Pot lucks worked with work. It worked at my MIL's. It does NOT work with my kids.

Probably by myself as my husband is on call. Someone is bound to call off sick on Thanksgiving Day. I’m near the beach and the FL weather is still hot. Probably a beach day by myself and a quick run to the only open store on the island Win Dixie for a beach snack.

Still have lots to be thankful for so no complaints about being solo for the day.

Our tradition turned into no tradition years ago when it became impossible to make Thanksgiving day a certainty. So we celebrate when we can all be together - this year it's the 28th with both DSs, DIL and DGD,whose first birthday is 8 days later and everyone will still be here <3 . I'm the only one who likes turkey so not bothering with that. Foods vary year to year partly based on location and cooking facilities available. In Marblemount, WA it was Dungeness crab and mussels, another year was lasagna, last year in CA it was tamales and tacos with my consuegra. Sides and desserts are up for grabs, everyone enjoys cooking and trying new things (except DH!) so it's always a combination experiment and competition. This year I think we'll smoke a brisket

Just us, MIL, and the cats, so a pretty quiet day. We cook the turkey, stuffing and green beans. I normally buy a fresh turkey from Earth Fare (regional health/organic small supermarket chain), but this year I bought from one of the farmers market farmers, so this will be a slight change. We still have way too much food, and I am following my program where I am eating much less, so not looking forward to that part of it. Trying to focus on my favorite things.

Our daughter is hosting for the second year in a row. I will bring mashed potatoes, apple & pumpkin pies and DH will make the cranberry sauce and bring the wines. DD will make the turkey and stuffing. peas &onions, and a French apple pie, her boyfriend (man!) will make the gravy. Oldest DD will bring butternut squash. Youngest DD will bring orange-glazed sweet potatoes and her man will make yeast rolls. Today my daughter and I shopped for the turkey, and while here she raided my linen closest, going home with two tablecloths and napkins.

We we are blessed to have our daughters near and are thankful that they like to cook.

Last year we went to Joshua Tree National Park, but this year we will stay home, and I will roast a duck (again). I will also make cornbread stuffing (as if we were having turkey) and apple pie with apples we just harvested from our tree. Not sure what the other side dishes will be yet - possibly something from the freezer, as I have frozen vegetables there and need the space.

I used to spend Thanksgiving with friends in Redondo Beach, but over the years we have grown apart, partly due to problems they are having with their now 22-year-old son. I used to do quite of bit of the cooking for them when Maartje had to work on Thanksgiving and Jimmy always required a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I miss having that with them, but I do not miss going to Texas and having to deal with my family there. I used to alternate Christmas and Thanksgiving in Texas, but I have done neither in the past four years since my parents passed away. I would always cook for my mother when I visited.

My holidays have become kind of pathetic. For all my life my entire family gathered at my mother's house. As a child, my favorite aunts always came. After my sister and I married and had kids, the grand total was fourteen. My mother did all the cooking!

This year it is just my ancient mother who barely eats, my son and me. Son's girlfriend may join us. I hope she does. I like her. The rest now have their own families, or died. I do all the cooking, which I don't mind although I am not very confident about it. If the GF does not come, my mother will want to eat in the kitchen with the tv on.

Sorry if this sounds like a gripe. It's not. I have a lot to be thankful for!

It’s somewhat comforting to know I’m not the only one who no longer has a traditional family Thanksgiving gathering. We are coming to terms with this different stage of life. It’s not bad just different after 50 years or so. We are deeply thankful for our many blessings even though a large, close-knit family is not one of them.

