Thanksgiving Plans

[bmccasland]

Currently no plans. The joys of being single, fairly new in town, and no relatives within 1000 miles. Not that I'd actually want to spend the day with those relatives. The Norman Rockwell painting family is a myth IMHO.

[PamNY]

Beth, that's the perfect Thanksgiving.

I'm continuing my annual tradition of escaping the turkey my SO has decided MUST be cooked in my home. I don't eat meat and the smell of turkey cooking all day makes me physically ill.

The dog and I are going to the home of a sympathetic friend.

[Pax]

Beth - I envy you. As long as my mom is alive thanksgiving will consist of going to her house, eating a meal I don't care for (we don't eat much meat and never eat stuff covered in gravy/cheese/butter), and helping my mom cook and clean up for hours... all while my idiot brother lays on the couch and watches football.

[bmccasland]

But I want the Norman Rockwell family.

Holidays are something to get through. There's all this emphasis on "family" but when yours is disfunctional, it leaves one with very mixed feelings. Members of the club I'm a part of often refer to themselves as a "family by choice," but when the big holidays come around (Thanksgiving and Christmas), then the blood relative family is suddenly more important. Which leaves the rest of us unattached folks out in the rain.

Or maybe it's just me being hypersensative. I've always felt like the odd one out.

So my plea to y'all is, if you know a single person - at work or socially - ask them over. Don't assume that they have holiday plans - their no plan may be because they don't want to cook a big meal just for themselves, but they'd be happy to contribute a dish if they were invited. Some of my best Thanksgiving memories are from pot-luck singles/couples organized dinners. Not being forced to sit beside the cousin you never liked!

[VeganBikeChick]

I agree, Beth. If I wasn't working I'd invite everyone without family over. My best holidays have been those shared with non-family members

[Pax]

I agree, Beth. If I wasn't working I'd invite everyone without family over. My best holidays have been those shared with non-family members

Ditto. When my bio family was going through their six year phase of don't-let-the-lesbian-near-the-niece, I discovered a "family of choice" among my friends and spent the holidays with either my honey alone of with a gang of friends. It was a far better time.

Then my folks talked my brother and SIL into letting me back into our family life for their sake... now in order to please my parents (just mom now) I endure holidays sitting around with those bigots. Fun.

[PamNY]

So my plea to y'all is, if you know a single person - at work or socially - ask them over. Don't assume that they have holiday plans - their no plan may be because they don't want to cook a big meal just for themselves, but they'd be happy to contribute a dish if they were invited. Some of my best Thanksgiving memories are from pot-luck singles/couples organized dinners. Not being forced to sit beside the cousin you never liked!

I agree it's a good idea to invite people, but don't be pushy. Some people (I am one) hate being forced to follow holiday customs. My best Thanksgivings were with my friends who understood my desire to do something fun.

Super Mexican food at a dive in Queens, or Korean food followed by bowling -- those are my best Thanksgiving memories.

[bmccasland]

I agree it's a good idea to invite people, but don't be pushy. Some people (I am one) hate being forced to follow holiday customs. My best Thanksgivings were with my friends who understood my desire to do something fun.

Super Mexican food at a dive in Queens, or Korean food followed by bowling -- those are my best Thanksgiving memories.

Like Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my Jewish friends?!

[PamNY]

Like Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my Jewish friends?!

Oh, yes! Jewish Christmas is the best.

[OakLeaf]

Well, the downside of ordering a turkey from a local farmer is that she doesn't raise that many, and once she starts the chicks, they grow how big they want to before Thanksgiving week. The "small" turkey I ordered for just myself and DH is 17#. So much for my plans to spatchcock it - I don't know if they even make a pan big enough, and I certainly wouldn't have any other use for one. Looks like I'll be roasting it whole in a foil roaster again this year.

[jessmarimba]

I'm not doing anything. Maybe I'll go to my favorite mtb trails and see how snowy they are & go for a ride or a hike or something.

I don't know if I'd rather spend holidays alone or with someone else's dysfunctional family...it's really a toss-up. Ended up at a college roommate's girlfriend's overly religious aunt's house one year, and I'd rather not repeat that one.

[Owlie]

Well, the downside of ordering a turkey from a local farmer is that she doesn't raise that many, and once she starts the chicks, they grow how big they want to before Thanksgiving week. The "small" turkey I ordered for just myself and DH is 17#. So much for my plans to spatchcock it - I don't know if they even make a pan big enough, and I certainly wouldn't have any other use for one. Looks like I'll be roasting it whole in a foil roaster again this year.

They totally make pans big enough--we get a 20-lb turkey every year (split among four people, and for the last four years at least one other person...plus we freeze the leftovers for easy soup-making). However, if you don't regularly need to cook that much meat...

[OakLeaf]

But do you spatchcock it? You need a WHOLE lot more horizontal space for that.

A food-service-sized baking sheet would be big enough, but I'm not sure one would fit in my oven, and I know I'm not buying one.

[indysteel]

Ditto. When my bio family was going through their six year phase of don't-let-the-lesbian-near-the-niece, I discovered a "family of choice" among my friends and spent the holidays with either my honey alone of with a gang of friends. It was a far better time.

Then my folks talked my brother and SIL into letting me back into our family life for their sake... now in order to please my parents (just mom now) I endure holidays sitting around with those bigots. Fun.

This makes me sad. Pax, I would be thrilled to have you as a sister.

@ Beth, I feel for you. I may be married now, but after many years of being single and dealing with my cr*ppy family, I struggled with the holidays. Even with DH, I have a hard time. Now I get to deal with his family, too. Yay!!! On that cheery note, everyone have a happy and safe holiday!

[MojoGrrl]

We're doing a 200k the day after Thanksgiving, with a fair amount of climbing. I hope I can stay warm enough - went for a training ride today, thought I dressed warmly, and I didn't really *feel* cold, but I noticed I was a lot sorer than usual, which happened to me last weekend after running in almost-freezing cold. My boyfriend uses this warming embrocation stuff and I think I might have to try it.