot of holidays through the years. In the past we'd usually eat around 3 if we had guests ... a little later if it was just the two of us. Then we started a tradition of visiting an old friend in the country. Our host would fry a couple turkeys and guests would furnish sides. That was nice, because we all shared the work, but it also meant no leftovers ... and a late meal ... was usually almost dark before we started to eat.

This year we're staying home and I'm roasting a bird. Made the stock (for gravy) yesterday with roasted wings. No idea what time we'll eat, but it'll probably be closer to evening.

I told my MIL to come over to our house at around 2:30 and that we'd aim for a 3PM meal.

She told me that she much prefers an evening dinner. I told her that I prefer a mid=afternoon meal and that after 14yrs of abiding by all of their traditions since I'd moved closer to them and away from my family, that I was ready to do something according to my families traditions that I sorely missed. I said it w/ a smile but I wasn't backing down.

I asked DH if I should get egg nog and he said no that they never have egg nog. I must have had a distraught look on my face when I said 'But my family ALWAYS has egg nog at holiday meals! I MISS EGG NOG!' then followed up w/ 'Things are going to have to change. Do you know how long I've done it your mother's way? I miss my family traditions!!!!'. We're having egg nog. And Fre' too. Everyone will have it in their glasses before they sit down. I don't care if they drink it or not gosh darn it!!!!!!!

I'd be more concerned with an adequate supply of wine. ;) Sounds like you might need it.

"I asked DH if I should get egg nog and he said no that they never have egg nog. I must have had a distraught look on my face when I said 'But my family ALWAYS has egg nog at holiday meals! I MISS EGG NOG!' then followed up w/ 'Things are going to have to change. Do you know how long I've done it your mother's way? I miss my family traditions!!!!'."

I'm a little puzzled/confused as to why you even bothered to ask your DH if you "should" get eggnog if eggnog is that important to you and the last 14 years you've had to endure holidays with no eggnog. It's three bucks a quart, and nobody else has to drink it if they don't want to. More for you! :-)

DH and I do the happy dance when the eggnog arrives in the stores mid-October, as we both love it and don't restrict it to holiday meals, there's usually some in the fridge the whole time it's in the stores. We get the "light" but not the fat-and-sugar-free one (which is nasty IMO). DH puts it in his coffee, I use it to make pudding and faux-chai-lattes, we pop it in the Donvier ice-cream freezer and I drink it straight-up (preferably breakfast... I figure it's the same "concept" as Carnation Instant Breakfast! LOL). Light eggnog and lowfat chocolate milk are the only ways I can drink milk without gagging - it brings back memories of "snack time" in elementary school when the lunch ladies would bring around carts filled with little cartons of lukewarm milk halfway through the morning. Regular eggnog and most homemade 'nogs are so thick I can barely get them down, just about have to chew them instead of drinking them!

Heyyyyyy!! another HUGE happy dance here when the eggnog arrives -- usually served with a happy dance of dark rum or brandy -- with nutmeg of course! We love the Promised Land brand.

((Just as an aside -- my mother -- who had breast cancer just after I was born -- found that I would NOT eat nor drink -- raised me on homemade eggnog. She kept the brandy for herself! LOL! And nowadays -- can't STOP eating!))

Yes -- another family here who does holiday "lunch/dinner" at around 2 pm. We've been asked to another couple's house this year -- and we're so thrilled!

And YES -- to the turkey/stuffing sandwiches ..... oooooooooooo .... especially late at night. And then TA DA ..... the FIRST MINCEMEAT TARTS of the Season!

Walker's Mincemeat Tarts ..... with a dollop of whipped cream on the side ......

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I like to eat about 1 or 2 pm. That way dinner is over and everything is cleaned up by 4 pm and I can relax. We usually have pie for our evening meal.

Johnmari - You know, as it was coming out of my mouth I was wondering why I was bothering to ask him. You're a woman after my own heart! My family would go gang busters when the egg nog hit the stores. It's beyond me that a table would be set w/o a glass at every setting prior to the meal whether the people drank it or not. My sister and I would just tell everyone to pass it down and around to us. And since we were too young to drink my mom always bought us the Fre'.

I found out DH already has the wine thing covered for me. I do plan on starting early so that I can get my social coping skills going.

Happyladi - Exactly what I was going for!

Ttodd, you can have my eggnog. ;) Don't care for that high fructose corn syrup in the store-bought stuff, but homemade is another story!

Jan, since I can't have the tipple anymore :-( I put a tiny little driblet of rum flavoring in my cuppa nog (if it's not my breakfast drink), and plenty of fresh nutmeg. We have this awesome hand-cranked nutmeg grinder so there's no grating your fingernails into your eggnog. LOL Promised Land must be a regional brand.

