May all your giblets be crossed (Thanksgiving 2021 thread)

It's hard to make blood pudding or boudin noir without, y'know, one key ingredient.

 

Most years I would do a quick trip home to do Thanksgiving with my family. My mom died the Saturday before T-day last year, the funeral was Monday, my sister was pretty sick (covid) and one brother was quarantining after an exposure to someone who tested positive. No Thanksgiving.

No one mentioned doing anything this year so I figured my sister decided it wasn’t worth refereeing the brothers and there would be no family gathering this year. Nope. My sister told me around noon today that my brothers and two of the women who cared for my mom are coming to her house tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Since she’s got the whole meal thing organized, it wasn’t a decision made this morning. I get it that I live in Florida and they are in Minneapolis. I get it that I was just home in early October. But the first freaking holiday since we became orphans and nobody said “hey, we should see if our baby sister wants to join us.” At least I know my family well enough to kind of laugh about it.

Tomorrow I’m taking my horse for a hack, Opie and I have a conformation show on the west coast on Friday and Ope will be competing in scentwork trials at a local training club Saturday and Sunday. Thank g-d for animals.

 

I’m sorry, @Amy. Sounds like you have a good backup plan with your four-legged family.

 

I was not expecting 5-0 to be the voice of reason, but here you go.

 

Ever since my days of working in newspapers, Thanksgiving has always been more of a friends holiday and less of a family one to me. Just the way it turned out. I almost always had to work the Friday after and sometimes the day itself. It's kind of how this Friendsgiving that I attend came to be. Never really could leave town, so they took me in. Or sometimes, I sat at home, ate buffalo chicken dip, drank beer and watched football all day. And you know what? That's OK.

Christmas is different. Can't imagine not spending it at my mom's house. The last time I missed was when I covered the Russell Athletic Bowl in 2012, and it was pretty depressing. Myself and another reporter closed down a bar across from the hotel and I woke up with a miserable Jameson hangover the next day. We ate Panda Express for breakfast and headed to the Citrus Bowl for interviews. Would have rather have been home.

 

Had plans to spend Thanksgiving with my dad, step mom and assorted family. But wife has a cold so we may miss it. My fingers are crossed things will magically get better, but I hit up the store today to do a turkey breast soup instead. I’m kind of bummed for various reasons. Still hoping it could work. Really wanted to do Thanksgiving this year.

That all said, sending very positive Cali vibes your way @Amy. Losing loved ones is very hard and I’m sorry you’re living through it right now.

 

I wish the best to all you fools. You are good and loving folk.

 

My tiny family's Thanksgiving tradition includes playing "Alice's Restaurant" at noon. All of Alice's past restaurants have closed, but the church where she lived is now home to the Guthrie Center nonprofit.

My maternal grandmother was the cook in the family, so she usually hosted Thanksgiving. My mom has never made a turkey. She's convinced that even a non-cook like me can deal with a chicken. We'll also have salad, Stove Top -- since I never liked my grandmother's recipe -- a cranberry gelatin mold, and a store-bought triple-berry pie.

I don't really understand the point of cooking all day and then cleaning for almost as long when we'll be done eating in 15 minutes.

 

Today is obviously the day we celebrate Del Griffith getting his friend Neal Page home for his Thanksgiving dinner. Why that movie isn’t on a 24 hour loop the way A Christmas Story is is beyond me. Speaking of, I was this many years old when I learned that movie was originally Three and a half hours long and there’s a master version somewhere in a vault.

 

I don't want to whiz all over vaccines, but having a reaction to one sunk my Thanksgiving. Had a reaction, took four hours to break the fever, then couldn't regulate body temperature (burning up one minute, chilly the next no matter how one regulates blankets, sweatshirts, etc. ... ). Given that one uncle is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, and a mother who is about a year recovered from breast cancer, we have to play it safe and that means I need to stay in my house.

That's two consecutive Thanksgivings torched. Starting to think I'm not terribly thankful for this holiday.