Thanksgiving Traditions

[Flawless P]

So Is there anything odd or specific about your familys Thanksgiving that the day wouldnt feel complete without?

Or just go on and describe the usual Thanksgiving merryment.

[nubly]

yes. i would feel odd if my family celebrated thanksgiving. we're mexican, we dont celebrate turkey day

[Flawless P]

yes. i would feel odd if my family celebrated thanksgiving. we're mexican, we dont celebrate turkey day
Well strange it was brought up. My "step-dad" is mexican, like from Mexico and It weirded me out because none of his family were eating Turkey, Instead they made Carne Asada.

[Flawless P]

i have resurrected this thread in the name of this years thanksgiving.

[Paradox]

Two years? Did you remember to yell "CLEAR!" before applying the paddles? :)

[Flawless P]

nay i just rezu ploxed it...very nifty for playing an online game.

inside joke in case you werent noticing. but hopefully this thread gets more responses than before.

[StoneGold]

What the hell, I'll contribute this time. Every year since I can remember, my family goes camping with another family, usually at Leo Carillo State Beach, a few miles north from Malibu. Although at this point, I am the only second generation member of the group who is neither married nor lives several thousand miles away, so I'll admit, it gets a little awkward being the only one at the kid's table.


Then, either on the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving or the week after, the extended family gathers at my grandmother's condo for what I like to call "Jewish Thanksgiving." Basically, deli platters and noodle kugle, usually with some pecan pie or something for dessert. I like that dinner better. Mostly because I don't really like turkey. Or Turkey, which I almost typed for some reason. Stupid Turks, destabilizing the situation with an already shaky Iran!

[Puma]

Growing up, and not having any extended family near, my family would do the traditional turkey day: too much food, football, puttering around the yard. The day after though was the great day. Mom would put together a picnic basket of leftovers and we'd head up Mt. Baker, driving past the rivers with the eagle's nests showing in the bare trees, to play all day in the snow. Even after my brother and I grew up my folks would do this. Now my brother and his wife do it, snowshoeing or skiing. Being that I live in California now, my husband and I go to the beach but I miss the mountains.

[Indy24LA]

I always thought watching football to be an intrinsic Thanksgiving tradition, but it seems like every member of my wife's family has never heard of it. And she has a pretty big family.

[Paradox]

Football on Thanksgiving is a sacred rite.

They should go wash the dishes. :evilsmile

[StoneGold]

Being that I live in California now, my husband and I go to the beach but I miss the mountains.

I call shenanigans. Your location thing says Santa Cruz Mountains. That would seem to imply that mountains are involved. Granted, it ain't Whitney, but I'm sure neither was any of the rest of the mountains you were talking about.

[glue]

I watch football with my dad. We used to eat a stupid amount of deviled eggs, then about three years ago my mom made six dozen, of which my dad and I devoured about five dozen. We don't have deviled eggs anymore. This will be my first Thanksgiving being vegan, so my mom is all panicky about what to make for me. I told her not to worry about it, I could make my own food but she won't hear of it.

[Serik]

Never had a big extended family nearby, so Thanksgiving's usually a small affair.

None of my family likes turkey, so we cook steaks (yum) and pasta instead. And after a small meal, we sit around, drink and watch football. My kinda holiday :cool:

[DonC]

I watch football and bang my head against the wall if my niece's inlaws come.

[Winslow]

I have six siblings and we live in 5 different states.

Thanksgiving and Fourth of July are the two holidays we set aside to get together as a family.

We usually have around 35+ people in the house . .and it gets a little crazy. But my kids love being around their cousins.

This year we've moved the family get together FROM Michigan TO Louisville, Kentucky. 2 of my brothers got jobs in the Louisville area . . so we moved the celebration from the Lansing area further south.

[DubipR]

Growing up, I used to love watching the Twilight Zone marathon.
Now that I work on Thanksgiving, its just work and then time with brother and his family.

[Puma]

I call shenanigans. Your location thing says Santa Cruz Mountains. That would seem to imply that mountains are involved. Granted, it ain't Whitney, but I'm sure neither was any of the rest of the mountains you were talking about.

You're assuming I grew up in California.The first mountains were the Cascades in Washington State. Santa Cruz Mtns. barely reach 2500ft in elevation- they're hills.

This is the mountain we used to go to:

http://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/pix/orcas/fridayharbor/BakerFromLopez-m.jpg

[Shellhead]

My parents live inconveniently far away for such a short time off, so I don't do Thanksgiving with them anymore. My girlfriend is expected to attend her family's Thanksgiving, but they are so dysfunctional that she doesn't want me to be there.

So, sometimes I spend Thanksgiving with uncles/aunts/cousins on my dad's side or on my mom's side, depending on which side invites me first. I live in the same metro area, so either way it's an easy drive. Or if I feel really burned out from work, I just stay home and make my own Thanksgiving food, and rent some movies. For Christmas, I'm more likely to stay home and watch movies. Christmas is kind of pain, potentially buying gifts for the huge extended family or else feeling awkward if I don't.

[Slam_Bradley]

After my older brothers were out of the house and had moved they usually had to work on Friday. So we would normally do Thanksgiving on Saturday instead. Thursday, Dad and I would watch football and we'd have enchiladas for dinner.

