Alternative/fun Thanksgiving ideas

[BakersDozen]

We do Thanksgiving...differently. Both dh and I grew up with moms who were so stressed out over creating the perfect meal and who freaked out if any little thing went wrong that we declared ourselves family and drama-free on Thanksgiving a few years back. It's been a hoot! One year we had two HUGE pots - one of mashed potatoes, the other of stuffing. The beverage served was hot chocolate and the pumpkin pies were eaten before the main "meal". :D

 

Another year we had an amazing Asian meal - yum!

 

This year my dc have requested a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: popcorn, toast, jellybeans and hot chocolate, all served on the ping pong table; my 9yod also suggested having a folding chair that is broken (not sure who would volunteer to be Snoopy, though, lol). Of course we would have more filling and healthy food later but doesn't that sound like fun?

 

I'd love any ideas you all might have for alternative and fun Thanksgiving meals. :bigear:

Edited November 2, 2012 by LuvnMySvn

[GWOB]

Oh man! You have the best ideas! I grew up with Thankgiving meals that included politics, religion, and the police (my dad's family is pretty trashy). Keep it low key. Your kids will love you for it. Do a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Forget your extended family. Leave the drama behind.

[Whoareyou]

The only thing I 'make' on T-day is reservations. My mother was much like yours OP and I just can not have the drama in my life. DS and I go out, enjoy each others company and tip about 50%.

*I do the same thing on 12/25 and Easter. Easter is always our favorite chain mexican place and 12/25 is TGI Fridays. Again huge tips and so relaxing.

Sometimes we will go see a movie at the theater - a super duper rare treat.

[Mom-ninja.]

We typically go camping. So our T-day meal is camp fare. I'll make some pumpkin muffins to take along. :D

 

We can't eat gluten and I've found it's just much easier to not participate in extended family meals.

 

Last year I made T-day dinner at my house and invited everyone. Dh's entire family declined because they wanted a "real" T-day meal and I guess gf means it's fake food.

 

My family came over, but my mom decided to bring gluten food over (unannounced) so that others could have "tasty" food. Oh, yeah, people ended up getting gluten crumbs and mess all over my counters and table. Everywhere. It was a nightmare for me. Let's just say that I had a very very close call with almost getting sick. I was angry. Why do people think that my health is less important than their "right" to have gluten in food that I can make gf?

 

I've just decided it's not worth it to me, and we don't participate in family meals. No one even tries to decrease the chance of cross contamination so the message is loud and clear to me. I stay away because I am more important than being polite to extended family.

[lynn]

We have grilled out steak and had baked potatoes, crusty rolls and a big salad. Of course pumpkin and apple pies are a must.

[Mama Geek]

One year it was a beautiful week and dh and I turned down several invites and spent the day on the sailboat sailing. It was probably 75 degrees in VA and we were listening to Christmas carols on the radio. A few years later, I was pregnant, on a month long sail down the Intercoastal Waterway and anchored in Charleston, SC. I don't remember if we baked or grilled chicken and pretended it was turkey. That time it was cold, but both of those are very memorable Thanksgivings.

[Zebra]

I love this idea!

 

There is a certain level of drama that I have had enough of in my life, and I refuse to do the "dysfunctional holiday" thing any more. Now I wonder why I took so long to opt out!

[TheReader]

We've lived outside the US for the last 5 yrs, so we haven't done traditional in that time. Usually we just have the boys each choose 1 favorite food (though, I only have 3, so that still is a manageable amount of food....with 7, might get to be too much work!) and that's what we have.

 

One year it was rice & beans (per the littlest), a hilariously failed attempt at Pavlova (we were studying countries, that was New Zealand....), and stuffed duck (because we could find duck cheaper than turkey....). I think I made some kind of veggie as well just to round it out.

 

Not sure yet what we'll do this year; we're pairing up with another ex-pat family and will split the menu. They're half vegetarian (2 of them are, 2 of them aren't) so I'm sure it will be fun/interesting. She & I will talk menu soon and see what we come up with. I'm thinking maybe this really yummy veggie chili, if it's not too hot.....

