I hope you feel real good for Thanksgiving, Ruthie.
We are having Thanksgiving dinner at my oldest DS and DIL's house. My youngest son will be there, but my middle son will be coming in from work on Thursday and I don't think he will get in till night. Also my younger brother will be here.

Ruthie, I hope you're able to enjoy the day. We are having our small family Thanksgiving today. I have to work on Thanksgiving. After work yesterday I put the turkey in the oven and put the giblets in a pan. After the giblets were done I put them in the fridge and took a "nap" for 4 hours. Got up and put the turkey in fridge and went back to sleep until I had to get the kids up for school this morning. Went back to bed again. Now, I'm baking the pumpkin pie. Thank goodness for frozen pies.

I have to run out this afternoon and get a few things, butter for the stuffing and a small ham and brocoli casserole makings for our dinner at work.

I am cooking it this year. I always have Christmas Day and DB and DSIL do Thanksgiving. DSIL works this year.
Their DD and DH and 2 kids aren't coming and my DD and the boys won't be here either. :(
Its rare my kids aren't all here....I can count on one hand that thats happened. It isn't quite the same without the whole crowd. DD did invited us to come to her house,(2 hour drive) but since we only have one day, plus DSon and I will be sitting in a car for 8 hours picking up Maddie the day before, we passed.
It will be pretty low key here.

I hope you have a wonderful day Ruthie!

We had DH's family Thanksgiving yesterday, my families will be next Sunday. On Thursday we are planning on going out to eat (big buffet at the casino) with my parents, DH's brother and his wife and my DD and her boyfriend.

No dieting this week. :-)

I don't have anybody but the cousins I was raised with...

We will all be getting together on Thursday. There are 5 of us left plus all our children and grandchildren. There are about 73 children and grandchildren. Most all of us are here in town. So we have quite a crowd on Thanksgiving.

On Friday Denny and I and our kids, grandkids and greatgrandson will be getting together here at our home. And we'll be doing it all over again.

patti

I should have mentioned that I am not cooking. The two girls from Austin are bringing everything..I have been ordered that I am not to even set the table. They always do more than their share when they are here so I am not worried about over doing it that day. They are both young and very energetic...I am thrilled to have them take over the holidays. Their real Mother is coming for Christmas so we won't be sharing the "official" Christmas Dinner with them. Just to make sure everything goes smoothly. She doesn't get to TX often so she deserves to have her children to herself. IMHO

Good for you, Ruthie! Sit back, and enjoy! Let them pamper you. You deserve it!

Have no one coming for Thanksgiving. Haven't since DS has been with his new family. Have learned to accept. I'm ok.

That's nice that the girls are taking good care of you, Ruthie! Hope you have a real nice day.

We already had our Thanksgiving. We celebrate it, but it's not as big in Canada as it is in the U.S.

Nope..just the same crew that's around the dinner table every night. My brother usually goes hunting and my mom will be here for 4 days at Christmas.

Your day sounds enjoyable Ruthie!

Two DDs and their hubbies will be here....I haven't cooked the big meal in years, and I'm looking forward to it.

So far...

me
DH
DS
sister-in-law
DS's college friend who could not go home
SIL's neighbor, so that she is not alone
my brother
my mother
my stepfather

will all be at out house.

I hope you are feeling well, Ruthie, enjoy being pampered.
I am making the dinner and hopefully Dir_ty Fingernails will feel up to come, with DS. She had her first radiation treatment this morning, 8 more to go. She will also have a P.E.T scan this afternoon, which takes 3 hours. I'm just doing a turkey breast with a couple extra turkey cutlets so we will have enough meat. There will be five of us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Dottie

We will have a family Thanksgiving, but it will be small. Just Andy (son), his girlfriend and my Sister. I don't think any of us are really looking forward to the holidays this year..but we'll try to make the best of it!

We do not "go home" for Thanksgiving, or Christmas for that matter. My kids are out of school all week, we have the time to go to Ohio or to Florida for Thanksgiving dinners. We are far away, and I don't want to spend my holidays on someone's sleeper sofa or have the kids' holiday memories to be waking up away from home. We go once in a while, actually just 2-3 times in the 13 years we've been out of Ohio. ;o) But mostly, the visits are better during other times of the year. The compounded stress of holidays and travel/guests doesn't really make for good quality time. The couple of times we've gone it was b/c one family or the other asked us to be there, some other far away family would be there, too, so it was extra special to have us all there.

At first, we got some grief from family about not being there. I tried to negotiate with them, you come here this year, we'll go there next year. Or, have it Saturday instead of Thursday. But they didn't want to compromise. So, we made a choice. Since they wouldn't compromise, I blocked out their guilt trips real fast. In fact, my parents had planned to come here this week. But mom's sisters visited her (they're in Ohio, she's in FL) earlier this month, so mom took her vacation then and cancelled on us.

