Are you hosting Thanksgiving?

[Genie+]

We used to host big ones. We’d turn our dining room table 90 degrees, add in the leaves and also add another long table to the room. Just barely fit but worked great! Kids table around the corner in the kitchen.

It’s been a few years since we last hosted a big holiday get together. This Thanksgiving will just be us 5 to host. It’s still about the same amount of effort because I used to keep the big shindigs tried and true simple. Ham or turkey in the oven, potatoes and a bunch of easy sides. Charcuterie and fruit to open. One dessert and guests added there.

Now DH and one son decided they don’t enjoy turkey. They are crazy. Slowly Thanksgiving has turned into this gourmet fest. I miss the classic. Might just do what I want this year

 

[HeatherC]

OP here. So we are now up to 20. I just went to Walmart to get all the fixings ahead of time. Wound up getting my turkey, Turkey breast and spiral ham as well. Thankfully, I have a huge deep freezer in the basement.

For anyone hosting, I would suggest shopping early if you want to save quite a bit by not buying name brand on certain items. I noticed all the Great Value items were low on several items and one worker did said he wouldn’t count on them having a ton of off brand stock by the time people really start to shop.

As an example, Stove Top stuffing was $2 a box. Great Value was .93….so the name brand was double the price! That was just one item. Just figured I would mention it in case anyone was trying to save some money.

 

[HannaBelle]

I am hosting, we will have 26 people if everyone is able to make it. My adult children will stay over, but everyone else will just come over for the day. My spreadsheet is ready!

Each family is bringing a side and a dessert to share. We will fry 3 turkeys and have 2 kinds of stuffing, 3 types of cranberry sauce, all of the standard sides plus 6 to 8 pies. =D

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

I am hosting, we will have 26 people if everyone is able to make it. My adult children will stay over, but everyone else will just come over for the day. My spreadsheet is ready!

Each family is bringing a side and a dessert to share. We will fry 3 turkeys and have 2 kinds of stuffing, 3 types of cranberry sauce, all of the standard sides plus 6 to 8 pies. =D

That sounds so fun! I hope you have a great day.

 

[HannaBelle]

That sounds so fun! I hope you have a great day.

Thank you, it is always a lot of fun. This will be my 7th year to host. =)

I might have to fry 4 turkeys to have some leftovers. You have to do a smallish turkey when frying but then each kid gets a leg if they want. So it is a win win.

 

[mumto3girls]

Not hosting. One of my sisters takes Thanksgiving. I do Christmas Day. I usually take a side, a tofurkey for my vegetarian and sometimes a dessert. There are usually about 15 of us at her house.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I'm working to give my employees the day off. FIL is going out to dinner with my sister-in-law and her husband. My mother goes to NC to my sister's mountain vacation home along with my other sister and her family. So, our elders are covered....another way of saying...we're off the hook this year . We do Christmas Eve with my family. I usually work Christmas morning, then a quick brunch with my family again....then down to my FIL's with sister-in-laws family as well. This year I'm cooking the lasagna and sausage for the group. Others will bring some charcuterie, shrimp and dessert.

For Thanksgiving Day my husband requested beef bourguignon over mashed potatoes. Perfect to make because I can pop it in the oven in my Le Creuset when I'm home in the mid-afternoon before I have to head back out. We'll probably eat later, around 8pm....probably watch a Christmas movie to kick off the season with that meal, a nice baguette and a good bottle of red .

 

[Lord Manhammer]

We will be hosted by the proprietors of whatever restaurant we end up at.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Nope, my mother in-law is hosting Thanksgiving. I am so glad I am not the one hosting the circus.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Not hosting. We are traveling “back home” for the first time since we moved 4 years ago. The trip will entail a two-days’ drive each way through Washington DC holiday traffic with two young kids and a baby. I’m already regretting this decision. The reasoning behind this trip was purely the sense of obligation to do our part in maintaining family relationships. Clearly, I forgot FaceTime was a thing when I came up with this harebrained idea. I estimate there will be somewhere around 14-18 people in attendance and we will probably just use Whole Foods catering to provide our portion of the meal contribution.

Next week, my son’s school is hosting a Thanksgiving Luncheon for students and their families. Since the provided food doesn’t work with our dietary restrictions, we’ll need to provide our own meals. Cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal for a school lunch seemed a bit *extra* so I’ve decided we’ll have our own Thanksgiving for our immediate family the night before and take some leftovers to the school the following day. So, Thanksgiving, a holiday I couldn’t care less about, has somehow turned into a 3-meal event spread over two weeks this year.

