Skipping Thanksgiving?

[MrsDuck]

We went to WDW last Thanksgiving and will be returning this year. We still have the meal but it's a whole different vibe!

 

[ckay87]

I don't find it that difficult to roast a bird and whip up some mashed potatoes or whatever and throw it on the table (but, mind you, I'm no great chef!) So I'd probably do something resembling Thanksgiving, even if it were just me in the house. I'd be much more inclined to "skip" the traditional Christmas. In fact, I have plans to do just that if/when our sons choose not to be home for it. Christmas is a lot of work, most of it relying on people...certain people...actually BEING there. When regular Christmas celebrations are not fun anymore, I'm totally taking that week to travel and explore.

 

[FINFAN]

Skipping? I wish. DH just filled me in on the first of many calls to come, with the drama increasing each time.

 

[soccerdad72]

We're going on a cruise

Last time we did a Thanksgiving cruise, though, we ended up having turkey dinners in the main dining room. Didn't want to - I really planned on having something other than turkey that day (just to be different). But it turned out to be really good, so I'm glad I chose that.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Its just the two of us. I cook a small turkey breast in the crockpot over night. Make Stove Top stuffing and corn. We also have pumpkin pie. Still has the same feel and taste that a big meal would have.

 

[mmouse37]

I can say that I am very thankful that all the family on my side lives close by. An hour out is the most distant. Besides our 3 adult kids, their spouses and kids I have 4 sisters who all have husbands, children, some have grandkids plus my parents. A total of 48 this year. I host every year and another sister hosts Christmas Eve every year. I actually don't mind. Yes, I have to rearrange the furniture to fit in extra tables but we all get along well and there is never drama. We all just have a great day. I set it up buffet style but everyone has a seat. My sisters all bring an app, a side dish and a dessert so all the work is not on me. I do a large turkey, two turkey breasts and a large spiral ham. It all works and we love it!!! Two of our 3 kids live very close and the third lives in Oregon but is flying in to the East cost with her family. We even have relatives of my BIL from Hungary this year.

Maybe in the distant future if people don't want to come we will do something else but for now its a big, loud, happy, crazy day.

MJ

 

[Cubbiecakes]

All of the winter holidays are completely skippable.

All of the elaborate preparation is obnoxious, and obviously aimed at people from the east and north; all of the associated crap (decorations, multi-hour meal preparation, etc.) seems like it was just invented by bored people trying to keep themselves amused while trapped inside their house by snow. (Or preventing families from killing one another)

 

[jevs]

I've skipped Christmas many times we don't do Thanksgiving here, and when I say skip, I mean completely ignore that it is happening

I only do it to cater to my children and my mother, but occasionally I put my foot down and bugger off at Christmas time.

As a side note, the people I see at Christmas are the same people I see on a regular basis throughout the year. I'd probably be happier about the holiday if it actually started in December and not months before, and if expectations were not so high, and if people on the roads were not complete morons driving because the shops will be closing for a couple of days and they feel they have to stock up for months.

 

[jsmla]

Thanks for the opinions!

I caved and bought a turkey yesterday. When it comes down to it I guess I'm a traditionalist at heart and love making a special meal. I'll use the massive amount of leftover turkey to make gumbo for our DD. She's missing Louisiana something fierce.

Hope everyone has a happy Turkey Day no matter how you spend it!

 

[clori]

if people on the roads were not complete morons driving because the shops will be closing for a couple of days and they feel they have to stock up for months.

How many days are your stores closed? Where I live they just close maybe at 6pm on Christmas Eve instead of 9pm and reopen at regular time on December 26th. However I'm usually in my hometown. Kmart, drugstores like Walgreens, Chinese restaurants, movie theaters etc. are open on Christmas Day.

