MadQuilter

Turkey day is my favorite day as I am an immigrant! Where we spend it depends. This year is most likely going to be at home, just the two of us. I have a Irish Coffe (or something like it) for breakfast and it's all downhill from there - kidding!!!! Pat gets to pick the menu and in all the years he has only once asked for turkey. Usually, it's a traditional German Sunday dinner. We rent movies and enjoy each other's company. It's funny, but when I mention that Pat and I will be alone (the way we like it) people get really weird. They immediately express how sorry they are that we are all alone and then they invite us for dinner at their house. Now when they ask, I just tell them we have plans and leave it at that.

Pat always volunteers to work Christmas. That way, I can ignore the day and let it pass without incident. My girlfriend called me one year and told me that she bought me a CHristmas Tree and she was bringing it over. I asked her what demented fairy was riding her to do such a stupid thing. She said that it was unacceptable to her that I did not celebrate Christmas. I told her that if she actually brought that tree to my house, she was going to be the angel topper as I was fully prepared to .....well, you can guess how she was going to be a tree topper. :twisted:

mytwopals

For Thanksgiving, my DB, DSIL and I go to the casino and gamble away our savings.

But my favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day!

mrs theo

For years now we have gathered for Thanksgiving at 5 pm and on Christmas Eve. I three DD's and with their children and spouses, as well as my parents, my husband's parents, and my sister and brother-in-law, that makes 20 to count on. I have always also had 3-4 extras (someone I run in to that doesn't have a family to celebrate the holdays with). The late Thanksgiving dinner has worked for years because my dd's families all eat an early dinner (around noon). We started celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve when the grandkids started coming so that they wouldn't have to drag the little ones out on Christmas day. I hated that when my kids were small, but felt obligated. Thanksgiving is a full meal with about 10 dishes plus desserts. Christmas Eve I heat a spiral ham from Heavenly Hams and make a pan of scalloped potatoes. The family brings some sides and some snacks and we just munch buffet style. There's always a visit from Santa which makes things really special for the little ones :)

BlueChicken

LMAO
I assume she gave up on the idea of forcing you celebrate christmas?!? ;-)

My ex-husband and I have always split Christmas day with the kids, he has them half the day and I have them the other half. But over the last couple of years we've done year about, so we can take them away. This year is his turn, so hubby and I will be on our own.... and we're really looking forward to it .... much to my mother's horror! lol

MadQuilter

Yes, she did. Now she laughs about it (as can I).

Barbm

Holidays have changed over the years. I've always loved to cook and decorate and go the whole distance to be sure everyone gets exactly what they were asking for.

Now, due to splits in the family, I don't see my parents or brothers and sisters, but continue to have a dinner for my kids and their children. It gets harder each year to get them all together, but I tell them, you know when dinner is each year- just do the best you can to be here.

The evenings I usually crash on the couch and watch mindless TV to keep my mind off the idiots I am related to. I only ever get a call from one sister who delights in calling me earlier and earlier to see if she can actually be awake before me on the holiday. It does set the day of sort of a happy tone, as she is the only one I get along with anymore. But by the end of the evening sadness sets in and I usually get a few tears shed over my brother's passing away and the idiots he has left me behind with.

Overall, holidays are good enough as is, it doesn't take much to keep me happy.

Bill'sBonBon

When I was a child my family always did big on holidays. Easter,July 4th,Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mom always had special stuff. We were a family of 5 poor but not the poorest. Dad always managed to get it all together and Mom always fixed all the trimmmings regardless of what holiday it was.
I taught my Girls Those 4 Holidays were Special. The first 2 years of marriage we had no kids. Went to inlaws or wherever. When I had my DDS it all changed. Both Girls had told me since they have been grown and had Thanksgiving elsewhere instead of with me and their dad,That no one celebrated the holidays like we did as a family. We CELEBRATED The holidays were not just another day. Over the years most of their 4ths,Easter,Thanksgiving,Christmas has been spent with me and their Father. Since we moved to GA. I now have only 1 daughter up here and it is not the same with her sister and familly missing. Grandsons are Grown with Jobs family, responsiblity. So we stay in Ga. and see them in Fl. after the holidays and still have a big blast. This Thanksgiving there will probably be around 16 or so people here. Thought I was going to get by with a 12lb. Turkey. LOL SILs have called to ask if they could come up. Still will miss my oldest and her bunch.
BillsBonBon