[Jared H.]

These days, I spend Thanksgiving with my fiance's side of the family. They are awesome people.

As for traditions: neither Sarah and I can get through Thanksgiving without having some Sparkling Grape Juice. That stuff is awesome.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I love watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving. One key memory is from 1995/1996 when Krieg was the QB. Somehow every team Dave Krieg would end up as a backup on , he'd end up starting somehow. :p

[Drew Van T.]

What I remember most from last year's thread is that some company dumped diseased turkeys on the market and a fair number of Americans got sick.

In other words: just to be on the safe side, start a new tradition and try preordering your turkey at a bio farm or something (if it's not too late).

[K'Nort]

You're assuming I grew up in California.The first mountains were the Cascades in Washington State. Santa Cruz Mtns. barely reach 2500ft in elevation- they're hills.

This is the mountain we used to go to:

http://www.ics.uci.edu/~eppstein/pix/orcas/fridayharbor/BakerFromLopez-m.jpg

It's so cute!

Exactly half the height of the one I grew up next to.



When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was always with my mother's extended family (the only side that lived in the same town so that wasn't a controversy) and always at our place because we were the only ones with plumbing and electricity. 9-12 people.

Time zones meant that the football games were on in the late morning, so we'd watch those and eat nachos. Then your very traditional dinner. (Nothing sweet in the yams though. Just butter.) And then two older relations always did the dishes, which was awesome because that was usually my and my brother's job.

We've never done the Christmas shopping on the day after thing. We don't shop in general, so that idea is torture.

After I moved south, it was too expensive to go home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas so for about a decade, I finangled invites from assorted friends. The last couple years, Gus and I have been alternating families. Which means flying.

[Bouncing Boy]

Thanksgiving was pretty typical in my house growing up. When my parrents were still married to each other, my maternal grandmother and paternal grandparrents would usually come, sometimes some of my aunts and uncles would come too. After my parrents split it was usually just my mom, my sister, my grandma and me. though I remember going to my paternal grandparrents once for Thanksgiving.

Until I was about 13 years old, my sister and I would usually put on a little variety show for the family.

Now that my mom has remarried, it's usually my mom and step-dad, my grandma, my step-dad's mom (whom I call Grandma June), My step-dad's sister. Usually one of my step sisters is there. Obviously Rally and I are there, unless one of us has to work. My sister usually spends Thanksgiving at her house with her in-laws.

I don't think there's anything other than normal that we serve. Turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, stuffing and a choice of pumpkin pie and mince meat pie.



*waits patiently for fly to show up and talk about Sucksgiving*

[Puma]

It's so cute!

Exactly half the height of the one I grew up next to.


.

You grew up next to Denali?

[K'Nort]

You grew up next to Denali?

It was a bit of a drive, but managed to take up most of my bedroom window so it still felt like it.

[Puma]

It was a bit of a drive, but managed to take up most of my bedroom window so it still felt like it.

Neat. Looking out a window and seeing real mountains is something I miss; whenever I go up to my brother's place I just stare over Puget Sound to the Olympics. I never tire of seeing Mt. Ranier.

[K'Nort]

Neat. Looking out a window and seeing real mountains is something I miss; whenever I go up to my brother's place I just stare over Puget Sound to the Olympics. I never tire of seeing Mt. Ranier.

And the looking at it over the water part is a major bonus. I miss ocean too.

[morna]

I get to look out over the water at the Olympic penninsula - but from the other side. Not from my window though I have to go down the street a couple of blocks. We get to see Baker off to the south on a clear day he's a very picturesque mountain.

Oh and thanksgiving - which was, for us, a couple of weeks ago - no real tradition. Gary and I usually make a roast of some sort. Kinda skipped it this year - Gary had to work. We were going to do some lamb shanks but we kinda forgot. ... mmmm shankers ... maybe we'll have Thanksgiving with you Americans this year!

[Flawless P]

Well this years gonna be tons of fun for me.
My mom told me that my girlfriend and I are both welcome at my uncles for thanksgiving. So my gf had the arduous task of informing her mother that she wont be coming home this year...

good thing her mom already dislikes me... so nothing new there.

But now i find out i might have to work. which would blow. *crosses fingers*

well heres to hoping i have the day off.

cross your fingers everyone cuz if not i have to go to my gfs mothers after work....not fun.

[Winslow]

I love watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving. One key memory is from 1995/1996 when Krieg was the QB. Somehow every team Dave Krieg would end up as a backup on , he'd end up starting somehow. :p

I went to a Thanksgiving Day game at Tiger Stadium and watched Detroit beat the Oakland Raiders in 1971.

Got to see George Blanda and Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.

[Flawless P]

With Thanksgiving looming, anyone as excited as I am?

[jade_nova]

The traditional watching of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I went to a Thanksgiving Day game at Tiger Stadium and watched Detroit beat the Oakland Raiders in 1971.

Got to see George Blanda and Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.


Awesome..... I checked out a biography on Blanda a few months back at the library. He could rub some the wrong way its said with his demeanor. I loved hearing about his clashes with George Halas.

[howyadoin]

My family has sort of a weird Thanksgiving tradition - we celebrate it in October.

[Gary_B]

My family does too.