Tell me about your NON traditional Thanksgiving plans...

[Peaceseeker]

Talk to me about Chinese take out and not eating turkey or any other non traditional Thanksgiving day plans. I have to work- same as every other year. It's not my favorite holiday so I am ok with it. Curious what others are doing who don't do the traditional things. Someday when I don't work, I might cook a traditional Thankgiving feast for all my friends and family. Or I may order takeout and stay home in my pajamas. Give me your non traditional ideas to ponder!

[KungFuPanda]

When MIL doesn’t supervise us, we do themes. One was breakfast for dinner. I remember mimosas, sweet potato pancakes, hash brown casserole, and ham. Quiche got involved somewhere. It was fun.

[Night Elf]

We're not doing Thanksgiving this year. It's such an insignificant holiday for us that none of us care we aren't having a full sit-down meal. DH is working the late shift, noon to 9:00pm this week so we thought about doing it on the weekend. Dd came home from college on Sunday and I could have cooked then, but it's only 3 of us eating and it just seemed like too much trouble to go to for 3 people. In the past we've cooked ham because I'm the only one who likes turkey and ham is not my favorite so I wasn't about to bring in anything more than deli ham for Thanksgiving. Dd is going back to college on Saturday so we can't do it then either. We're all okay with the decision.

 

To be honest, we don't have a formal sit-down Christmas meal either. My family does but we never go there because it's just too much trouble. Usually what we do is each pick a favorite food and pull them all together on Christmas day. One year we had chicken tenders, spaghetti, and hot dogs. That was a memorable year. Things are more tame now. The kids usually say 'just whatever you want mom' which drives me nuts. My kids just aren't into holidays period.

[MotherGoose]

This isn't me but I would love to go! My sister is a single professional and lives in another state, and has to work thanksgiving. She and some other friends out there are having a gourmet dinner at her house, complete with a menu. They are getting together to cook probably tonight, drinking wine, having a great time!

[KungFuPanda]

Oooh, one year my sister and I did an all day appetizer buffet. The kids loved it. We just kept the food coming in waves. It was great.

[Junie]

We do an almost traditional dinner.  I buy rotisserie chickens from the grocery store.  We have instant mashed potatoes (which the kids prefer), stovetop stuffing, canned cranberry sauce.

 

It's nearly the same food and it takes less than half an hour to prepare.  

[wendy not in HI]

Our friends do smoked ribs and all the fixin's.  They are joining us and bringing the ribs, beans, cornbread, etc.  We are doing the regular stuff, though smoking the turkey, so it should be a fun mix of things.

 

Yum!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our international family has an international feast. I’m thinking of making empanadas this year.

 

 

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[Annie G]

We have  lasagna on Thanksgiving unless we have relatives visiting, which is pretty rare since they all live 850+ miles away.  We usually  hang out in pajamas, each doing our own thing (I sew, dh reads) , and then at night we watch Christmas Vacation.   On the night before Thanksgiving we always watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  

 

We also do not do Black Friday shopping. I don't like shopping so I really don't want to do it with crowds. 

[marbel]

We are having mostly traditional foods but not in a traditional setting.  We rent a cabin in a state park and spend the holiday there, just the 4 of us.  It's wonderful.  I'm going to roast the turkey at home early tomorrow morning, carve it, pack the estimated needed amount aside for Thursday dinner in the cooler, and toss the carcass and the rest of the meat in the freezer to deal with when we get home on Sunday.   My son is making his necessary corn casserole tonight.  I'm picking up pies later.  

 

Prepping is a huge hassle - we have to pack as if for camping - the cabins have furniture and the major appliances, but we have to bring bed and bath linens, all kitchen supplies, the all-important coffeemaker, etc.  But once there, it is lovely.   And there is no wi-fi and no tv so we hike, play games, read...

 

 

[AK_Mom4]

Big Dinner this week is on Wednesday night - prime rib roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, roasted butternut squash.  This is so we can eat leftovers for all four days (assuming they last that long!) during the holiday weekend.

 

After a big discussion about a fancy feast-type meal, we all agreed we only wanted the meal for the leftovers.  There are only 3 of us who will be around on Thursday since DS21 has an invite to spend the day eating and playing games with friends.

 

DH, DD16 and I will probably go see a movie on Thursday or else go out skiing.  We have tickets to see Howl's Moving Castle in the theater on Sunday afternoon.

[Kassia]

My kids always want corned beef for Thanksgiving so that's what we have.  It's not easy to find corned beef in November!  Other than that, we have a pretty traditional meal.  I prefer turkey over corned beef, but I'm happy as long as we have stuffing.  We usually decorate for Christmas on Thanksgiving, too - that started when my kids started college and wanted to participate in decorating before heading back to school.

