Yes, every year we go to our cabin in the woods, no indoor plumbing, except for a double sink to wash dishes in. I take a big turkey and BIL use to smoke a turkey, he died in April so, 1 Son in law will do it this year in his honor. I make mashed white potatoes, dressing, and turkey gravy, brown n serve rolls and frozen corn, DD is my assistant and always helps me. Desserts we make at home on Wednesday and take with us. She makes from scratch 2 big carrot cakes, and 2 big cheesecakes and I make about 7 or 8 from scratch Pumpkin pies, apple pie and cherry pie. We have tons of leftovers and eat desserts for breakfast Friday morning and have egg,bacon and cheese bagel sandwiches.
My saying is " The important ones we be there". I've said for years.
With 4 deer hunters someone makes something with fresh deer meat as an appetizer and we have a veggie tray.
We have lots of leftovers because everyone but me is dieting. I don't think a day off hurts anyone. Only time of year I eat turkey.
Anyone that wants to come does. I started this when our three kids still lived at home, about 1979 or so and we just keep doing it. Sister in law, DD and DSIL do dishes and I insist on using real plates, paper plates are not allowed. Everyone loves my cooking, except SIL, she is a vegetarian, doesn't eat turkey, I make her a dish of dressing with no turkey or italian sausage.

We will have 2 sons and wives here. Don't know about DD. One son lives about 30 minutes away, the other in D.C. We'll have the traditional turkey and all the trimmings with lots of help from DDILs. No grandchildren involved. They are all married and living too far away. We will have fun with our new cat (they both have cats at home). And we will miss those who are not with us, be thankful for our many blessings, and pray for peace so our service men can come home...DS is in the Navy and at the Pentagon.

My 30 year old daughter is having her first Thanksgiving for her boyfriend, my hubby and myself. Yah!!! We use to have many friends over but they either moved away or like my very best friend, they died.

I go "home" to Ohio for Thanksgiving and stay here for Christmas. Hopefully my boys will both make it this year again. Last year I had the flu for 10 days and slept right through Christmas. My daughter said it was the worst Christmas ever. The boys said it was weird without mom!

First time in 13 years my Dh will be home for Thanksgiving(he is giving up over the road driving YIPEE) and we just bought our first home in July so we are having Thanksgiving and Christmas here.I plan on 13 for Thanksgiving and only DH sister and her husband(maybe) but Dh Sister willbe here. So maybe just three for Christmas oops I forgot my mom lives here now too. So four For Christmas maybe five.

Meals already planned out.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's all about the people and being thankful for the love. We make a "Thankful Tree" (drawn on paper and hung on the wall), and throughout the day, family and friends fill out pre-cut leaves with notes of what they are thankful for. These are read during dinner. I always cook Thanksgiving. Sometimes at our house, sometimes in NC at our daughter's. I make 3-hour turkey (just posted it today in the recipe section), stuffed with a dressing dating back to at least my great grandmother. Mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed corn, rutabagas, and shrimp salad. It is the menu my grandmother grew up with. lol... It's so traditional that any variance sends my family into moans of, "What happened to the tradition???" hahaha... It's quite fun. I bake two pumpkin pies, and one mincemeat. In recent years have added Pecan Pie, to spoil my southern son-in-law.

My brother from Texas is coming for Thanksgiving, and he has never met my family. Some of you know the story about how my brothers found me 10 years ago. I have been to Texas a few times, but have not seen any of them in 4 years. I am so excited for him to be coming, and he will be here exactly four weeks from today. I have alreay started pulling our the Christmas stuff so everything will be ready for him. We are celebrating both holidays while he is here. Will be having a houseful for the holiday and cannot wait!!! Am also making Christmas presents for him to take back to his family. Oh dear.....I am so excited!!

Both our families are distances away, and with DH in Chemo andd Radiation. We will be staying home, but we are already Thankful that we have that option

Ummmm, do they contribute to the meal? If they don't, make sure you ask them to! If they only come to eat and leave, why should you be miserable and in pain when they leave? Do they help clean up after the meal--clean off the table and do the dishes? If not, tell them you'll make dinner if they clean up!Remember too, that getting your house back in order can be done another day--believe me, unfortunately, it will still be there! LOL Sounds to me like you're being asked to be a slave to children who don't take care of their mother, nor appreciate the effort. And why can't one of them make dinner with YOU as a guest? Tradition is great, but not at the expense of your health.

Oh I love the Thankful Tree idea! What an awesome tradition to make! It gets everybody thinking about the beauty in their lives instead of whining their woes. What a gift to give a child. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to borrow the idea.

Bought cranberries. Does that count? I know it will be at my house and 15 to 17 people or more and I will be cooking. Maybe I should be making plans or at least shop?

You just have to make the food that you CAN eat in a splendid new way! Use a different seasoning or prepare them in such a way that they taste new or festive to you. You can do that without sending hubby into a diabetic coma--moderation is key top everything we do in life. Same thing goes for colitis--you can splurge for ONE day of the year, just a bit. There are tons of recipes on the internet that should fit your needs. Dress up the table and you're all set! You may have to think about Thanksgiving in a new light, but that's not always a bad thing. Enjoy the company and don't put as much emphasis on the food end of things. Don't lose sight about what the holiday is about.....

