Nope.. you are not!

I have been working on one thing per day since last week. And we split it up. Mom is doing three things, I'm doing four, my sister is doing two. I volunteered for my four. And my sister picked up a couple yesterday. Among us, we'll all get it done. And not at all stressful. Just relaxing enjoyment.

:)

When I host I always cook as much ahead as possible. I find other things like making sure I have enough clean serving dishes and flatware and tables and chairs etc. are a big part of the tiring part of hosting Thanksgiving...not the actual cooking although getting everything to the table hot and at the same time can be a challenge! At my house I have to wash up everything way ahead of time and get the table cloths ready and a lot of other details...that's what tires me out!
Joann

No, but then I only have to take one dish to mom's. I am taking mashed sweet potato casserole. I will be making 2 tonight...enough to serve 30 people.

Yes, getting the tablescaping stuff done is a pain! We got everything out the other day to begin washing, etc. My linens are still in their bags. I can't set the tables until Thursday....I don't entirely trust what my cat does in the middle of the night, if you know what I mean.

I can imagine him lounging in the center of the table, giving himself a nice, long bath.

Of course I prepare some days in advance. Wish I had another freezer and I would do more. I always take a lot of food for the holidays when it is not at our house. I don't just take one item.
Tomorrow I will be doing more prep work and then finish up the morning of so we can eat at dinner time, 1230.

Sue

If I had lots of help and we weren't eating until 7 or so, I'd do it all in one day--except for the desserts and rolls, if I were making homemade. I'd hate to feel frazzled on the day we were supposed to be so thankful.r

Last year I even made the gravy in advance and froze it. It turned out great so I may make it tomorrow, too, if I have time. I've made my noodles and tomorrow I plan to make the green bean casserole (from scratch), cinnamon apples, chocolate angel pie, dressing and corn casserole. The casseroles I just put together and will bake Thursday.

Come Thursday, we will have plenty of visit time since I'm cooking the turkey in a roaster oven for the first time, which leaves the oven ready for the casseroles. Oh--I'm making Jasip's recipe for the dressing and it cooks in the slow cooker and it will be all ready to just plug in.

I get up at around 5 a.m. every day, so I will have plenty of time to prepare whatever I decide on. I don't stress over anything much, these days. I USED to do it, but not any more.

There will only be me, my son, a friend from church (if he shows up) and maybe my grandson - no need for me to get excited - it's just another meal. I don't do much cooking anymore, but holidays are the exception. It will all be fine, in my opinion, and delicious!

I try to do a bit each evening during the week prior, but working full time away from home means that I am beat EVERY night before Thanksgiving Day.

If I were hosting Thanksgiving, first I would delegate what SIL & her mom are to bring. Then I would map out what I was going to fix and determine when it could be cooked. I mainly start cooking on Tuesday things like sauteing the onions,peppers & celery. I would boil the eggs & get Tony to peel them. blah blah Suffice to say I would have most of it cooked before my guests arrive..

You guys are my heros! I wish I could do more ahead of time but other things always seem to get in the way. I did find each serving dish and organize those last night.

I will not get stressed, I will not get stressed, :)

Life is too short to worry about having a perfect Thanksgiving right? One year I completely forgot to make the mashed potatoes. (But I did make the gravy!)

My Mother used to cook her turkey several days ahead, then microwave it to warm it up on Thanksgiving Day. Ditto the rest of the food. I was sort of cool to the idea of eating heated- up leftovers for the Big Day. I do a lot of prep work, cleaning, shopping, making lists ahead of time, but I definitely COOK the food on Thursday.

I LOVE you guys! I will have a busy baking day tomorrow and will pick up my flowers. Robert brought home some fresh cut greens for me yesterday. I just love decorating and flower arranging.

My house will smell like cheesecake, apple cake, and pine boughs tomorrow, lol.

Being old and somewhat decrepit has advantages.

I buy the turkey; no, I actually don't go to the store and buy it, DGD buys it; I pay for it. She cooks it, and she and the others do everything that goes with it.