 

 

[bethben]

My friend is having popcorn, ice cream, and warmed up chick-fil-a chicken nuggets while they pile into their parents bed and watching movies. Sounds like a dream(except the piling into mom and dad’s bed—my children are too big).

 

 

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[amo_mea_filiis.]

I have to do a small traditional, which I hate, because we don’t even like turkey all that much.

 

So my turkey gets boobs.

 

If I didn’t have to go traditional, we’d probably have a junk food fest.

[Random]

We usually go camping.

[Zebra]

We are vegetarians.   I also usually make a lot from scratch all the time, and don't feel like doing a lot of work and having to clean it up on yet another day.  Plus, I have an insanely dysfunctional family that I now have nothing to do with, so Thanksgiving is a low key quiet day for us.

 

I have a great vegetarian stuffing recipe with beans and stuff that I make, it's really a meal by itself.   Martha Stewart claims it's "dressing" if it's not put in a bird, but as a New Englander I can't accept that dressing is anything but what you drizzle on salad  :laugh: !   I buy premade sides, and we have cheesecake instead of pie.   A few years ago we had the stunning realization that we all hate pie.  

 

We also try to come up with some sort of "movie marathon" theme.  This year we're going with Thor 1&2.

 

I find Thanksgiving to be a really stupid holiday.   It's not like we need another day where we pig out, watch TV, and have a stampede at Walmart.   :leaving:

[Selkie]

Oooh, one year my sister and I did an all day appetizer buffet. The kids loved it. We just kept the food coming in waves. It was great.

 

We do this on Christmas...fancy appetizers and desserts. It's great!

[MEmama]

We often make ethnic food, something we've never made before. None of us are remotely interested in the stuff other people eat for Thanksgiving or understand the appeal at all.

 

For Christmas Eve we order takeout. It was Chinese food for ages but we've recently switched to Indian. We get enough so we can have leftovers on Christmas. I'm all about easy and stress free. :)

[Lecka]

I am cleaning and my husband is cooking. He is roasting a duck. He has his menu planned and I went with him to shop for food on Sunday. It's just my family of 5, I think we will have a nice time.

 

I want a ham for Christmas, though. And I will make a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. I enjoy making breakfast casserole.

[ktgrok]

Oooh, one year my sister and I did an all day appetizer buffet. The kids loved it. We just kept the food coming in waves. It was great.

 

I'm a traditionalist but this.this would tempt me. I LOVE appetizers. 

[ktgrok]

 

 

I find Thanksgiving to be a really stupid holiday.   It's not like we need another day where we pig out, watch TV, and have a stampede at Walmart.   :leaving:

 

To be fair, that's not really how Thanksgiving is for a lot of people. At least, I hope it is a lot. We get together with family, spend time discussing what we are thankful for, share family stories, and play games and chat. The only TV we watch is in the morning, the Macy's Parade, which has all sorts of singing and dancing, and then of course we eagerly wait for Santa to appear!

 

It's an all day affair for us, no sitting around watching TV (we cook during the parade) and no shopping. 

 

Actually, that's not true. I often do check the online sales with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate once the kids are in bed. 

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[Zebra]

To be fair, that's not really how Thanksgiving is for a lot of people. At least, I hope it is a lot. We get together with family, spend time discussing what we are thankful for, share family stories, and play games and chat. The only TV we watch is in the morning, the Macy's Parade, which has all sorts of singing and dancing, and then of course we eagerly wait for Santa to appear!

 

It's an all day affair for us, no sitting around watching TV (we cook during the parade) and no shopping.

 

Actually, that's not true. I often do check the online sales with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate once the kids are in bed.

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I'm sure you're right!

[GailV]

We're planning all-day grazing, dressed in jammies, watching movies.  Dh wants to make fajitas, dd wants to do something that involves butternut squash and tahini (I think), other dd probably will want to sleep all day.

 

The next day we have a whirlwind tour of visiting all the relatives.  I'm trying not to think about that part.  :laugh:

[Jenny in Florida]

We are a vegetarian/vegan household, and I'm facing my first Thanksgiving on a gluten-free diet. After a lot of experimenting, we settled into the following menu a good number of years ago:

 

Potato pancakes 

Home-made applesauce

Mashed sweet potatoes

Cornbread muffins with maple-margarine spread

Cranberry relish

Garlic sauteed green beans

Mashed potatoes (because some of us don't like the potato pancakes)

Sparking grape juice

 

We sometimes add some kind of rice or lentil pilaf dish.