 

[aprilgail]

For the first time in several years we are hosting Thanksgiving and are excited to do so. There will be about 18-20 of us which is actually on the smaller side for our family.

I have just started planning and forgot how much there is to think about. Not only all the food and drinks, but logistics of how many chairs, how do we fit tables, appetizers, sleeping arrangements since some are from out of town, etc.. Looks like it will be a busy couple weeks coming up.

Who else is hosting? Have you started prepping?

My daughter and I decided to "skip" Thanksgiving this year- neither of us enjoys it, cooking all day to have 30 minute meal and then all the cleaning and packing away time- it is just the two of us (I have a brother but he is on his own for the holiday this year!)- my daughters husband goes to his family for the holidays and she comes to me so we decided to go to Foxwoods Casino in CT from Wed-Sat that week- we will have dinner at the hard rock cafe, then do a rage room and after that going to top golf.

 

[darnheather]

Yes, and there will be a grand total of zero guests. I'll be alone on Thanksgiving for the first time since college.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Nope. Just me and DH so we're going to Eddie V's on a complimentary $200 Darden gift card from DH's work as part of a bonus program.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We will be hosting Coast Guard Recruits for Thanksgiving. Joining us will be DSis and her DHoney. So, altogether 8 of us. We will have a Polish Brunch around noon, and turkey dinner at 6.

The program is called Operation Fireside and it’s sponsored by the Red Cross. If you live within 50 miles of Cape May NJ and wish to participate as hosts, please call the Red Cross and ask about it. The current organizers have done it for 4-6 years, and the most recruits they have seen has been 400. When we went to the host meeting, we were told there could be as many as 600 recruits this year.

There are organizations that bring busloads of recruits to their meeting halls, so it is understood that no recruit who wishes to participate will be denied.

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

We will be hosting Coast Guard Recruits for Thanksgiving. Joining us will be DSis and her DHoney. So, altogether 8 of us. We will have a Polish Brunch around noon, and turkey dinner at 6.

The program is called Operation Fireside and it’s sponsored by the Red Cross. If you live within 50 miles of Cape May NJ and wish to participate as hosts, please call the Red Cross and ask about it. The current organizers have done it for 4-6 years, and the most recruits they have seen has been 400. When we went to the host meeting, we were told there could be as many as 600 recruits this year.

There are organizations that bring busloads of recruits to their meeting halls, so it is understood that no recruit who wishes to participate will be denied.

My husband is a Coast Guard veteran. On behalf of my family thank you so much for doing this. It is such a kind and thoughtful thing to open your home on a holiday to recruits. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. People like you are something I am thankful for!

 

[bobbiwoz]

My husband is a Coast Guard veteran. On behalf of my family thank you so much for doing this. It is such a kind and thoughtful thing to open your home on a holiday to recruits. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. People like you are something I am thankful for!

I am sure it will be a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have been hosting since 1998, and usually we have hosted for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last Thanksgiving we had 4 recruits ranging in age from 18 to 26. We also had our Houston family so there were 12 of us.

First and foremost, we tell the recruits to relax, they are allowed to take off their shoes, and they are very happy to do that. Calling and doing Face time with their family and friends takes up much of the time.

Thank you and your husband for the sacrifices you have endured for us!

 

[tasha99]

I'm hosting this year because my parents decided to go to Mexico. They usually have 20-30 people, but I'll only have 7 (we're all scattered into smaller groups with them gone).

 

[jimmymc]

I'm not doing anything special this year on the actual day, but I host friendsgiving the Saturday before. All I need to do is prep mac n cheese and a dessert in advance and bake the day of. Takes maybe 2 hours the day before, 1 hour the day of. A friend brings a turkey fryer and takes care of that, and everything else is pot-luck.

 

[YachtClubWoman]

Technically yes I am hosting. It will be my mom, me and my husband - we are going out and my husband and I will pay for the meal.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

Found out that son, daughter-in-law and our 3 granddaughters are going to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner which I figured they would. Our son is an only child and she has siblings so there’s a lot more people and the girls get to hang with their cousins. I decided I’m not going to go to all the trouble of a turkey and dressing just for the 2 of us, especially having to make my MIL’s homemade dressing that literally takes 2 days to make. Told my husband if he wants it he can make it himself. Naturally he’s not going to do that so we’re just having tator tot casserole made with ground turkey, crescent rolls, cranberry jelly and chocolate cream pie.