We'll most likely do what we've done for ages now -- I'll roast the turkey and bake the dressing, others will make the side dishes, several of us will provide desserts. Eat mid-afternoon. Everyone takes some leftovers home. Just family, total of 7 or 8 people. Finally we all live close enough together that no one has to travel very far.

Since we no longer live close to family, it will be just the two of us and lots of phone calls. I make the pies on Wednesday and we have a slice with coffee for breakfast on Thursday. Will still have the whole spread later then take a nap.

Cooking at home with my DH and have invited a good friend to share dinner with us. We've all been vaccinated and boosted and are very cautious so I feel we will be safe. In past years, we've gone to the Old Yarmouth Inn together but 2020 broke that tradition. Even though the Inn is offering dinner again on Thanksgiving, we felt it would be best to enjoy ourselves at home.

I have no plans. I have no family to speak of, except a daughter who lives about 150 miles away. She always does holidays with her in-laws. That is okay with me....I am not big on holiday celebrations. However, I did buy a small turkey, and I am going to make turkey and dressing and seal-a-meal for later meals.

I am expecting company after Thanksgiving. Not really enthused about that....I don't want company staying for extended visits. He is a long time friend of about 50 years that Jody and I knew. He is bringing his cat too....he has time on his hands and probably plans to stay awhile. We'll see.................

Working on the holiday. My daughter and her boyfriend are coming on another day for dinner. Not sure when yet.

Going to our daughter and SIL's a few miles from us. There will be 8 adults and 2 kiddos. Much different from last year. I'll be taking pies and not sure what else yet.

We're planning on going to Elmer's Restaurant in Palm Springs, but they do not take reservations. At the moment, restaurants in Palm Springs require proof of vaccination to enter, and so I will feel relatively safe there. I'm getting my booster tomorrow, and I'll encourage Kevin to get his this week as well, if possible.

Elmer's is a chain restaurant that started in Portland, and most of its locations are in Oregon, but it does have three in Arizona and three in Idaho, but Palm Springs is the only one in California. The food is very good, however, except that they have no idea how to make Mexican or Tex-Mex food, and so I avoid that on the menu, which is fine, since I get authentic versions of that easily in other places, although I generally make my own. They make a very good Cobb salad. It tends to get crowded on holidays (even 4th of July) and week-ends for brunch, which is why I will want to try to get a reservation. If we do not go for breakfast or lunch, we should be okay. They've never been busy at dinner, but I would want to go around noon or maybe 11.

I don't want to cook because there will only be two of us. If we do not go to Elmer's, we might just make pizzas instead or else pick up some tamales at Cárdenas Market.

We'll be going to Cathedral City the week-end before TG, and hopefully we will be able to avoid traffic. I think we'll be okay if we leave L.A. very early Sunday morning. In the past, we've driven on TG day, and that also has light traffic, except for last year, when a portion of the freeway got washed away in a flash flood in Redlands. Driving in the rain is never good here.

Just the two of us. I get up around 5am to start making the stuffing. 25lb turkey has been purchased. I purchased bacon, organic canned pumpkin & whole cranberry sauce. I'm making pumpkin cheesecake the day before.

A 25# turkey sounds like a lot for two people. In the past, I have bought a single turkey breast or one turkey thigh when cooking for just two people. I may have bought two thighs for two people, as we like dark meat. I'll have to look for turkey thighs when we get to Cathedral City, as I do not always find them.

Probably just my two brothers. We may have to coordinate with DS and his GF, since she also has her parents with their two households. We like doing midday meals, which works well for my brothers, too, who don't like to drive home to the city in the dark.

@Lars....We "love" turkey. I freeze leftovers then make: turkey pot pies. Turkey white chili. Turkey sour cream enchiladas. Turkey sandwiches. It's a healthy white meat! ☺ I make Italian Shepherds pie with the left over mashed potatoes. Muffins with the cranberry sauce. My husbands really skinny; he eats a piece of cheesecake before going to bed "and" a piece for breakfast! Yum! It disappears quickly! ☺

I don't mention ALL that we do, being super busy, we need the calories. ☺ ie: ran 5 miles today...now tearing out the master closet to put down bamboo planked flooring. It's BEAUTIFUL "and" the carpet is worn out.