I haven't been really jazzed by anything from Walkers the last few years - it's all seemed just the littlest bit stale-tasting. The mincemeat in jars is, for the most part, very good (Crosse & Blackwell's is too sweet IMO, but Nonesuch and Grandmother's are quite good) and I admit that I quit making my own piecrust several years ago in favor of the Pillsbury - basically when they started rolling the dough instead of folding it, so you couldn't tell it was premade! I don't want to "spend my spoons" on making piecrust! Usually if someone in the family's bagged a deer for winter food my grandmother will make venison mincemeat, which makes awfully good tarts/pies. I have these adorable little 4" tart pans (the sort with the loose bottoms); I cover the bottom with a circle of parchment so I can slide the tart off, pop the whole pan into the fridge to cool off for a few minutes, and make the next batch. But yes, usually I just use the jar stuff rather than a premade tart. Their shortbread is usually stale IMO but it is so absurdly easy to make - flour, salt, sugar, and the best butter you can get your hands on - I just can't imagine buying it. I never roll it out and cut shapes, I am far too lazy! I like to mash it into those tart pans for individual cookes, or for a gift I like to use my big removable-bottom 10" tart pan and mooch small pizza boxes from our favorite pizza joint, dividing the shortbread into wedges with fork perforations before baking.) Fruitcake Day is on the schedule for next weekend, but we haven't decided whether to go rum or brandy... I'm pondering Drambuie for a change but wondering if it'd be too sweet. I think I need to get a "nip" bottle to taste.

ttodd - I wouldn't waste eggnog on the unappreciative. Put it in a pretty pitcher and have cups available for those who wish to partake, but if no one is going to drink it there's no point in putting a cup at every place setting.

Natal - Yeah, the HFCS is a drag. I know there are a couple of brands that don't have it (and are probably local/regional anyway) but I admit that I pretend I don't see it on the labels of the ones we get (Hood and Oakhurst). There's always Silk Nog, which I hear is pretty good, but I haven't tried it.

Now then Mari lass -- Aye -- weelll -- time to be dribbling a wee dram or two on the fruitcake or puddin' ----- jest to keep it nice and moist, mind ye! And ne'er mind aboot trying a slice jest to test it! Mind you -- we save the puddin' 'til the Day itself. To be set alight when all the lights go down. And we toast the Auld Log ((thats the Yule Log)) when we light it too! :)

BTW -- In our house -- Santa got a plate of homemade shortbread and a glass of guid Scotch! ((Or brandy if the night was too cold .... and he might need a warm-up for medicinal reasons -- according to my mum))

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

Here is a link that might be useful: Promised Land -- really good egg nog!

Mari, we do find Silk Nog to be pretty good. It obviously is not as rich as the real deal. My DS loves it. We buy one half gallon of the real deal, liquid cheeseburger equivalent egg nog for him to enjoy around Christmas. Creamland dairy uses real sugar and it is fabulous but again, not nutritionally sane. We will be trying the Silk Nog in a "teasecake" and I am definitely looking forward to it.

We're doing a brunch casserole and muffins mid-morning and then dinner at 4 -- working around 3-year-old twins who still nap.

This is our first Thanksgiving in our new house, and the first time our Illinois kids have been here, so we have even-more-than-usual things to be thankful for!

I guess we are old school, we shoot for 12 noon, if everybody is here. I guess I got this from my mom, it was her tradition. It does make it nice so we can enjoy the afternoon visiting and playing games and then get a leftovers supper in also.

We always host at our house since we've got the largest open space and a kitchen layout that works well for entertaining -- always buffet style for between 20 and 30 people. We do a couple of small turkeys (home-smoked this year, fried the last few), my signature twice-baked potatoes, wild rice, drinks and lots of appetizers and farm out most of the rest to other family members. (Grandma's dressing and candied yams are classics...) We aim for 3:00 but never hit it... (Gotta wait for Grandma)

We also do Christmas, and until last year, it used to be a carbon copy of Thanksgiving. Personally, I don't like turkey -- so last year I revolted and said I wasn't going to make one! So I got together with some of the other women and we decided to do a pot-luck with secret-ballot prizes for the best appetizer, best entree, best side dish and best dessert, and we let everyone bring whatever they wanted. We made an official "It's Christmas! Who cares if it's a balanced meal!" proclamation and had a blast. I'm hoping to do that again this coming Christmas.

This year will be a "first" for us. My MIL is frail and doesn't like to go out in the winter, so we'll be having Thanksgiving dinner with her at noon at the dining room of the assisted living facility where she lives.

I prefer the holiday foods prepared as my mother and her family did, so I always cook even if we go somewhere else. Sometimes it's on the Friday after. Unless we have guests, we eat when the food is done and we're ready.

I don't care for commercial egg nog, but you've got me thinking about trotting out my homemade version for Thanksgiving as well as Solstice and Christmas!