Nah, you have a month yet! LOL

LOL I have been blissfully ignoring the fact Novemember is around the corner. Besides that there are three more birthdays and Halloween inbetween. I am too busy quilting and visiting this site. LOL

Ditto. Hoping and praying for a wonderful Thanksgiving no matter what your circumstances.

Just some ideas for you.Hope you don't mind.My DH and I are diabetic.We have turkey and dressing made with 100%whole grain whole wheat bread, we have sweet potatoes with Sugar free syrup on them and I make a sweet potatoe pie without the crust. It is very good and tastes like pumpkin pie(honest!)(or you could make a crustless custard pie) We usually have green beans, and apple salad made with apples, bananas, walnuts & grapes.Then we put SF Cool whip in it and blend it all together and it is yummo!Or we use SF pudding and make it then add the cool whip makes a delicious fluffy desert.(Mousse)
Your vegetarian daughter could eat everything but the turkey.
Hope this spurs some ideas for a very bessed Thanksgiving luncheon or dinner :thumbup:

I just remembered I make a nut crust sometimes too.Then put SF jello 1/4c hot water in the jello then add 8oz of cool whip and blend then pour that into the cooled nut crust. put in fridge and let set.It is is delicious.( I always get asked for the recipe when we have company)If you want the nut crust recipe PM me. :thumbup:

normally it is me cooking and as many that can make it home, do. I love to cook for them. (And I clean up since we use all the crystal and I don't want it broken)

this year- I really want to visit my dd and sil and gs in Las Vegas. Haven't seen them since May and not sure when we will again. I wanted to go for New years but they are going to his parents for Christmas (don't get me started- I wanted them here- snooty little MIL bought the tickets and then told them what she did- swear it was because I wanted them here). I would like to go by myself but hubby is giving me the guilt trip. I think they would be fine without me- someone would make sure he and ds would be invited someplace. But....

I don't know what to do- I really miss my dd and gs.

While I go to dinner at my sister-in-laws, I still cook a complete dinner at home. I like me cooking and there are somethings I like she never has. She does not want us to bring other things.

For 10 years I "arranged" all my holiday dinners around my sons schedules with friends and in laws. They either did not show up on time or did not show up at all, no phone call. Food for 12 bought, cooked and stuffed back into the fridge. Year before last they showed up on Christmas with car loads of friends in tow (no notice) for "dessert", they stayed for less than 30 minutes and left a mess of half eaten plates and drinks all over the living room, dining room and kitchen. 8 homemade pies wasted. I ended up exhausted with a headache. Last year I said NOTHING. The weekend before Thanksgiving both sons, DIL and xDIL asked what time lunch was. My evil twin came out.(Imagine the parking lot scene from Fried Green Tomatoes) lol, I politely explained that I had planned my meals for years around their schedules and they were rude & did not respect me enough to call that they were going to be late or not coming. Therefore I had decided that this year your Father and I are going out for lunch. You are welcome to join us if you are willing to pay for your own meal and be responsible for your children... They were dumbfounded..... Hubby and I had a very nice time and left the waitress a rose & a large tip. At Christmas DS came to my house to open presents and made plans with friends for dinner.
This year I am thinking that I want to Give Back and serve at the homeless shelter at Thanksgiving. No plans yet for Christmas.:)

Probably going out for dinner...cooked for 50+ years so enjoy being served..

.....BUT......

still cook a turkey breast, stuffing and a pumpkin pie........

what would Friday be without a turkey/stuffing/cranberry sauce sandwich?

mj

Good For You, they didn't deserve all the labor and love you put into the food and hospitality you offered them and their friends. Enjoy your Holidays whichever way you Want.
May in Jersey

We used to alternate who had Thanksgiving dinner, but it seems that I end up with it more and more. That's fine with me, I do most of the cooking anyway! Our family isn't perfect, my husband hasn't seen his sister and her family for about five years and they live less than two hours away from us...long story that I won't go into here. So it's just me, hubby and his mom (his dad passed away 12 years ago)...but we have been inviting friends to join us.
As for the meal itself we have turkey, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes, skillet corn and cranberry slush punch...yummy!

If you lived closer you could have spent Christmas with me. It is just me and my 2 children there is no family and I have no friends since moving to Ohio.

When we first got married my husband would have me start inviting his family in August for Thanksgiving, that way he knew I would be doing most of the cooking. He couldn't stand the way anyone else in the family cooked, and didn't want his holiday dinner ruined.!! LOL.. He knew it was a lot of work for me, but after dinner, he always made sure he was in charge of cleanup and had everyone else pitch in so I could sit and visit. Gotta luv him!!!

The same things goes for you that I wrote above only Thanksgivng instead of Christmas you could have had it with me.

You are right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You had thanksgiving the other day minus the cranberry sauce.

;) ;)

I forgot, I have to have cranberry sauce, can't eat turkey without it.

My DH can't eat turkey without slices of that canned cranberry sauce covering it, somehow he thinks the turkey is the conidment not the cranberry sauce, LOL! May in Jersey

Right On Mimito2!!! I've always thought about serving at a homeless shelter also.

We are going to a nice restaurant with long time friends but I always cook a small turkey, dressing, cranberry/cherry salad and of course pumpkin pie for Friday and rest of the weekend. I agree, what would we do without a good ole turkey sandwich..............

Hoping we will be home by then for a real Thanksgiving dinner with family if not then to Home Buffet with husband and kids.