Okay, send me some of that stuffing! And I wonder if the manager is "deconstructing" it and you'll see it on the menu next year?

I go low-key at Thanksgiving, nothing spectacular except things like forgetting the stuffing. My wrench-in-the-works is the occasional invited guest who arrives when we are ALREADY sitting down, AND brings a surprise guest. Oh, you're dating someone? Have they eaten? So, ever gracious (on the surface), I seat the guest at my place and grab the kitchen stool and an everyday place setting for myself (because all the good stuff is already on the table).

Oh wow Beachem. Sounds like it was quite an experience and so sorry about your Dad's passing. I know how difficult that can be.

Thanksgiving was always my Mom's favorite holiday. The first year she passed away was also my birthday that month and rather than celebrate Thanksgiving, DH and I went to Costa Rica and then did a cruise through the Panama Canal. In all the years my Mom was alive, I only missed Thanksgiving at home once and that was when I was studying abroad in Mexico.

Now we come down to FL before the holiday and one kid is in CA and one is in NY. We've been blessed to spend the past 3 Thanksgivings with dear friends down here. I'm always tasked with making the pies. It's still bittersweet.

This year's Thanksgiving mishaps were commemorated in This Thread.

I can also relate to holidays and missing loved ones. My parents passed away a few years ago, but the pain sometimes is all too fresh. I miss them terribly. I’ve spent many a holiday on my own, for various reasons, and I more-than-survived just fine.

I’d tell of my ‘awful’ holidays, but frankly, some were nightmarishly horrible, not in a funny way and there is no way to make some things humorous (even for me). Between truly psychotic siblings and now, mean as snake in-laws, holidays are sometimes a terrible time for me. Did I say I miss my folks? I did, and do.

This year’s Thanksgiving was a lovely improvement! DH and I married a little over a year ago, after decades of on/off dating and chronic bachelorhood’s on both our parts, and we are enjoying this wonderful new chapter in our lives together! Thanksgiving Day we worked in bitter cold installing a new vent inside, outside, and under the house for a new washer/dryer set to be delivered – DH felt the old venting was unacceptable (I love that things must be ‘just so’ according to him; he’s a can-do perfectionist). Later we made rather strong Old Fashioned’s, relaxing with a blazing fire as we warmed our frosty hands and toes. I prepared 2 enormous filet mignons with hollandaise sauce, baked potatoes, and steamed asparagus – we ate far past the satiated point! A simple meal to prepare, but delightful. With full stomachs and warming bodies we talked of how we are always working on the house now – laughing at and with each other over the day’s more humorous events, discussing how anxious we are to start demolition for our renovations, and other things… Things couples who’ve known one another for decades comfortably talk of. Life is pretty wonderful. I’ve much to be thankful for.

…Then our heat pump broke. F@#%.

With full stomachs and warming bodies we talked of how we are always working on the house now – laughing at and with each other over the day’s more humorous events, discussing how anxious we are to start demolition for our renovations, and other things… Things couples who’ve known one another for decades comfortably talk of. Life is pretty wonderful. I’ve much to be thankful for.

…Then our heat pump broke. F@#%.

Ok I just got you back because I just burst out laughing and am still laughing. I'm sorry, but I'm still laughing. Hey I feel for you, but...

Yeah, yeah, I know, you got thrown up on by the Apple Monster. I do feel for you... ;-)

Happy to report a Most Memorable Thanksgiving. Both sons were in town and wanted to go fishing during the break. Rarely does late November provide good fishing weather, but based on everyone's schedule, Thursday was THE day...so be it! We were out pre-dawn and fished past sunset: everyone landed at least a couple of keepers (amazingly good fishing day!), and we had more than enough sheepshead, black drum, mullet and sea trout for fresh chowder on Saturday. It was so much less pressure 'celebrating' Thanksgiving on Friday: had I forgotten a key ingredient, a grocery store run would have been easy-peasy.

We've had a couple memorable (in a good way) Thanksgivings in our new home. We host the family every other year. Four years ago, we hosted for the first time in SC- in an unfinished shell of a house! It was very cold, so we huddled in the basement, as it was too cold upstairs. We were still a long way from a Certificate of Occupancy, so no power in the house. I ran a cable across the ground from the temporary power pole to get 240 volts to run the range so we could cook.

This year was interesting, too. My son is engaged, and his future in-laws came to our house for Thanksgiving- the first time we ever met them! No pressure.... All went very well, and we had a great time. They're 'our kind' of people, and it was nice for the families to get to know each other in advance of the wedding. We had 12 people in our small home, and there was plenty of room. Good times!

Definitely memorable. Both of my sons kept stopping me when they got me alone to say how much they were enjoying themselves and how it was the least stressful Thanksgiving/holiday they could ever recall. The house lends itself well to entertaining and the new kitchen and appliances help everything run smoothly. Although, the Wolf CSO had the turkey done way before we were ready for it. Who would have thought one could cook an 18lb turkey in an hour and fifteen minutes?!

We had ten overnight guests, plus the five of us, so the next morning was more togetherness. My dad kept his crazy under control until breakfast, so we only had a brief period of conspiracy theories. LOL

My new granddaughter charmed the pants off of everyone. Nothing like a 3 month old baby's smiles to brighten your life.

Definitely memorable.