I think everyone wants to go "home" for the holidays. But home is where the heart is, right? And for us, now, THIS is "home," with our kids at our table. I miss my family on holidays, the nostalgia. But when we do go to them, I miss having the kind of day we have on our own for holidays. It leaves me emotional, because I sort of want it both ways. I guess I want my pumpkin pie, and to eat it, too. ;o)

We've got a tradition going the last few years of a family reunion over July 4th in Ohio. That has been working out so well! Not to mention I'd rather in be in Ohio in July than in December. ;o)

Hope you have a great day in store Ruthie. Glad you have so much help in the kitchen. Can I borrow them? :)

I'm cooking almost all of the sides and desserts and we're sharing it with our friend and her DH. She's just started chemo treatments, she's had two so far. She is insisting on brining a turkey like she has for the past 2 Thanksgivings and I can't talk her out of it. I guess as long as she feels good enough I shouldn't argue with her. I just don't want her to over do either.

Very true summer, if she feels like it, just let her. I told my DH that he couldn't make an invalid out of me so if I am feeling good, I do what I want to do...If not, then I take advantage and don't do anything. I am sure she will enjoy a sense of normalcy. I hope you all have a wonderful day.. I had my week off from chemo this past week and I have been feeling really good ...I am going to make a pan of dressing because I love plain old cornbread dressing and DIL makes oyster dressing.

Yes, we are having a family Thanksgiving. Both of my children, my two grandchildren, one of my three brothers, Mom, DH and I. I will be doing most of the cooking, but DH is baking the bread and Mom is making a traditional sweet bread (small pieces, each tied in a knot, after baking they resemble ducks and that is what we call them).

Every Thanksgiving is different. We're not big on tradition and the faces present are different every year. Most often at my house, but occasionally I get a break.

Stephanie, I believe I know how you feel. For several years, when my children were young, even though both DH's and my families were near, it was always a game of who gets us this holiday? My Mom was very laid back about it (as am I), but DH's mother was very depressed if she didn't have all of her babies (and their babies) at every holiday gathering. Christmas was especially trying. She expected us there for Christmas Eve dinner and to open presents. Then, she expected us back on Christmas Day for the traditional Italian ravioli dinner. That meant that we woke early to open presents with the children at home, then swoop in to my Mom's house to open presents there, then leave and head to his mom's house for dinner. Of course, my kids just wanted to play with their new toys, but we couldn't let them take them to Grandma's house because they weren't ready to yet share them with the dozen or so other children who would be there. Never mind that his mom didn't think a turkey was done until you poked it and NOTHING came out! I thought I didn't like turkey until I decided to try roasting one myself and loved it. All that running just wore us out, so we decided to just have our own little holiday dinner and it was so relaxed and calm. Poor mother-in-law though, called to say Happy Holidays and sounded totally depressed.

DH and I are second time arounders, and so the entire mixed clan gathers at our house for Thanksgiving. It's always fun, and I don't think the littles have any idea that we are not all related! Pa and Grandmommie are just Pa and Grandmommie...the more the merrier! There will be about 35 of "us".

I cannot even recall the last time I had my kids at the Thanksgiving table. I think it was in 1997 before I moved to FL in the fall of '98. DD lived in NC & DS in my hometown, so we did enjoy it together. Oldest DS lives in northern WI-haven't heard from him in 3 years now. His wife(?) has convinced him he cannot have more than 1 love in life & she is it!!!
I did however, in 2000, have my Jacksonville relatives (half bros & kids), my dad & stepmom for the holiday dinner-that was great!
I don't feel as sad at Thanksgiving as I do at Xmas..it kills me not to be with my kids in PA then.
The GOOD news? My DB & SIL arrived at noon today, to spend the winter here in their home-2 blocks over from me. For the past 3 years, they, Ernie & I go out for the holiday dinners.
Last evening our clubhouse had their Tom Turkey dinner. They roasted 8 turkeys & all brought a dish. I made 3 gallons of Cream of Cauliflower soup, mini cheddar biscuits & Fruit Ambrosia.

I wish we could go "home". I miss our family something terrible this year. My kids are still at home so I have them to be thankful for, but gosh... I wanna go home!

Trish

Yes Sydney Dylan and Tanner but not Kasey and her family maybe one day it will happen....Stacy

Very traditional - going to my parents home. DS moved about an hour away at the beginning of this year (v. the 5 hours he had been). I have suggested having holidays here but he thinks they can only happen at Grandma and Grandpa's. I think my SisIL and two nephews will be joining us. The eldest nephew is engaged so not sure if he will be with us or her family.

We're going to DD#2s' MILs house. She told me not to bring a thing, but I'm taking a bottle of wine and a chocolate pie. Great combo, huh?

Jaybird, that sounds like a lot of fun!

nope just me and my mom and dad and. a guest (maybe) my bro lives not 20 ft from us, but mom and my sil got into an argument , stupid family bs, so we wont be together this year, my ex has called a gazillion times for me to come and do dinner with him but i just cant..this is his second tg cant do without his mom, and i know thats got to be terrible, but i just cant do it..she was one terrific lady..wish her son inherited some of those traits! sorry i know way too much info lol. anyway we will have a great tg dinner ill cook since mom cant lift the roaster and all that, and the best part.....leftovers....hope everyone has a terrifc thanksgiving!!!!!