One year my father was in the hospital on Thanksgiving. He should have been home by the weekend but had some complications from heart surgery. The hospital was about 1.5 hours from home. I was in college probably 5 hours from the hospital. When the complications started I really wanted to go visit for the weekend. Then when my Tuesday and Wednesday classes were cancelled by my professors I just didn't want to go back to college Sunday night just to leave again Monday night or Tuesday. I remember having a Monday professor upset that everyone wanted a holiday week and scheduled a test on Monday. I did workstudy for an office connected to the Dean of Students for the College of Education and when my boss found out she had the Dean call my professor to explain that it wasn't a vacation.

My mother, sister, brother and families all went to the hospital for Thanksgiving Day. We had no plans for eating. I think I thought we were just going to the cafeteria though it may have been closed. My sister suggested going to a community Thanksgiving meal that is often held for the poor and we would pay. My brother was horrified. When my father started to fall asleep we ended up going to Denny's because it was close and open. Denny's didn't serve turkey so all I remember is none of us had turkey that year. My father was able to come home Saturday.

 

[jevs]

How many days are your stores closed? Where I live they just close maybe at 6pm on Christmas Eve instead of 9pm and reopen at regular time on December 26th. However I'm usually in my hometown. Kmart, drugstores like Walgreens, Chinese restaurants, movie theaters etc. are open on Christmas Day.

One year my father was in the hospital on Thanksgiving. He should have been home by the weekend but had some complications from heart surgery. The hospital was about 1.5 hours from home. I was in college probably 5 hours from the hospital. When the complications started I really wanted to go visit for the weekend. Then when my Tuesday and Wednesday classes were cancelled by my professors I just didn't want to go back to college Sunday night just to leave again Monday night or Tuesday. I remember having a Monday professor upset that everyone wanted a holiday week and scheduled a test on Monday. I did workstudy for an office connected to the Dean of Students for the College of Education and when my boss found out she had the Dean call my professor to explain that it wasn't a vacation.

My mother, sister, brother and families all went to the hospital for Thanksgiving Day. We had no plans for eating. I think I thought we were just going to the cafeteria though it may have been closed. My sister suggested going to a community Thanksgiving meal that is often held for the poor and we would pay. My brother was horrified. When my father started to fall asleep we ended up going to Denny's because it was close and open. Denny's didn't serve turkey so all I remember is none of us had turkey that year. My father was able to come home Saturday.

Only Christmas Day and some of Boxing Day. We live in the country but independent shops ie the milkbar will still be open for part of the days.

 

[bcla]

Only Christmas Day and some of Boxing Day. We live in the country but independent shops ie the milkbar will still be open for part of the days.

I suppose you get Christmas during summer. That's got to be a different feel than we experience up here. I don't really experience a true winter where I live, but it's still the coldest time of the year.

There's a joke around here commonly used in advertising called "Christmas in July". It's stuff like Santa Claus going to the beach wearing shorts or driving a convertible. So what's the feel of Christmas in Australia?

 

[jevs]

I suppose you get Christmas during summer. That's got to be a different feel than we experience up here. I don't really experience a true winter where I live, but it's still the coldest time of the year.

There's a joke around here commonly used in advertising called "Christmas in July". It's stuff like Santa Claus going to the beach wearing shorts or driving a convertible. So what's the feel of Christmas in Australia?

Damn hot!! When I was a kid and my grandparents were alive we did the whole traditional Christmas - think Thanksgiving in the height of summer. To make it worse the families took it in turns to host and all lived in different directions, I still have vivid childhood memories of driving in a non-AC car in peak traffic for up to two and a half hours to get to my grandparents. When we hosted it, the house was hot for days prior and afterwards due to all the cooking going on. Nightmare!

These days while still hot, we've done away with traditional Christmas lunch and have salads and cold meats which makes more sense.

And while it's all good now as my kids are older, driving them around to see the lights would have to start at 930pm when they were little because it wasn't dark enough which resulted in grumpy little brats the next day.

Boxing Day - we watch cricket, it's the only part of the holiday I really enjoy