I’m a little sad this year as it is the first time one of my kids will be missing a major holiday with us. She is in college on the west coast. Last year, I found a very reasonably priced ticket for her to come home for Thanksgiving and given that she was a freshman, far from home, I thought it was important for her to come home last year. This year, even though I started looking over the summer, by the time she had her class schedule in August, the ticket prices were almost twice as high. Plus, dh, our boys and I just flew out there three weeks ago to visit her. I figured between that visit and the fact that she would be home for Christmas a month later, she would be ok not coming home. Dh’s brother lives 90 minutes away, so she seemed happy enough to go visit him and her cousins. Then just days after we returned home for our visit, she texted me asking if a certain ticket price was good for Thanksgiving. IOW, she was looking at flights to come home. But after looking at the return leg, she realized it was way too much. But suddenly I was sad that she obviously wanted to come home. She loves our traditional meal and is worried she won’t get the same foods at BIL’s. So while I would’ve been missing her anyway, now I’m feeling guilty that she isn’t coming home. Trying to make myself feel better knowing she’s going to be with family.

on top of that, it’s going to be an already small gathering as it’s just my parents and my family. Usually either my sister comes to town with her family, and/or my brother and his family is with us. But my sister isn’t coming to town this year (her FIL is dying of cancer) and my brother is going to his MILs. So, a much smaller group than usual dinner.

As a result, it will be laid back. My mom loves to do desserts so she is bringing two pies. My father also loves to cook, so he’s making a vegetable dish with spinach, cannellini beans, mushrooms and I’m not sure what else. He’s also bringing “Italian” deviled eggs. I will do the remaining side dishes and dh is smoking the turkey.

I always dread the holidays, sadly. I have a difficult mother who is pretty critical of everything I try to do. One son will be with us, the other with his fiance. Last year I was very sick and insisted we go with my mother to the large buffet dinner at her retirement community. At $30 per person it was really expensive for what we got (not a fan of buffets) but worth it for the exhaustion factor. I would have put in all that work for her to complain, grumble. It was a nice time and she did not expect to have us for the day. If she comes to my home, it is generally an all day marathon. We planned for her to come to us this year, but a week ago she fell and broke her femur, requiring surgery. She is now in the skilled nursing unit at her community for her recovery so I will visit her there. I will have a nice quiet meal with my husband and son and hopefully there will be good weather for a long walk with my dogs.

We are having a just my family plus my sister in law for here for dinner. Turkey, maybe Pioneer Woman potatoes, butternut squash, spinach gratin, green beans, apple pie, pecan pie, rolls. DS is coming home from college tonight, his 22nd birthday is Wednesday night. I've invited all of his friends for dinner Wednesday, before they Uber off into town for the traditional Wednesday before shenanigans. Saturday we are having a family Christmas Ornament Yankee Swap party for about 25 peeps. This is the first year I've had a full time job, so there will be some adjusting with the menus and plans. My sister died in 2017, her husband has since remarried and I'm estranged from my niece who I was very close with. My mom will be traveling for the holiday but will be here for the party.

I'm trying really hard to focus on all the positive, and simplifying as much as I can so I can enjoy the people I love. We'll use some crystal, china and silver for dinner, but maybe a little more disposable for the party. I'm thinking I might make pulled pork sliders, mac and cheese, and cole slaw for the party. Everyone usually brings a little something, either an app or a dessert, so we should we be good. We have a lot to be thankful for and i'm really looking forward to this week. The best part about the ornament party is that we are starting to get some babies and little children. DS's friends will come for the beer and cookies.

Looks like we will gather for the senior facility's thanksgiving dinner. The question remains: in Mom's Memory Care dining, or in Dad's Skilled Nursing floor? I think theMemory Care, that way we can gather beforehand in Mom's suite, the dining room has nicer chairs (I'm so shallow). But we know Dad's staff better, always nice to work with people you know...hmm...

For many years I hosted Thanksgiving for 25 - 40 people. DH and I now live far from any family and I have a new tradition. I make the pies on Wednesday night. Thursday I will make the whole spread (lots of leftovers). In the morning I have a piece of pie and watch the Macy's parade. We eat whenever it's ready (prepared at a leisurely pace). And I never get out of my pajamas. I miss hanging with the family, but not the logistics and all the work.

This will be my second Thanksgiving in California. Last year, my two children came and my brother. My sister and BIL who live here year round came as well. This year, my kids can't get away and my brother wants to come visit in Jan/Feb so it's just me, dh and my sister and BIL. I've never had such a small Thanksgiving dinner. Guess it's something to get used to.