May in Jersey

We've been married over 55 years so holiday tradtions and meals have changed over the years. At first we lived near our families but most were spent with my family as my MIL didn't ever do any holidays, especially Christmas. She worked for the phone co. and said she wanted to be at work so people could call their familes to wish each other Merry Christmas, meanwhile that left my FIL and BIL alone for the day. After dinner at my parents we'd visit DH's family for coffee and cake in the evening after MIL got home from work. She began having Thanksgiving once in awhile but a day before one Thanksgiving I found out she cancelled dinner but didn't let us know. By that time we were living in Jersey about 1 hour away from family and I decided that was enough and we'd do holidays at home or with my parents as we felt like it.

Our 3 sons are all married and getting oldest son's wife to commit to a holiday dinner with us was always a problem, she kept hemming and hawing until the day was almost here. Found out after 20 years that she wanted to have all holidays with her parents. Other DIL's and I decided we'd share holidays, one year Thanksgiving would be spent together with one of us hosting and Christmas we'd do or go wherever we'd like on Christmas Day, the next year we'd change holidays. This has worked out very well for us. Oldest son and family are always invited but we no longer worry if they come or decline.

Thanksgiving is always turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh cider from the farm, several veggie dishes, fruit and nuts and lots of good desserts and hot tea (whole family except DH and I are tea drinkers). Host family does the turkey, I usullay take a dip, veggie dish, sometimes butternut squash soup and a dessert. Maybe a roasted turkey breast if there is going to be a big crowd as DIL's also invite their siblings to some of our holiday dinners. Christmas tradtion has become a spiral ham with most of the Thanksgiving sides. Started this when DS#3 was married to Anita whose mother kept a kosher kitchen, no ham, but we all liked the ham and the easy of making it that it's become our Christmas dinner the past 10 years or so.

Gifts have changed over the years also. For years I used to give everyone a Wish List at Thanksgiving and that helped give me ideas for individual gifts. Grandkids are older and money is tighter, and I'm older and hate shopping the malls, so now each family gets a carton of steaks delivered right to their door, and everyone gets a 'little gift'. Last year all 9 grandkids got pjs. Picked up a cart at Kohl's, picked out a nice pair of pjs for each kid, then a little something for their parents and I had my most important gifts bought all in one fell swoop.

I also participate in a Cookie Exchange the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This year we're each making 10 dozen cookies, packed by the dozen. I save most of them for Thanksgiving dessert, or bring them to my cousin Toni's Turkey Soup and Sandwhich Party the day after Thanksgiving. We used to packed our cookies by the half dozen but most of us found that our family nibbled away at them so there were hardly any left to share with others.

Gee all this talk about food has made me hungry, so I'm leaving to eat my dinner. May in Jersey

Rhonda

One thing I learned to make when I was a new wife and mother was how to make homemade bread. Now I make my Sally Lunn homemade bread for Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter. My sons fight over who gets to take the leftovers home. I make 3 large batches and keep a little for us and share the rest between the kids and some friends who live alone. I make them into dinner rolls and they are easy to share that way.

It has become a tradition to make this bread and I am expected to bring it! My son has called and asked to make sure I am making it. As if I would dare not make it!!

Teacher

As we are living in the UK now , we have had to import Thanksgiving as the British don't have it. Its a great time to be with my two daughters, and my son who will bring a new baby this year! We also do Christmas in a big way. We make sure that all jobs etc are done by 4o'clock in the afternoon of Christmas Eve as there is always a televised Carol service from Kings College Cambridge that we watch. We have supper later and usually play games, then go to Midnight Mass. Christmas Day is the best linens, silverware and crystal glasses and my husband cooks the turkey. We spend the afternoon opening presents and playing very silly games. The British also have an extra day called Boxing Day , also a holiday and we get together with friends- and the family still- and generally repeat Christmas Day again. We all dress in our finery, drink lots of very nice wine and eat too much. We get the best of all holiday traditions!