[missmoe]

We are opting out of the family drama this year. We are having a meal of dessert and lumpia--per my kids requests.

 

Our dessert buffet:

pumpkin pie

pumpkin cheesecake

brownies

peanut butter pie

Merry Berry Christmas bars

[justLisa]

Well I have to have Thanksgiving food but we are not formal people.

 

We make a ridiculous amount of food. Once it's done we just graze all day and then lay around on the floor like beached whales.

[Tracy in Ky]

We did a crazy (in my family) thing last year and went out to a restaurant for our Thanksgiving meal. It was glorious! :lol:

[justLisa]

That sounds like us. I do not mess with the Thanksgiving dinner though. It is the same every year. I might try one new side dish, but that's it.

 

I think Thanksgiving dinner is the easiest and tastiest thing in the world. :001_wub:

 

I could eat it every single day. Actually I do for several days after.

[Ellie]

We make a ridiculous amount of food. Once it's done we just graze all day and then lay around on the floor like beached whales.

I love you!!!! :lol:

[Ellie]

We rarely have family, because all of mine is either in the Seattle area or on the East Coast. Wonder if I'm missing out on life because there's no family drama?

 

::snort::

 

I do like the big Thanksgiving dinner ("big" being a relative word since there have usually only been four of us, lol), but I did learn that I cannot make everything from scratch on Thanksgiving Day. :-)

 

Since we've been in Texas, we've managed to wangle in a few others who also have no family in town. We play games (Settlers of Cataan is a favorite), and eat, and eat, and eat...

 

Last year I finally realized that one of the families who often comes over (either for Thanksgiving or Christmas, sometimes both) just are not sit-down-dinner types, so last year I served buffet style (although we did sit at the dining room table). I also realized last year that I was standing and cooking in the kitchen while they were all playing Settlers of Cataan. :glare: I enjoy cooking and whatnot, but it's just not fun to work while the others play. So this year, we'll probably have cold turkey cooked the day before, plus side dishes that are easy to cook or warm up on Thanksgiving Day.

 

Anyone who stays too long at my house has to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" around 7 p.m. :)

[magic]

I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner since I was 16 and I now feed at least 18 every year. Even though we have a traditional meal, I am never stressed over Thanksgiving. I do everything I can possibly do ahead of time. On Thanksgiving morning, I get up and have a cup of coffee along with some muffins and scones that I pulled from the freezer the night before. I put the turkey in the oven and then wake up all of the runners who want to compete in the Turkey Trot. I get them out the door and take my time getting ready and taking care of the little ones who have stayed behind. We eat at noon and usually eat buffet style. Dessert is set up buffet style mid-afternoon and everyone is welcome to serve themselves when they want.

 

One fun thing that we do that is different does not involve food but is a family favorite. I pick up the Lego minifigure mystery packs (enough for all the kids and teenagers and a few extras). The night before Thanksgiving we draw numbers to pick teams and then the competitors open their minifigures. The teams have to create a Lego scene that incorporates all the minifigures on the team. The teams meet together to decide on their plan and begin work. They work throughout the day on Thanksgiving with most adults helping out. The final creations are presented late afternoon and awards are handed out (everyone wins). The entire family loves doing this and looks forward to it. All ages can interact and it keeps the kids busy. It is especially fun to have the teenagers be involved. My teens keep their minifigures set up in their room all year long and remember the scenes they worked on with each one.

 

Our extended family prefers to come to our house every year because it is a relaxing and enjoyable time. My sister says that she always leaves feeling relaxed and ready to begin Christmas. I have already started putting meals, sides, breads, and cookies in the freezer so I can enjoy my time with family and not be stressed.

[jenangelcat]

We don't have Thanksgiving drama because it's just dh, the kids and I. This year we went camping for Thanksgiving at a provincial park. They had hayrides and trick or treating for the kids. I may a stuffed turkey breast with a couple of side dishes over the fire and we had pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. It was so much fun that I think we'll do it every year.

[justLisa]

We rarely have family, because all of mine is either in the Seattle area or on the East Coast. Wonder if I'm missing out on life because there's no family drama?

