Thanksgiving dinner where do you go?

[gja1000]

Will she let you bring things that you can fix at your home, so that you are not in her way, but you are contributing to the meal?

Can you do the shopping for her so all she has to do is cook?

If she won't let you cook, maybe she'll let you chop up things she needs for cooking.

Can you do some laundry or something like that to help her out?

If I don't cook, I always clean up - but I bet you already do that. I also set the table, get all the chairs around, make sure all the condiments are out.

[gja1000]

We will be going to my daughter's home. They used to come to our home, but the moved a couple of years ago and her house and kitchen (especially) is much larger than mine - so it is much more convenient.

I'll be cooking the dressing (crockpot) mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, and cranberry salad. My daughter is getting a smoked turkey (a gift certificate from her hubby's supplier). She'll be cooking the sweet potatoes, rolls and pumpkin and pecan pies. My mom will be making noodles.

That is waaaaay toooo much food - but believe it or not, it is pared down from what we usually do.

[Marilyn]

We have Thanksgiving at our house. This will be the first year that Melissa will not be here. We encouraged her to spend the day with her new hubby's family. They celebrate his paternal grandmother's birthday on Thanksgiving afternoon, and her health is not the best. She has cancer, it's been in remission, but I've heard she isn't doing as well now and all she wants for her birthday is to have all her family there. Melissa and her hubby will be coming for the weekend and I've promised to have leftovers and pie for them.

Karen will be coming, and we have invited some friends who will not be celebrating with their families to join us this year. So it should be a nice day. We take the cooking very seriously and roast turkey with stuffing, mounds of mashed potatoes & giblet gravy, broccoli, corn, mashed spiced sweet potatoes with marshmello's and pecans, sour cream and lettuce for salad, cranberries. For desert, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. The cooking is always a joint effort between me, hubby and anyone else who happens to walk by the kitchen. We'll put everyone to work if we can.

I'm taking the day off before to get the house and everything ready for the big day. This is Karen's favorite holiday.

[judy]

Originally Posted by gja1000

Will she let you bring things that you can fix at your home, so that you are not in her way, but you are contributing to the meal?

Can you do the shopping for her so all she has to do is cook?

If she won't let you cook, maybe she'll let you chop up things she needs for cooking.

Can you do some laundry or something like that to help her out?

If I don't cook, I always clean up - but I bet you already do that. I also set the table, get all the chairs around, make sure all the condiments are out.

I can do a lot of the shopping, and set the table, clean up, but probably no chopping! I think that since I take the kids off her hands while she is preparing the meal, I do help a lot. I just hate to see her work so hard. She makes all of the holidays. People sleep over, there are lots of meals to prepare, and inevitably fighting among my SIL's family. My ex-husband also has hissy fits at times.

I think I'm just suffering from mother's guilt. Watching the kids helps a lot.

[Janet]

We will be staying home. I've fixed the meal for the last several years for my husbands side of the family, but not sure if any are coming this year. If not...it will just be the three of us. My Mom always has it at her house, but we have never enjoyed it. Too crowded in her very small house and too much drama. I'm still fixing all the goodies though...we'll just have plenty of leftovers if no one shows up.