 

This year, we're adding a baked macaroni and cheese (because my son's girlfriend is joining us, and it's one of her favorite things) and some "buttered" corn niblets (because it's the only vegetable the GF likes).

 

We often don't bother with desserts, because nobody is hungry by the time we finish with dinner. This year, though, I felt like we needed something sweet. So I'm making a gluten-free apple crisp, and I bought s few slices of cheesecake for those who will eat such things.

 

Our agenda for Thanksgiving always begins with watching the Macy's parade and eating bagels, then playing the first Christmas CDs of the season while I cook and everyone else hangs out and/or plays games.Those who feel inclined to do so may begin putting up Christmas decorations.

 

We set the table with our "good china," which is the Pfaltzgraff Star Trek stuff with the Enterprise insignia. We have a pair of plush (stuffed animal) turkeys who sit on the table. Each place includes a Christmas cracker, all of which must be popped open before the meal begins. We read out each joke and riddle and put on the paper crowns before eating. We always dine by candlelight.

 

After dinner, we might play a board game or watch a holiday-themed movie.

 

So, kind of an idiosyncratic blend of traditional and not, I guess.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We are a vegetarian/vegan household, and I'm facing my first Thanksgiving on a gluten-free diet.

This is our first holiday since DD’s celiac diagnosis. I’m comfortable with gf cooking at home but getting together for a family potluck will have its challenges.

[RootAnn]

DH will be on the night shift. We're having Spanish rice and homemade taco pizza. It'll probably be a movie day (one or two) plus me & dd#2 working on editing one of her books. There will likely be some backgammon, Stratego, and other games being played by various kids.

 

The kids (especially dd#1) are looking forward to several days when I don't bug them to do school. 

[katilac]

We drive out to our camp and have steak, potatoes, and salad. I got over a holiday creating so much extra work for me a long time ago, lol. Even when we got together with others, each person's  "share" seemed to be quite a bit of work, more than a full regular meal. 

 

It will be cold as heck this year, so less with the 4-wheelers and more with the board games, I'm thinking. Fires, s'mores, etc. 

 

We do like turkey, and dh suggested buying one when we were at the grocery. I told him to have at it, but I didn't feel like thinking about thawing the turkey for days, seasoning it, cooking it, taking the meat off. I like turkey but not that much, lol. He did it all, bless his heart, and I am happy to have turkey meat in the freezer. 

[Cindy in FL.]

We do a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but we don’t do a traditional dinner on Christmas or Easter.

[eternalsummer]

We're doing a venison prime rib instead of a turkey so as to avoid farmed animal products.  I figure it's traditional enough really; the pilgrims probably ate deer, right?

[Seasons]

Family Thanksgiving is held at our house every year. Our tradition is tempura shrimp fondue, shrimp fried rice, and a ginger salad. I have 3 electric fondue pots and we all enjoy a slow meal together. That night we sit down with left over dessert and watch Polar Express.

[Kathy in Richmond]

We're traveling this year & are currently visiting our daughter in San Diego. We've always had traditional Thanksgivings in the past, but not this year. We plan NOT to stress out on Thanksgiving. No cooking! I told her we'd take her out to eat instead. We're currently thinking about Thai food. :)

[kroe1]

We always work the holidays. Food comes from the snack machine for all of us usually.

[emzhengjiu]

We're getting Chinese takeout since my 2 daughters and I have all been sick for several days. No one feels up to cooking a traditional meal and we're not going any where this year. We decided on Chinese takeout because we like it and it's cheaper than a pre-cooked traditional mean from a grocery or restaurant. I'm looking forward to doing nothing tomorrow!

[tdbates78]

We are driving up to DC for the long weekend as tourists. Will spend time in one of the museums and them either carry in Chinese or get a pizza delivered to our hotel room. DH doesn't like Thanksgiving food, my girls are ridiculously picky and I'm kind of bummed about being away from family this year (unusual for us) so I'm fine with nontraditional.

[MBM]

We’re eating bbq at a restaurant.

 

I like the idea of camping. Maybe next year...

[milovany]

For some reason (ones that are good ones, but have interesting timing), I started a master cleanse about 10 days ago and want to continue for a bit longer.  So my Thanksgiving dinner is spicy lemonade.  :)

 

We are eating vegan right now, but are okay with fish, so we're having friends over for a salmon dinner with Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, a grain dish, rolls, corn and some desserts. 