 

::snort::

 

I do like the big Thanksgiving dinner ("big" being a relative word since there have usually only been four of us, lol), but I did learn that I cannot make everything from scratch on Thanksgiving Day. :-)

 

Since we've been in Texas, we've managed to wangle in a few others who also have no family in town. We play games (Settlers of Cataan is a favorite), and eat, and eat, and eat...

 

Last year I finally realized that one of the families who often comes over (either for Thanksgiving or Christmas, sometimes both) just are not sit-down-dinner types, so last year I served buffet style (although we did sit at the dining room table). I also realized last year that I was standing and cooking in the kitchen while they were all playing Settlers of Cataan. :glare: I enjoy cooking and whatnot, but it's just not fun to work while the others play. So this year, we'll probably have cold turkey cooked the day before, plus side dishes that are easy to cook or warm up on Thanksgiving Day.

 

Anyone who stays too long at my house has to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" around 7 p.m. :)

We are in Seattle but don't have any drama :D

 

Maybe that's because it's just us and my parents. I'm usually a freak about cooking but my mom's in charge for Thanksgiving and I do it her way.

 

I love Thanksgiving. :001_wub:

[regentrude]

Well I have to have Thanksgiving food but we are not formal people.

We make a ridiculous amount of food. Once it's done we just graze all day and then lay around on the floor like beached whales.

 

Same here. We are not even American, but it is a holiday that we embrace because it involves yummy food. I usually start cooking after breakfast, and the meal is ready way too early, around noon. I find shoving a turkey into the oven and setting a timer not very labor intensive, and I am not sure what the big deal is. I cook mashed potatoes, candied yams, red cabbage, carrots, brussel sprouts with pecans, rice, and cranberry jelly as sides, all from scratch. I make the cranberry jelly a day in advance, but the rest gets done between breakfast and noon. My DD makes a desert.

 

We always end up with tons of food, leftovers for days and some to freeze. I just wish we had family to share the meal with :-(

Edited November 3, 2012 by regentrude

[cloversandlions]

We don't have family near enough to get together, and most of us don't care for the big meal - only dh likes stuffing and turkey, my son is now a pescetarian, my dd really only wants the sweet potato "stuff", some of us are trying to be low(er) carb/primal, and littlest dd would eat bacon and pasta (not together, though maybe?) forever but I'm trying to steer her toward being GF (thyroid issues).

 

...all of which is a long-winded way of saying that I LOVE your alternatives. Dinner reservations sound good, too. The biggest challenge is dh, who was born a few decades too late and missed marrying June Cleaver. (Surely she would not be so stressed out about the dinner restrictions and choices we're dealing with, right? :lol:)

[Tree Frog]

Same here. We are not even American, but it is a holiday that we embrace because it involves yummy food. I usually start cooking after breakfast, and the meal is ready way too early, around noon. I find shoving a turkey into the oven and setting a timer not very labor intensive, and I am not sure what the big deal is. I cook mashed potatoes, candied yams, red cabbage, carrots, brussel sprouts with pecans, rice, and cranberry jelly as sides, all from scratch. I make the cranberry jelly a day in advance, but the rest gets done between breakfast and noon. My DD makes a desert.

 

We always end up with tons of food, leftovers for days and some to freeze. I just wish we had family to share the meal with :-(

 

Kind of off topic, but do you have a recipe for the red cabbage? I loved it when I lived in Berlin and would like to make it here!

 

I'm not sure what our Thanksgiving will look like. We just moved into a new house in a new state and haven't made friends yet. Generally we do traditional. The kids favorites include cranberry bread and cranberry salad, so we'll be sure to include those 2. One of the best parts is cooking in the kitchen with all 3 kids, laughing and enjoying each other's company!

[Desert Rat]

Well I have to have Thanksgiving food but we are not formal people.

 

We make a ridiculous amount of food. Once it's done we just graze all day and then lay around on the floor like beached whales.

 

This is us, too. My brother is the biggest turky-holic. He's in charge. Mom makes the stuffing and sweet potato souffle. I make the mashed potatoes, devilled eggs and family jello must-have. If we have stragglers, they bring the bread. We have apple pie and pumpkin bars.