" So we celebrate when we can all be together - this year it's the 28th with both DSs, DIL and DGD,whose first birthday is 8 days later and everyone will still be here" - DLM, that sounds just perfect!

" I'm looking forward to enjoying a glass of chardonnay and witnessing someone else's family drama for a change! " Jakabedy, I love a "glass is half full" person!

Bonnie, do you have a recipe for those orange-glazed sweet potatoes? Yum!

Last year I missed out on Thanksgiving due to a broken ankle and foot. This year it will be another Muslim Thanksgiving (YAY!) with my DIL's extended family - they are either blood-related or "aunties" and "uncles", meaning friends of friends of friends. There will probably be around 30 young and old. DIL's brother and brother-in-law deep fry the dueling turkeys and ducks (each chooses their own rubs) and others contribute the rest of the traditional American sides (mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, etc). I bring a pineapple stuffing (don't ask for the recipe - it's sickeningly sweet, but they LOVE it), Trailrunner's biscotti and her recipe bastardized (by me) to yield cranberry orange biscotti.

Oh, deeinohio, one of the reasons I LOVE Muslim Thanksgiving is that there is only one person who leans right!

Going to friends' and bringing an apple cake.

We will travel "home" where two kids still live and do TG at my brother's as usual. Only one son will be there. Other son may come for a bit in the afternoon but does TG with his wife's family. DD just got engaged and will be spending TG with his family for the first time but we will see her over the weekend.

I'm divorced and have my daughter (age 14) on alternating holidays. This year I have her Christmas but not Thanksgiving. My mom and siblings live far away, so it is just me this Thanksgiving. Thinking about cooking a turkey breast and going to a movie. I know from experience that the movie theater will be open, but all the nearby restaurants will be closed. Maybe I'll do the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and eat popcorn.

Not complaining; it will be a nice low-key day. I'm visiting a house-bound friend the day after.

It's so sad how families and friendships can fade away. Wishing everyone peace and contentment for the holidays.

My BF and I will be driving to my sister's house for T-day -- it's a tradition now! Traffic is always horrible in one area so it takes at least 4.5 hours to get there. Anything I bring has to travel well, but I'd definitely like to make dinner rolls and a GF dessert. I love to visit my sister because we always do a project of some kind together. It sounds like she's choosing a rustic gingerbread house this year. Last year we flocked an old artificial tree to use outdoors, and if I remember correctly, the year before we made a variety of candies, the year before that we made Polish stars.... we have a blast!!! I need to take more pics!!! I think I've shown this before, but here's a pic of some of our Polish stars. :)

party_music, that sounds so fun. Wow! I love the idea of a family craft.

Our Thanksgiving was in October. We cooked nothing. We were invited to two separate meals, one at each grandparents' house. It was great! Emmett (baby) really enjoyed the food. Thanksgiving is lovely for feeding babies because there are so many healthy vegetable dishes as long as you don't go nuts on the gravy.

My parents always serve :

• Turkey
• Stuffing from inside the turkey (breadcrumbs, sausage, summer savory, butter, onion, mashed potato are the main components)
• Separate onionless stuffing for me (I've told them they don't have to do this)
• Separate sausageless stuffing for my veggie BIL
• Gravy (homemade)
• Squash
• Parsnips or turnip
• Mashed potato
• Peas
• Cheesy vegetable casserole
• Homemade bread
• Homemade apple pie

They are still invested in hosting. We don't want to host but my sister does, which would be better for us (10 minute drive instead of 70 minutes, baby proof house instead of house with baby eating dog). I think she has gotten the OK for hosting Christmas. I told her as long as she hosts I will bring WHATEVER food she wants up to and including the turkey! When my parents get a taste of enjoying the holiday without the prep I think they'll loosen the clutches a lot more.

My parents gave up hosting holiday meals a few years ago-- it was too much work for my mom (even though dad did all the cooking). Even still, Dad always cooked the turkey on his grill and prepared a few traditional side dishes (most notably, creamed onions) .. to take to youngest sister's house.