Edited November 23, 2017 by milovany

[SKL]

I am also working, but besides that:

• 1 kid is doing the "turkey trot" 5K in the morning.  There will be 9,000 or more people in the race.
• Then we are planning to go see a building we're planning to buy and rehab.  My kids and I have not seen it yet, but our business partners have.
• Then we will go to a restaurant for lunch.
• Then more work ....
• Later we will go to my parents' house for dinner.  My folks still like to do turkey, though they can't do the big extended family dinners like they used to.  (I should bring some wine ... I always forget until the last minute, might be too late now ....)  As for me, I don't cook and have no plans to start.

 

Edited November 23, 2017 by SKL

[SKL]

A couple years ago, we went to Vegas over Thanksgiving.  Also did the Grand Canyon and Universal Studios - LA.

Edited November 23, 2017 by SKL

[GoodGrief]

I remember working plenty of Thanksgivings back in my days as an RN. I was young and didn't care about Thanksgiving, so it was fine. KFC had a great rotisserie chicken for a couple of years, and I remember enjoying that for my meal!

 

One year my baby was born the night before Thanksgiving. We went home that morning, but I didn't want to cook. I did do the full meal the next day. :laugh:

 

Our most awkward non-traditional Thanksgiving might seem a little dark, but we joke about it now. My daughter was admitted to the inpatient psych unit on Thanksgiving Day, and shortly after arrival they had a meal for all the patients and their visiting family. We had literally just arrived, and there we are all seated family style with our suicidal daughter and 20-ish strangers around this big table with celebratory food prepared by the hospital kitchen. NOT exactly the Waltons! :laugh:

 

The good news is that three years later that daughter is truly thriving, and is off on her own non-traditional Thanksgiving trip with her new husband to Vancouver, BC, where everything will be open on Thursday because...Canada. :-)

 

Another young adult daughter is having a meal with friends at school, then heading out to explore Philadelphia for the weekend.

 

The three of us left at home are having beef instead of poultry, and I just made a caramel apple cake. We've gone cross country skiing on T-giving some years, but will probably just hike with the dogs tomorrow.

[IfIOnly]

Kind of. We're doing traditional but the easy/prepackaged route and not caring about food sensitivities. Changes this year:

 

Canned green beans and soup for GB casserole

packets of turkey gravy mix that we'll add the liquid from the turkey to

Boxed stuffing instead of making our own-stuff in bird rather than separate

Canned cranberry sauce-almost always have made from scratch

Bought roll and pies

 

Potatoes and yams will be cooked regularly.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

 

I am also working, but besides that:

• 1 kid is doing the "turkey trot" 5K in the morning.  There will be 9,000 or more people in the race.
• Then we are planning to go see a building we're planning to buy and rehab.  My kids and I have not seen it yet, but our business partners have.
• Then we will go to a restaurant for lunch.
• Then more work ....
• Later we will go to my parents' house for dinner.  My folks still like to do turkey, though they can't do the big extended family dinners like they used to.  (I should bring some wine ... I always forget until the last minute, might be too late now ....)  As for me, I don't cook and have no plans to start.

 

 

When I lived at home, my mom and I ran the turkey trot 5 or 10k every year.  I have NO IDEA how we managed to do that, then come home and then mom could throw together a complete TG meal for 35 people.  She is obviously magical.  The turkey trots are fun, but SUCH a time suck!!!

[brehon]

I’m on duty today. My partner and I decided to splurge and find either a Chinese or Italian restaurant that is open to eat out. Both of us bring leftovers most of the time; so, this will be a treat.

[Sandwalker]

We're vegans, so we are celebrating with different foods. I love Thanksgiving because it causes me to reflect on how fortunate and grateful I am for the people in my life, and for having been born in an easy place to have a comfortable life.

 

Today we're having a savory pie: has veggies, soy, gravy, yummy crust. Giant halved acorn squash lined w applesauce and stuffed with choice of cornbread or bread/walnut/cranberry stuffing. Asparagus roasted w garlic and lemon. Mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. Cranberry sauce, canned. Sweet potatoes roasted whole and just scooped out, with a little cinnamon, and a bit of maple syrup if needed. Dessert is a raw dessert-type pie that DIL made, has dates, nuts, not sure what else.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, all! I give thanks for the wisdom I find here. :)

[Dmmetler]

We’re hopefully picking up FIL and going to Disney Springs. That nicely avoids my food allergies to Thanksgiving, gives FIL time with his granddaughter and son, and gives DD a sea of Pokestops and a Lego store.

 

My most non-traditional Thanksgiving was 13 Thanksgivings ago, when my predicted January baby decided to show up :). Since Thanksgiving moves, it’s not always on her birthday, but the holiday and DD are definitely associated in my mind :).

Edited November 23, 2017 by Dmmetler2

[kewb]

Living the dream this year since it will just be the 4 of us. Going to the movies. Bringing in Chinese food. Pajamas, eating, and board games.