 

We laugh and tell inappropriate jokes at the dinner table. We steal things off each other's plates. We wander around grazing and stuffing ourselves. Some of us watch ball on tv. The boys go and play with their friends across the street from Mom's. It's just us. All of our relatives are back east or midwest. Distance definitely cuts down on family dramas. My mom talks to her siblings and we all laugh at the drama and general mayhem befalling the folks there. Then we sigh and think, "Maybe we don't miss them THAT much." :lol:

 

I'm hoping this year that my brother's girlfriend and her little lady will come over. It would be nice to have a little person around to distract us from my dad being gone. We always set an empty place at the table to remember all those who couldn't be with us. This year it will really mean something.

 

We're keeping everything the same for the sake of the kids and ourselves. But next year, I'm all for the Charlie Brown T-day! I've been begging for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree for years. I hate how much space I lose in my tiny home to that dang tree every year! No one will jump on my band wagon though. How about any of you? Care to help me plan my debate so I'll actually win this year? ;)

[Jennifer3141]

I do Thanksgiving for my best friend and her partner. My best friend hates holiday stuff but she's a foodie so she is delighted by the whole process. I do a giant turkey, which I will have brined for days previous and a ton of sides but I make as much as possible prior to the event. Actually, I am looking for advice on making and freezing the pies. :)

 

And I have a BLAST doing this. I wear a crazy apron and another friend is knitting me a crazy turkey hat. And I start on white wine at noon precisely.

 

When dinner's over, I nap and everyone else has to clean up. :lol:

[AK_Mom4]

Actually, I am looking for advice on making and freezing the pies.

 

Frozen pies are so easy and yummy to make ahead!

 

Make Pie. Bake Pie. Cool Pie completely. Wrap Pie in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze Pie.

 

On Pie-Eating Day - remove pie from freezer, remove foil and thaw for a couple of hours on the counter. Set oven to 400. Remove plastic wrap and Warm Pie for 15 minutes (will be bubbly). Pumpkin Pies (and other custard pies) don't need to be warmed - just let them thaw and eat.

 

BTW - custard pies get manky if you make them too far in advance (unless you have a blast chiller). No more than 10 days in the freezer for the best pies.

[-M-]

A couple of years ago, we decided to begin a new tradition: going to the zoo on Thanksgiving Day. What a blast! We packed lunches the first two times, but this year we're going to try the feast they serve at the main restaurant.

[Deb in NZ]

I've spent Thanksgiving overseas for the past 22 years. The first year I was teaching in a small private school on an atoll in the Pacific. Four of us teachers got together for Thanksgiving Dinner & we each brought the one dish we thought no Thanksgiving could do without. We had turkey, apple pie, pumpkin pie, & cornbread stuffing. We did add in a few other dishes to round out the meal. ;) After that year we have always celebrated Thanksgiving in the spirit of the first Thanksgiving. We invite a few people who have played an important part in our lives that year. I make the basics (turkey & stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, apple pie, homemade rolls) and our guests each bring a veg. dish & a dessert. That way even the fussiest eaters have something on the table they like. My kids really look forward to Thanksgiving each year. We usually celebrate it on the saturday after Thanksgiving as it isn't a holiday here in New Zealand. As turkey is very expensive (~$70+ for a 10 pound bird) there has been a few years that I cooked a huge 6+ pound chicken & we all pretended it was turkey. I've been tempted to cook a big roast lamb in keeping with the spirit of the holiday (i.e. cooking what was easily available at the time), but my dc threatened to revolt :lol: They love lamb, but Thanksgiving HAD to have turkey.

 

Blessings,

[justLisa]

This is us, too. My brother is the biggest turky-holic. He's in charge. Mom makes the stuffing and sweet potato souffle. I make the mashed potatoes, devilled eggs and family jello must-have. If we have stragglers, they bring the bread. We have apple pie and pumpkin bars.