I am super excited for the holidays. i’ve just closed my cafe / catering business and for the first time in over 30 years i won’t be madly working on holiday plans and food for others. we’ll travel to Rehoboth DE to see family. My neice / godchild is turning 50 ( i was a teen when she was born). i must find a bday and bread and butter gift but otherwise i am fancy free!

Slightly up in the air, which is weird for us. Leaning toward home with the kiddos who will be returning from school/abroad and whatnot. I was hoping to go to Napa, but my youngest has a real preference for being home this year, which is fine also.

We will have some friends over. I will order the meal from a caterer in all likelihood. Cooking was never my favorite activity, but the long spell of making three meals a day during Covid has used up all he patience I have with that activity from here on out.

Oooh, I wonder if any of the ski resorts in Tahoe will be open early this year. Youngest would change his mind if skiing were on the agenda.

We are having a big family thing. My youngest niece's birthday is the day before and she and her family are flying in from NY for a week. First time we've seen them in going on three years!! My sis (her mom) flies back regularly but the rest of us west coasters miss out.

The actual T'Day dinner will just be them and us locals. Rest of the extended family are off and about at inlaws, etc. but we will see them at some point over the weekend.

My other niece and nephew will host and cook the turkey and the rest of us will provide all the sides and desserts. My fam loves its potlucks and requests are made for specific dishes but experimentation is always welcome :-)

It's just coming too Fast! I will have my family here as every year, just 7 of us.

Big Bear is supposed to open for skiing the day before Thanksgiving, and so I expect that the ones in Tahoe will be open by then as well. If I did know how to ski, I would probably do it at Big Bear. Some people ski on Mt San Jacinto, but I'm not sure whether that is legal or not, as it is really too steep and too treacherous, even though it is much closer to Palm Springs.

Nicole, I love turkey also, and we eat it all year - not just at holidays - and I also make dressing throughout the year, and so it does not seem seasonal to me. I sometimes make it with grits instead of cornbread, and that makes it even easier.

I'll be making homemade mac and cheese for the first time for Thanksgiving dinner, this year. I was asking my daughter's boyfriend what he liked to have and that was mentioned. He's a little picky about the food he eats so I'd like to have more than one or two items he will eat. My daughter usually has it at her father's house but it was never something we had.

I now wish I had bought a smaller turkey but I can freeze the leftovers and make other meals with it. I was expecting 5 people but now only 3, and my daughter won't eat the turkey. Nicole, would you like to share your turkey sour cream enchilada recipe? I have one for chicken enchiladas but would be interested in how you make yours'.

My daughter's boyfriend loves yeast buns so am thinking of making homemade ones. I haven't made them in years, usually buy frozen Sister Shubert ones. I have all the ingredients and now have a machine that will knead the dough for me so it may not be as much of a hassle as before.

Thank you, Lars. I am seeing what can get done now.

I have no idea. Its so frustrating. As the one who will do most if not all of the cooking, you would think I would be kept in the loop. If there is a family gathering, either mom or my oldest sister hosts it. I asked my mom if there would be one and her response was "its too early." So I had to put my foot down and tell her that if she wants me to cook I need to know in the next few days or I would make other plans. I got no response. GGGRRRRRR! I am working a LOT of overtime this month. A LOT. I am only off for 5 days this whole month, so I need to PLAN grocery trips and cooking marathons and I need cooperation from the beneficiaries of my labor! Makes me wants to scream!

If it turns out that there would be no official family meal, I would be completely happy staying home and cooking just for me and SO like I did last year. The only difference is last year I had to work that night, and this year I am allegedly supposed to be off, though I do work the night after. I have a nasty feeling that the person that is supposed to be working Thanksgiving night is going to call in and I will have to, but I have no sound reasoning for that feeling. So I try to ignore it. I would not care if I had to work Thanksgiving or any holiday for that matter, I usually do because everyone else wiggles out of doing it. I just like to know ahead of time. I am no snitch. And I would be MOST GRATEFUL that if they were indeed planning on calling in sick, they would let me know now so that I could prepare.

So my plans are to cook and to eat. The where, the what and the with who are still up in the air.

I'm envious of you folks having turkey! None to be found here. We'll probably roast a chicken.