Dad had very unexpected open heart surgery in July -- and has had some pretty serious cognitive issues since then--Aphasia, loss of memory, confusion. Dad was always a great cook-- his mother taught him and he taught me. It was his thing. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember how to cook a lot of things.. so this year my sister is attempting the turkey and his favorite side dishes. I will go over early to help. Luckily, a number of years ago, I put together a family cookbook. Dad doesn't cook from recipes (and he taught me the same) so when I put the cookbook together, I went and watched him prepare-- and thus derived the recipes for his special holiday dishes. I am so glad I did this-- and so is he! He is aware of his brain issues and limitations (which makes it all the sadder)-- so he had pulled out the cookbook in preparation for Thanksgiving. I sat with him yesterday so he could show me the dishes to make. Oh my, he was so happy to walk through the cookbook and show me photos of his mom and tell me which were her favorites-- and his favorites. It was really a nice time.. made me teary.

Sister is worried about making everything just right-- but no matter what, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. Dad's heart is doing great and we're still hopeful that he'll continue to improve in the months to come.

Party music I love those stars but even more enchanting is the tradition with your sister - a simple joy and lovely memories.

It will just be me and my mom in Philly, and then I will go over to see my 99-year-old aunt and cousins. A minimalist menu, mom likes turkey tails, I'm going to have ham, and I'll bring stuffing, green beans, potato salad, and baked sweet potatoes. Have a good holiday everyone, do what you have to do to stay safe and sane! ;-)

We will have a quiet Thanksgiving this year with just my sister coming to our home. Our DD is in NY for grad school and will stay there for the holiday. I will be visiting her in the city the following week. We will spend the weekend putting up the tree and doing our traditional black Friday shopping in a small town nearby that is full of little antique shops and cafes. It is usually a beautiful, crisp fall day in Florida and perfect for an outdoor lunch. I know I will miss having my daughter home. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!

This will be my first Thanksgiving in 47 years without my husband (I was very young when we met :-)) and I was planning on going to NY to be with family but decided I really prefer to stay home with my two girls (feline) and have a quiet day. I will do my usual 4 mile jog and binge watch Netflix and Amazon and eat and eat and eat.(and eat). I am looking forward to it (especially the eating part).

Delilah, here is the recipe for the orange glazed sweet potatoes. It is from the original Betty Crocker cookbook. I cut the sugar in half.

Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Love reading about everyone's varied plans! Our traditions are also changing; for many years I hosted every Thanksgiving and many Christmas gatherings. But as others have also experienced, we too have family members aging, younger ones alternating vacations with their partners' families etc. Our vacation/retirement home has become the gathering spot and we are hosting Christmas this year for the second time. It's a blast, we eat next to the water by the pool on folding tables then open gifts with the terrace doors open to the lovely December FL Keys ocean breeze ;).

This Turkey Day we are going to my dad's house for the meal. There will be a large boisterous group since his stepdaughters and their young kids are coming. I volunteered to bring deviled eggs and make ahead mashed potatoes. Got inspired and decided to also make red velvet cupcakes. Realized I have a frozen turkey breast I might as well cook so we have plenty of white meat, then also realized that our next door neighbor will be all alone and recovering from cataract surgery (we are his support team for that, operation is on Wednesday). So i figured I might as well cook up some peas and a little stuffing so I can take the poor guy a meal since he's all alone.

I suppose it's like being a race horse after you're put out to pasture....you hear the starting Thanksgiving gun and you're off and cooking LOLOL

I think I would like if the kids took over, but so far, no takers on that. I can only hope, LOL. I now have a pantry, a garage frig, the garage freezer, and the house frig stuffed with food. I may not have to grocery shop for a couple of weeks or more!

Thanksgiving Day I’m going to my niece’s house, and everyone brings something.

