May all your giblets be crossed (Thanksgiving 2021 thread)

My small family’s Thanksgivings are incredibly boring. But I’m grateful we are all healthy and well and can get together this year, so I’ll just shut up and be thankful.

 

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday out here, so I'll be working. There will be a Skype call home that will require staying up late Thursday or getting up early Friday. I expect the call will last at least an hour, even with two fewer relatives on that side of the family this year.

Dinner will be an experience, I'm sure. There's a really good place I go every so often that has free-flow dim sum, and they sent me an email last week about their Thanksgiving dinner of five-spice roast turkey. "Neat!", I thought, until I saw what they were asking -- HK$900 (US$115) for the turkey platter, plus an extra HK$118 (US$15) for a slice of pecan pie. The platter alone costs more than triple what the dim sum course does. Fortunately, I've found a few options around town that sound equally tasty but are nowhere near as eye-wateringly expensive.

 

Daniel Island for us, on Wednesday. Deep fried!

 

Working all weekend. My brother and family are picking up Mom and coming over for dinner on Firday night. Not sure where we are going yet. We'll socialize and then they'll go back to Mom's before the brother/family drive home on Sunday.

 

The plan right now is stay home, grill turkey thighs (high's supposed to be a balmy 61) and make the usual sides. With just two of us, there's no reason to make it complicated. Blue Ridge brother will go to step-daughter's house in Norcross to see the grandbaby. Sister, the doctor, will serve up a big meal Wednesday in Springfield, then work at the hospital Thursday. Mom and Dad will probably go out with Merritt Island brother and family.

None of us will probably even glance at the TV while the Lions are losing.

To all of you, thanks for your friendship and kindness. We will raise a glass of something delicious but affordable (i.e., cheap) as a toast. We send prayers of safe journeys for those traveling, and remembrances of warm and peaceful thoughts for those who will be without loved ones at the table.

 

Monday - Made the egg nog for the holidays. Son's HS football year-end banquet. He's a senior and they're D-I champs, so the rubber chicken will be delicious and I'll wish all the speeches were longer.
Tuesday - Make the pies then drive to see my parents in CT. You're goddamn right I'll be eating pizza for dinner.
Wednesday - Hang with the folks and drive back home after dinner once the traffic thins out.
Thursday - Holiday at the in-laws. She has brined the turkeys, I will be frying them. Frying beer will be Dogfish Head Higher Math. Frying Smoke will be La Flor Dominicana La Nox.
Friday - Houseful of people making ravioli to have on the traditional meatless Christmas Eve. Whiskey and water all day.
Saturday - Laugh at B1G football
Sunday - Jets lose

 

Change it to 62, and that's me.

Was looking forward to a holiday off, but mother got day off of nursing job unexpectedly, so we're getting together after all.

Still have to have to work technically, but with the early deadlines, getting stuff done ahead of time and clearing a day hasn't been an issue the last several years.

 

Everyone, be excellent to each other.
@2muchcoffeeman, I didn't see this thread until after I posted this in the TV thread. It's too good not to share:

 

I've mentioned this before, but my uncle introduced me to the "pro move" of volunteering to clean the dishes while watching football and drinking beer in the kitchen. Hell, if you only wash during the commercials you get it done in a half an hour.

 

I hated Thanksgiving as a kid. I grew up on a farm. Everyone was off. That meant work. Throw in the fact that I grew up with my grandparents on one side of me, great aunt/uncle on the other side, aunt/uncle/cousins across the road, a holiday was when we didn't see each other.
When I was small, we still had hogs, and Thanksgiving day was hog killing day. We did usually have a pretty nice supper. After we got rid of the hogs, the farm work didn't go away; it just switched to cows and building fence.
I would just as soon been at school.
I didn't have at traditional Thanksgiving meal as you think of it until I went into the Navy. We did the whole get dressed up in uniform and go to a local host family a couple of times.
Now, it's the big family get together with my inlaws, and we have a big time.