Thanksgiving traditions?

[Lynnv]

It is an odd tradition, but it never gets missed in our family.  It is used for any 'feasting' holiday.

Someone brings a relish tray.  It consists of olives, pickles and (sometimes) celery with cheese.  There are always canned black olives.  I know-no flavor, horrible, etc.  But my sister and I gobble them up while teaching any smaller/new kids how to wear them on your fingers and eat them.  These days my nephews also help teach the younger ones how to do this.  The entire can gets eaten before the meal.  Whoever is fixing the meal is supposed to gripe about 'bottomless pits' and 'there won't be any left for dinner' and, of course, 'get out of my kitchen you ravenous beasts.'  Magically, another can appears and is opened right before the meal so that the relish tray is once again complete.  :>

No-one really loves the black olives.  But it is a tradition and has been since we were kids...my uncle taught me to snitch olives and wear them on my fingers before eating them when I was little.  He taught his daughter and my sister too.  We refuse to give it up, even if it is childish and weird and even if we really prefer better quality olives these days.

My family does this too!  Always accompanied by someone who previously got yelled at for snitching olives telling on the next that is doing it.   It's funny, cause, like you said... no one really LOVES them or anything, but we just cannot resist!

Two years ago my whole family (Gram and Granpa too!) played Wii after dinner, which was great to lose that bloated too-full feeling and it was a lot of fun!! 

Last year was a Rock Band marathon accompanied by after dinner matgaritas.  That went on into wee hours... I think followed by watching "Slapsgiving" episodes from my Big Bros computer 

Oh-yeah!  I forgot about the part where you steal olives while telling the relish tray person about how Uncle M and Dear Sis have been stealing them all.  My cousin seems to have outgrown it...so we are teaching her kids (along with sis's kids) all about the family tradition.   

[Arrynne]

When I was a kid, the younger set would do Thanksgiving crafts while the adults worked on the meal.  Crafts included coloring hand-turkeys, coloring thanksgiving-themed pictures, making turkeys out of toothpicks and marshmallows, etc.   I was also expected to help with simpler cooking tasks: stuffing celery, assembling the veggie tray and the like. We would also watch the Macy's parade in the morning.  After dinner, we would play board and card games. A favorite was a variation of Tripoley that we would play for pennies.  Each year we also go around the table and everyone says something they are thankful for.

[LadyPekoe]

I love Thanksgiving.  I took over the bulk of the cooking three years ago, when my mom was suffering terrible neuropathy from her chemo and didn't have the energy to cook the meal.  It turns out I like cooking it!  Every year we have my mom, DH, DH's brother, and me.  Last year we had one of my good friend's sisters and my best friend (she was on call and couldn't go more than 45 minutes outside the clinic--we lived in it, her boyfriend and parents did not ). 

I try to knock as many recipes off my blog as I can (although it's getting more challenging since I've made all the obvious things now) between appetizers and the meal.  We all get a couple hours of sleep and then hit the mall for Black Friday shopping at Midnight.  We go home, sleep a bit more, than get up again, and shop more around 5 am.  I heart it!

[Lady Snowdon]

I love Thanksgiving.  I took over the bulk of the cooking three years ago, when my mom was suffering terrible neuropathy from her chemo and didn't have the energy to cook the meal.  It turns out I like cooking it!  Every year we have my mom, DH, DH's brother, and me.  Last year we had one of my good friend's sisters and my best friend (she was on call and couldn't go more than 45 minutes outside the clinic--we lived in it, her boyfriend and parents did not ). 

I try to knock as many recipes off my blog as I can (although it's getting more challenging since I've made all the obvious things now) between appetizers and the meal.  We all get a couple hours of sleep and then hit the mall for Black Friday shopping at Midnight.   We go home, sleep a bit more, than get up again, and shop more around 5 am.  I heart it!

We do this too when we're in Colorado for Thanksgiving!  My mom, one of my cousins, my DH and I will all go out and hit the outlet malls for midnight shopping.  Afterwards, we go out to eat breakfast at a truckstop diner, then back home for some more sleep and possibly more shopping later that day.  It's a great Thanksgiving tradition, I think!

[Hushabye]

We're alternating right now between hosting my mom's family and Southern Honey's family one year and attending my dad's family's celebration the next.  I really enjoyed cooking last year -- it was my first turkey and our first big holiday in the new house.  Which reminds me that I need to cement with Southern Honey that we're going to my dad's family and find out for sure when it is and what I need to bring.

[Athos_000]

I put up my Christmas tree and watch Christmas movies. I prepare a full thanksgiving feast, even if it is just the two (now four) of us. I started doing this when I was in college and could not make it home to be with my family over the holiday. It made a very lonely time for me into something I looked forward to. Mr. A rolls his eyes and ignores the presence of Christmas as much as possible. He is happy as long as food shows up at some point, and is always up for deep-frying the turkey if I will let him. LOL!

In recent years some friends and I prepare a dinner at our church for anyone we know in the community who has nowhere to go . It is usually tons of fun and we get an interesting mix of people because we live in a college town.