My big tradition, though, is my left-over party on Friday evening. About 30 – 40 friends and family come and I cook a whole turkey and a turkey breast. I also get some bread and rolls for turkey sandwiches, because other than the turkey I make, I don’t know what else is coming. Everyone brings their leftovers – half a pie, a bowl of potatoes, casseroles, stuffings, gravies, appetizers, etc. and we heat it all up and put it out and everyone feasts again, although it’s much more casual. Any other party I host I like to have the food is prepared ahead of time, but with this party the food comes in the door with the guests and has to be heated. Thankfully my daughter and her friends have taken over the kitchen for me because it’s a lot of work. It’s a great way to see the people that we didn’t see the day
before due to family schedules, and everyone gets to sample other family’s foods.

Kitchenwitch, What a great idea! You are brilliant!

This is our smallest group in many years, 9. Because of my “unfortunate lawn chair incident” which injured my hand, turkey and dressing will be cooked by my husband with direction from me. Sides are coming with my adult children (or from Costco). Granddaughters are coming early to set the table, grandson is here now putting leaves in the table.

I already am missing the hustle and bustle when expecting a bigger crowd.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I'll be with my daughter in LA. We will either cook at her place or go to a friend's. It's up to her. Either way, I will be with my dear one.

Our son and DIL are hosting at their new home this year, 2 hours away but an easy drive. Everyone knew we wouldn’t be doing it because of DH’s hip replacement this year. I just wasn’t up to getting everything ready pretty much all myself. He’s doing really well, but can’t really do any heavy lifting. I’ll be taking a dish or two so that is fine.

We are about 3 hrs from my family and a little less from DH's. All siblings on both sides have families and like to cook, so the get togethers are mostly nuclear families and parents are spoiled for choice. We will have larger to-dos for Xmas.

For years when my kids were little, we would go to our lakehouse for the holiday and the start of the ski season. Cooking for toddlers, I got in the habit of a simpler, smaller, lighter meal than most people do. I still really like it that way. We will have a small group, 12 or so.

I've already started my cooking because I will be in my office Tuesday and part of Wednesday.

Our menu this year and most every year:

• Definitely a salad bar to start (I may add an exotic cheese plate as my kids are into those now)
• Organic bone-in Turkey Breasts, 2
• Gravy from homemade stock with Madeira (and what little drippings I get)
• Bread stuffing with onion, celery and carrots cooked in muffin tins for crispiness
• Baked yams in their jackets, sans embellishment (love these)
• ETA - cranberry sauce --- homemade and jellied
• Mashed potatoes, this year done as a casserole so I can make them tonight!
• Maybe green beans, or maybe just the salad
• A fresh fruit plate
• Individual Pumpkin custards, served warm with Homemade unsweetened whipped cream*

* I used to make smoothies in a Braun mini food proc, but it died a few months ago. DH got me a Nutribullet and I love love it. It also make very good, very easy whipped cream!

We are going to dd2's in-laws in central Montana. I am terrified bc we are flying from Arizona, our winter place, into the mountainous area in commercial puddle jumper planes, 2 flights each way. You know, the small plane where you are happy you were assigned row 15 until you realize that row 16 is the last row---in the whole plane. And it is winter there but today and tomorrow it is sunny. I do not care one iota about anything else at all. Not the people, the food, the hotel, activities, nuthin'. Turbulence in a small plane. You guys will either read about me or I will survive. How's that for a crummy attitude.

We will just stay at home and enjoy tenderloin steaks on the grill with baked potatoes and a salad and some vegetable. We just do our own thing. My family is nowhere near us and his family is small. The one that has the family dinners is doing their own thing with their own family now that they have the grands. No biggy although it would be nice to go to my family's get-together.

We alternate hosting with some friends (friendsgiving, artemis ;-)). Have been doing it for about 40 years. The menu is never the same. Host's choice. No traditional turkey dinner is the only "rule". The hosts provides the meal, the guests provide dessert. Our so-not-a-cook-or-host bachelor friend brings drink. We all agree it is our favorite holiday. No family drama, just a good time with friends we love.

