Speaking of Holiday Traditions...

Lavern08

Lavern08

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Ever since I've been married (23 years), I get up early on Thanksgiving morning to start cooking.

However, I have to make my pies while I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

It's just a OCD thing with me. :Shrug:

Just curious,

What's the one or two or forty-seven things (traditions) you absolutely must have/do at Thanksgiving?
 
kayleamay

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Spend several hours digging through the black Friday ads, even if I don't plan to buy anything.
 
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Maryn

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Do the whole meal with our kids as my lovely assistants. When they were small, they were more in the way than helping, but now they both can cook and bake, and our meal is better for their participation. (Though he could once cook well enough, Mr. Maryn tends to let his attention stray, starting too late for something to be done at the right time, or wandering off and let something scorch.) Plus our daughter is adept at spotting my frazzling point as something goes awry and pours me a little wine without even needing to ask.

It helps that we've very much simplified what a special holiday dinner entails. One meat, one potato dish, one vegetable, one type of roll or bread, and two desserts. Not so hard, really.

Maryn, who raised her some good younguns
 
milly

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my family draws names every year on Thanksgiving for "homemade" Christmas gifts...we get really excited :)
 
MaryMumsy

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When I first started doing Thanksgiving about 35+ years ago it was quite simple. We had turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberries, and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. That was it. And it was just me, my husband, my Mom and Dad, and my brother. Over the years as more people started being added, so were additional dishes. Now we're up to 25 or more if all the nieces and nephews and stray friends are here. And we have added appetizers, veggies, more kinds of pie, mashed potatoes, and who knows what all.

My one "can't be Thanksgiving without it" item is mince meat pie. It is my favorite and this is the only time of year I have it.

MM
 
BeatrixKiddo

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brainstorm77 said:
Cook a turkey.
Click to expand...


I hope it's dead first. *snicker*

*bowing* Thank you, I'll be here week.


I used to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade. These days, I sleep in too late. I'm horribly lazy on the holidays. That's my tradition...chronic holiday laziness.
 
milly

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my mom's pecan pie is also a must...and my sister's squash casserole

mmm, getting hungry just thinking about it all
 
kayleamay

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A friend just forwarded this to me. It looks like it's been forwarded a million times, but it made me laugh.

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!"

At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry.

It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!
Click to expand...
 
GeorgeK

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Lavern08 said:
However, I have to make my pies while I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Click to expand...

Custard type pies (pumpkin and pecan, at least the way I make them) are better the second day. Fruit pies, I concede are best the first day.
 
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