[carol1412]

I used to adopt "orphans" for Thanksgiving also, back when it was just me and my two boys. Now Mr Carol's entire family gathers at his sister's house, but "orphans" are still welcomed! A few years back some foodie friends and I decided to do a Twisted Thanksgiving dinner. Each traditional dish must be prepared in a non-traditional way. Example, instead of roast turkey, we had sweet and sour turkey meatballs over rice. Instead of cranberry sauce, we had cranberry Margaritas. Instead of green bean casserole, we had deep fried green beans. Instead of corn on the cob, we found candy corn candles for the table. You get the idea. It's quite a bit of fun each year seeing who comes up with the most twisted idea! And the cranberry margaritas have become a staple of the event!

[Athos_000]

I used to adopt "orphans" for Thanksgiving also, back when it was just me and my two boys. Now Mr Carol's entire family gathers at his sister's house, but "orphans" are still welcomed! A few years back some foodie friends and I decided to do a Twisted Thanksgiving dinner. Each traditional dish must be prepared in a non-traditional way. Example, instead of roast turkey, we had sweet and sour turkey meatballs over rice. Instead of cranberry sauce, we had cranberry Margaritas. Instead of green bean casserole, we had deep fried green beans. Instead of corn on the cob, we found candy corn candles for the table. You get the idea. It's quite a bit of fun each year seeing who comes up with the most twisted idea! And the cranberry margaritas have become a staple of the event!

I just need to say, this is awesome! I can see my friends and I doing this!

[HeebyJeebyLeebee]

I guess Sweet Pattootie and I started a new tradition - we've hosted 2 years in a row at our house and are hosting again this year.  So I guess that on years we're in H-town we'll be hosting.  Some years we'll need to be in C-town with SP's family.  

I make a brined turkey, the dressing, gravy, and the mashed potatoes (I prefer sweet potatoes, but SP prefers my usual awesome mashies).  My Sissy brings cheese grits (despite the fact that she doesn't cook, she makes the most AMAZING cheese grits!), BIL brings some homemade bread, and Mom & Dad usually provide some sides.  If we have any additional guests, I usually ask that they bring a dessert.  My eldest niece has inherited the tradition of making a blueberry pie with my Dad.  

Our first year hosting (when we still lived in C-town), SP proposed.  Hopefully next year (2011) we can announce that a little Leeby or SP is on the way.  

[QueenofAllThings]

When I was growing up, my mother required that we all go 'round the table and say what we were thankful for that year.

I'm also partial (the whole "giving thanks through giving back" thing) to working a soup kitchen, collecting for a food bank, baking for an elderly neighbor....

[gmatoy]

I make a brined turkey, the dressing, gravy, and the mashed potatoes (I prefer sweet potatoes, but SP prefers my usual awesome mashies).  My Sissy brings cheese grits (despite the fact that she doesn't cook, she makes the most AMAZING cheese grits!), BIL brings some homemade bread, and Mom & Dad usually provide some sides.  If we have any additional guests, I usually ask that they bring a dessert.  My eldest niece has inherited the tradition of making a blueberry pie with my Dad.  

I just want to point out that you could have both mashed and sweet potatoes. We do and we also have  mashed yams with orange juice, brown sugar and spices. Yum! So everyone gets to have their favorites. I'd rather cook more and not have someone feel that their food was left out. 

[KenveeB]

Our tradition used to be just football after dinner. (And me in the corner, flipping through a magazine. )  But when my grandma started getting frailer and not able to put all of her Christmas decorations up herself, we started decorating her house for Christmas after Thanksgiving meal was over.  The first year we did it, my mom took a nap after dinner, came out, and exclaimed, "I went to bed at Thanksgiving and woke up at Christmas!"

[norli]

We have the canned cranberry sauce ritual:

1. carefully remove the sauce, perfectly preserving the can shape, and put on the table as a cranberry cylinder
2. Mom says "At least slice it up!"
3. convert cylinder to artfully arranged slices


After dinner, we go for a walk through the neighborhood, even if it is raining.

[CookieChica]

Our family has always played board games after dinner. And we make it a big deal. We always buy a new one every year (although we play the old ones too) and pick teams. There's tons of trash talking done, even within the teams (while playing Family Feud, my mom gave a really off the wall response and we all said, "Terrible answer").

If your family likes each other, I think it's important to not necessarily "force" a tradition. Just find a way for everyone to enjoy spending time with one another whether it's a movie or games or cooking.

[shhh its me]

We have the canned cranberry sauce ritual:

1. carefully remove the sauce, perfectly preserving the can shape, and put on the table as a cranberry cylinder
2. Mom says "At least slice it up!"
3. convert cylinder to artfully arranged slices


After dinner, we go for a walk through the neighborhood, even if it is raining.

Hehe I was just talking with my husband about foods that aren't really that great but we love becasue of childhood memories. Cranberry sauce is one , I won't even eat the good stuff must be a cylinder with ridges .
Sorry otherwise I got nothing, my family's not big on Turkeyday