I come from a big fmly that always get together. Our daughter has celiac and Thanksgiving is loaded with gluten. To avoid any chance of cross contamination I do Thanksgiving with jut the 5 of us.

I have been sick for several days, and said I would not be able to do Thanksgiving this year. I'm not even eating well yet. My in-town daughter and husband have volunteered to do a dinner and take to my mom to share. I am grateful for that. Except for poor mom .... she will have to endure a vegan Thanksgiving.

Aw lady pat, hope you are well soon.

My flight is in a prop jet. It has propellers. I don't know how it stays aloft. We embark and disembark out on the tarmac via those old-fashioned stairs. However, Alaska serves complimentary craft beers and local wine. It def. helps.

Bunny I was recently on a Horizon prop from Portland to Seattle. It was pouring rain and there we were outside running to the stairs. But it was a very nice, safe flight (albeit a bit noisy).

I must say that Kitchenwitch's left-over party sounds like all kinds of fun. My leftovers never seem to come out even so this would be perfect. I'm calling DS to convince her! With a few games (like charades) and it will seem like old times. Thanks KW!

We're all gathering at DD's house. She is on call that day (she works for a victims assistance organization) so she asked if I could do the cooking. DS, the chef, will be there too, so he and I will double team on the cooking. DD2 and her DH will bring appetizers & desserts, DD1 is contributing the mashed potatoes (probably having her brother prepare them!) and cranberries. Her DH will act as barkeep-with both a selection of good microbrews and IPA's as well as non-alcoholic beverages for DD-who is almost 6 months pregnant.

DGS will be a hoot, he's 22 months old now and quite the charmer. It will just be our immediate group-we invited my mother & her husband but they're going to some friends out of town. Also had invited my niece and her boyfriend who recently moved to our state, but they're going to his sister who lives in Washington state. They'll join us for Christmas, however.

I'm looking forward to this day, it's always great to be with my kids. My 2 Sons-in-law are best friends and everyone gets along fabulously so it'll be an afternoon of fun, most likely football on the TV, and once the little guy goes down for the night, we'll break out Cards Against Humanity or some such game and things will get even more fun.

I'm just glad I've got the following day off-I plan to sleep in and relax!

Yes, games! How could i forget board games. We all love Apples to Apples and PIctionary, recently got into dominos and Chicken Feet.

I like the games also. The last time we spent holidays with relatives in Texas, I gave my niece "Black Card Revoked" not knowing whether she would like it, but she did, and we had fun playing it. I did not enjoy playing Texas Hold 'Em with my brother (her father) in Texas. I tend to avoid Monopoly also, especially with people who take it too seriously. My niece has a lot of games that I like playing, however. My mother liked Trivial Pursuit and my brother (the one I live with) likes Pictionary.

We are just a few this year as one son is out of the country. My eldest son and husband want big juicy steaks cooked outside on the grill. So, no big turkey and fixings. I know the real reason for steak requests is that no one wants to hear me yell "I wish this oven would die" or other loud complaints about my husbands so called score on the eBay bought range. My frustrations are always followed by family exclamations of "here we go" and rolling eyes. Anyway, we will eat outside on the patio with the pool light and fairy lights on as well as table candles. The menu will be a simple favorite of steak, loaded potatoes, green beans & shallots and a salad of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil. For the first time I asked my son to bring a dessert. Will have fresh fruit as a backup plan.

I am cooking for several of my friends and neighbors. I call it our orphan group. Others that went through the same thing we did. Lost everything and still rebuilding our lives. Some have no family here and some prefer to come to my house than their own family.

I am doing a fresh never frozen smoked turkey. Potato salad, Cajun dirty rice, sweet potato casserole with pecan praline topping, gravy. Others are making dishes. Green beans, homemade rolls, pies, fresh Cranberry sauce and dressing. I don't know what else. I am sure there will be some surprises. It will be a wonderful meal and a great visit with our friends. It's become almost a family group. I enjoy doing it and they are all very appreciative.

After dinner and a little rest we are going to put up the tree and decorations! It will be fun.

Raven, that sounds so good!