@Kathsgrdn:

Chicken or turkey Sour Cream Enchiladas (Recipe by request)

24- 5" corn tortillas

16oz sour cream

4oz diced green chilies/mild

2 cups white sauce made from scratch w/ a dash of chicken bouillon added(the original recipe called for a can of cream of chicken soup)

2.5 lbs cooked turkey or chicken(deboned and skinned)

8oz colby cheese grated

In a mixing bowl combine ALL ingredients except tortillas, chicken or turkey and cheese. Roll an index finger sized piece of turkey or chicken up in each corn tortilla, place in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover in sauce. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes covered until bubbling hot and cheese is melted. Serves about 6. Keep a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Can be garnished with sliced jalapenos.

Well, looks like it WILL just be me and SO at home this year. My mom and dad are going 3 hours away to my brothers house. It seems that as 2 of his girls work retail jobs, they cannot travel on Thanksgiving. They all usually come to my moms, but not this year. So I will plan the same menu as last year.

My sister will most definitely invite me to her house, and ask me to make a dish or two. I will make her a dish or 2 to help out, then come home and cook for us.

Looking forward to it!

Thanks Nicole, very similar ingredients to mine!

I plan to cook, but I do not know for how many yet. This year is a bit complicated. One daughter is having surgery next week and may not be up to doing her usual of dining early at her in-laws and then joining me. Another is just getting re-grounded after a very stressful divorce, mothering 3 kids, moving back to her home city, buying a home, and entering the workforce after 15 years. She and the kids are doing very well but she is day to day in her planning. I can be flexible and will support whatever best works for my girls.

@lisam Have a good time in Rehoboth Beach. I may be there Thanksgiving weekend too. Hope the weather is good for walking on the boardwalk and outlet shopping.

@User, @Kathsgrdn Is there a recipe for the white sauce?

The enchiladas sound delicious and I think my family will enjoy them.

I'm going to work that day. Work will have the Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings so I'll eat turkey that day. Otherwise it's just another Thursday to me. .

@happy2b…gw....Here's a basic white sauce recipe Double it for 2 cups. Instead of salt I add one Goya chicken bouillon cube. ♥

Just got a 12lb turkey for $8 at Safeway yesterday. It was the smallest one we could find. For 44 years it has been the 2 of us, then when our son was born, just the 3 of us. No family close by. I usually did most of the cooking with DH helping, but this year he will be doing it because of my Parkinson's tremors. I want to help, so will try to do things like mash the potatoes, make the plain cranberry sauce,, bake the frozen pumpkin pie. Just can't use a knife to cut anything or can't measure anything so buying premade things like the pie.

We'll most likely have Thxing for 2 at home. Before covid we'd eat out at a Thxing buffet offered by a local restaurant, but not again this year.

A question about turkeys - Are the 10 lb birds the same age as 20 lb birds? I ask because (as with chickens) the younger the bird the more tender the meat. I would assume that the smaller turkeys would be younger and more tender, dunno?

I wasn't really planning on cooking a dinner for a lot of people. I think my daughter who lives nearby was going to cook for her family, my bachelor so and me. However my son who lives 200 miles away asked if they could come here and also celebrate their little girls birthday. Of course I said yes. I think I have all the non perishable and frozen items purchased. I'm going to try to do as much as I can ahead of time. Today I chopped up the onions and celery for the stuffing and froze them in ziploc bags.

Are the 10 lb birds the same age as 20 lb birds?

Interesting question, so I googled and yes, the bigger birds would be about a month older if (and only if) they are the same breed. But I don't know how that translates into tenderness for poultry. Here's two bits I found:

"Most turkey breeds will mature between 14-22 weeks of age, which means you will need to purchase birds early in July to make sure they have enough time to grow. Heritage breeds will take a bit longer, 25-30 weeks, so those birds would need to be purchased in late May or early June"

"How Long Does it Take to Raise a Turkey? If you are raising BB turkeys, they will reach butchering weight faster than a heritage breed. I found that in about 3 1/2 months I had Broad Breasted turkeys that dressed out at around 12-14 pounds. After 4 1/2 to 5 months they dressed out in the 15-19 pound range."

Thx nickel, still I wonder if the younger turkey would be more tender than the older bird? Maybe one month wouldn't make much of a difference? A tender turkey is a rare breed indeed, but no matter it's age?

"For 44 years it has been the 2 of us, then when our son was born, just the 3 of us."

You had a son after 44 years of marriage?