 

We laugh and tell inappropriate jokes at the dinner table. We steal things off each other's plates. We wander around grazing and stuffing ourselves. Some of us watch ball on tv. The boys go and play with their friends across the street from Mom's. It's just us. All of our relatives are back east or midwest. Distance definitely cuts down on family dramas. My mom talks to her siblings and we all laugh at the drama and general mayhem befalling the folks there. Then we sigh and think, "Maybe we don't miss them THAT much." :lol:

 

I'm hoping this year that my brother's girlfriend and her little lady will come over. It would be nice to have a little person around to distract us from my dad being gone. We always set an empty place at the table to remember all those who couldn't be with us. This year it will really mean something.

 

We're keeping everything the same for the sake of the kids and ourselves. But next year, I'm all for the Charlie Brown T-day! I've been begging for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree for years. I hate how much space I lose in my tiny home to that dang tree every year! No one will jump on my band wagon though. How about any of you? Care to help me plan my debate so I'll actually win this year? ;)

 

I:001_wub: Charlie Brown. That poor blockhead :(

 

he rescued that poor little tree when that nasty girl wanted a shiny aluminum tree. What a snob :glare:

[Jenny in Florida]

We're vegan/vegetarian, and Thanksgiving is always just us, anyway. After a few years of experimenting with things that attempted to mimic a more normal Thanksgiving meal, we settled on our own "traditional" menu:

 

- potato latkes

- home-made applesauce

- sour cream for the lone ovo-lacto vegetarian

- mashed sweet potato casserole

- basmati rice

- fresh, home-made cranberry relish

- usually a second kind of potato: baked, mashed, etc. (Because, when my kids were younger, they didn't like the latkes all that much.)

- cornbread muffins

- green beans sauteed with garlic and onions

 

I used to make an apple crisp for dessert, but it turned out we rarely ate it, because we were all too full from dinner. Nowadays, I just make sure there's tofu ice cream in the freezer, in case either kid wants it.

 

Aside from food, we have some other traditions:

 

- We watch the Macy's parade on TV, and woe betide anyone who attempts to talk during the Broadway musical numbers.

- At dinner, we use our "good china," which is these Star Trek-themed plates that we got as a wedding gift: http://www.replacements.com/webquote/PFASTT.htm

- Once Santa Claus passes at the end of the parade, anyone who feels moved to do so is welcome to start decorating the house for Christmas. We also play the first Christmas CD of the year at that point.

- Each plate is topped with an English Christmas cracker (http://www.tomsmithchristmascrackers.com/). No one eats until all four crackers have been popped and emptied and everyone is wearing the paper crown.

 

A few of these traditions -- music, crackers, ST plates -- recur for our Christmas meal, but several years ago we decided to make our Christmas dinner an Indian feast. I make all of our favorites: channa masala, veggie samosas, basmati, onion and mint chutney, some kind of bread, etc.

 

This year will be the first time we've not been home on Thanksgiving. We're going to NYC to see the parade in person and see some theatre. The plan is to eat our Thanksgiving meal at a nice Indian restaurant while we're there, and then to have our traditional Thanksgiving meal at home on Christmas (unless we all decide we'd rather just have Indian again).

 

My daughter plans to move, probably to New York, within the next calendar year. And, if all goes well, she'll be working in theatre by next Thanksgiving and won't be able to travel home to be with us. The loose plan is for us to go to her, instead, and either have me cook in her apartment or hit a restaurant for dinner. So, this year is kind of the first step in likely developing some new traditions.

Edited November 4, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[Jean in Newcastle]

One year we went up to Canada to see the eagles. It was amazing. The salmon were spawning and the eagles were feasting on the salmon who were done spawning and were ready to die. There were no crowds at the hotel or restaurants because it wasn't Thanksgiving there.

 

Normally we have Thanksgiving dinner with dh's extended family. This means a mix of American foods and Filipino. There is always lumpia and always something "interesting" like purple squid or "chocolate meat" which involves blood, not chocolate (it's a blood pudding).

[Shamzanne]

My family often has brunch in place of Christmas or Easter dinner - you could do the same with Thanksgiving. Some of our favorite things to make are homemade scones, eggs benedict, fruit salad, meat and cheese trays, smoked salmon or lox with fresh bagels and cream cheese, etc. Its often much easier than cooking a big dinner and still can be made special.