I do miss making the dressing and giblet gravy.

Sue

This post was edited by Sue-va on Tue, Nov 26, 13 at 23:17

No, I do most of it on the holiday. Today I baked the pumpkin bread and made the cranberry sauce. Tomorrow I will do one last run to the store and try to set the table. I may cook and peel the sweet potatoes tomorrow too.

The kids all come in tomorrow. DD and her family are spending the day tomorrow picking up their dinner and the in-laws at the airport. She hopes her DH can get away early from to office for their drive up to the mountains, where they have rented a 3 bedroom house for the holiday. Their house is destroyed right now for their first floor remodel, so no entertaining at home.

I am still hurting from being rear ended on the freeway the end of September, so two sons and DIL will do a lot of the leg work this year so that I can use the heating pad.

I have been working for 2 days straight with another two days to go. I cooked and baked for over 12 hours today and tomorrow will be even worse. I also pulled a muscle in my lower back over the weekend so I am hobbling around with muscle relaxers and pain killers. i am documenting this to refer to next year when I get the brilliant idea to host again, which I will because I never ever learn! Lol looking forward to Friday where I don't plan on doing one darn thing.

I did pie crust yesterday..
Tomorrow I will bake desserts.

Thursday will be relatively simple.

You folks who are employed outside the home for pay ...

... does your partner consider it anything like a duty to pitch in around the home ... daily ...

... let alone on special occasions - like Thanksgiving.

(If so, you have something for which to be Thankful).

If not - why not?

No help - no special dinner??

Any kid above age 4, also ... can help with clean-up, at least

o j

It's just my husband and me so I don't have anything extra to do really. I made a ham and just regular sides...nothing much special. His family all do their own thing and mine is over a thousand miles away.

Just Bunny and I. He had to work until 12:30. The only special thing I bought was the turkey breast.

Made stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and sautéed mushrooms after I put the turkey in. We just finished eating.

I didn't make any dessert. There's some no sugar added butter pecan ice cream in the freezer we'll have later.

I did look up a sugar free pumpkin cheesecake I thought about making, but didn't know if it would be good made with Equal. I wouldn't want to go through the time and expense of making it, and then have it turn out YUCK

OJ, no help around here from my husband in nearly 60 years of marriage. He is always too busy and I don't think he even knows how to do up dirty dishes let alone cook, never has cooked. Has never used the dishwasher nor the washing machine. He still works 6 and 7 days a week and is nearing his 80th birthday.

Sue

Oh, Good Lord, my husband is right there, peeling, chopping, slicing, dicing, pulling out pans and dishes and bowls, rinsing and patting the turkey, holding him while I stuff ... after dinner, he picks all the meat off the bird while I start cleaning the table and putting food in containers and he's pretty much got the dishwasher loaded and pots and pans done by the time I've got the last Tupperware in the fridge, the turkey carcass simmering for stock and the table, counters and stove all wiped down.
Think I'll keep him!

We had a super easy day- I had all the stuffing stuff prepared and ready to make this AM, all I had to was make it and stuff the bird and put the rest in a casserole dish. Roast the bird. All the other stuff was already ready, except for gravy, which DH made. Very low key dinner, it was wonderful, NO stress! I ate in my pajamas,even. :) Perfect day.

Rhizo...A few years ago I set my table beautifully. Put my antique Leeds very large platter and some serving dishes on the table to see if there was room. Came back a few minutes later to find my orange cat ,Louie, ON the turkey platter with his paws tucked in. Lucky it was just my family, and I did scald the platter.

Lily, lol....that is a hilarious mental image! I've always said that cats will pick the most "picturesque " location for a nap. And they look just like a little turkey roast when they rest like that, don't they?

Angelaid, you've described my husband....he wants IN on the activities! He was my chopper, masher, stirrer, carver, washer upper. We had great fun together...I would not have done it without him.

I don't do anything for Thanksgiving as it's only me and the dog, but when I did I would love to have your husband around, Angelaid. I think taking the turkey off the bone after dinnner is the worst job possible. Good for him. . . and good for you!