Sue

As many of you know Paul and I are both British so we don't do the traditional Thanksgiving day. We used to get invited to peoples houses, as they felt sorry for us and didn't like to think of us with no family around us on the big day. But often we would go and have to spend the day with strangers, as we did not know their extended families, and quite often it felt very uncomfortable and we couldn't wait to leave. So we stopped accepting invitations and started our own tradition. We laze about in the morning watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV and then in the afternoon we go to the movies together. Generally the cinema is deserted and quite often we've had the film we are watching all to ourselves. We then come home and eat a curry that we got the night before from the local India restaurant and I just heat it up. It's a great day for us as we get to spend some quiet time together as a family, and we don't have the hassle of having to cook a big dinner, or entertain people.

So that's our "tradition" on Thanksgiving Day. What's yours?

Noorah101

That sounds like a nice quiet Thanksgiving, Sue. I like your plans.

We don't do a traditional Thanksgiving. We don't really have our own tradition either. It's just another day for us. During the past 6 years Sadegh has been in the USA for Thanksgiving, I think we had a traditional dinner with family/friends twice (I didn't cook), we ate out once (cause we were out of town), and I can't even remember the others. LOL Most likely I cooked Sadegh's favorite rack of lamb and rice.

This year, though, Sadegh and I are driving down to Tucson to have Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and her husband. They haven't seen Sadegh in a while, so it's a good excuse to get together and visit. I love Thanksgiving food, but Sadegh isn't fond of it, so I'm sure we'll be having a "real" dinner at home much later in the evening!

Rene

ChocolateBabz

Our first year here I did it myself as we had only just moved into our new house - have to admit it was really just a pre-run of Christmas as the only 'traditional' Thanksgiving thing was the pecan pie!

Last year we went on a cruise to Mexico , the ship made a traditional Thanksgiving meal on the day, other than that and a few decorations you wouldn't have known it was Thanksgiving at all.

This year we are going to a friends house so we will be treated to the full American Thanksgiving, I am expecting sweet potatoes with marshmallows on the top. I am taking dessert, she is making a pumpkin pie for her mother in law who is diabetic so I am going to go full sugar overload with my dessert!

avanutria

DH is working (retail) for Black Friday, starting at 1 AM and lasting nearly to noon, and is also working on Thanksgiving morning and early afternoon, so we are celebrating Thanksgiving on Wednesday instead. Just us and our two cats. Since I work Wednesday but he's got the day off he's going to be doing the cooking, which is fine with me!

tonrob

Mrs tonrob and I will be spending about 8 or so hours of it in the car from here to Richmond, VA (as part of a longer drive down to Florida to see my parents).

AmerLisa

Over the river and thru the woods,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh,
Thru the white and drifted snow, oh!

Over the river and thru the woods,
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

Over the river and thru the woods,
To have a first-rate play;
Oh, hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ling!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day-ay!

Going down to Oregon to my grandmother's house.

SultanOfSwing

Being married to an American, for the last 5 years I've just been slotted in to her normal routine for Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, being that we're the only ones with either a big enough house, or a house at all, our tradition means that everyone descends upon our place for their dinner, and bring a bunch of food and crap that ends up sitting around going bad while we try to eat as much of it as we can. If I'm lucky the mother in law will come round and stay the night because she is a compulsive dish washer and I will be able to have a lie in on Friday (just discovered I will be able to get the day off so I can stay home with the baby ).

Other than that it's a pretty simple routine: lie in, help get food ready, try not to show annoyance when the in laws make a mess, eat lots of turkey and assorted things that are bad for me, tell them all to bugger off, eat pumpkin pie for the rest of the night in front of the TV. This year is the baby's first Thanksgiving so that will be a bit more interesting.

dbark

For the first time ever, I am making the full Thanksgiving dinner. We are having Kurt's brother and family who arrive tonight .. I am a little nervous of cooking especially as I am vegetarian, but Kurt is doing the turkey and gravy, and I'm sure sis-in-law will help me out some too ...

Rete

For our household it remained a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner since DH is Canada and in Canada they celebrate their Thanksgiving in October with the same foods we do.

ian-mstm

Since it's just the two of us at home, Sheila and I have usually cooked a small turkey with her mom's stuffing recipe, rolls, mashed potatoes, and a marshmallow fruit salad. There's been plenty left over and by the end of the weekend we're sick to death of turkey!

This year, we bought just a turkey breast, since that'll last us for as many days as we can bear it! I'm making my once a year chili - which should last us for a few days. I don't make my own spices, but instead use Ford Mustang designer Carroll Shelby's little packet of spices! It's really quite nice!

I'm happy to report that we have a new addition to our family this Thanksgiving... a brand spankin' new Sony Bravia 55" TV. I plan to spend Thursday watching the Macy's Parade and then throw Miracle on 34th Street in the DVD player!

Ian

Sally Redux

Like Sue, the first few years we were invited to other people's houses which was very kind of them but felt rather strange with their families. I'm looking forward to a nice day with just our family this year, we might try the movies idea too.

lansbury

For the first three Thanksgivings we were here, ourselves, son and daughter-in-law, grandson, daughter-in-laws mum, dad, sister and her husband and grandmother rented a house for the week at Lincoln City. Had to be Lincoln City so they could go to the casino. It was also a tradition that us and her parents footed the whole bill.

As I had huge medical bills this year I said if they all wanted to go everyone paid their share so low and behold we are having Thanksgiving at home. Wife and I, her brother who I go to Beaver football games with and his girlfriend, and a niece and her husband who live in Portland. It will be a small family get together and be about 1500 bucks cheaper than previous years. It will also be the start of a new family tradition.

Jerseygirl

Like Sue we used to get invited to friend's for Thanksgiving but now our Daughter is in Canada we always spend the long weekend there. Maybe if we'd been younger when we moved to the US or had American relatives we may have got into the Thanksgiving spirit...but to us the biggest holiday of the year is still Christmas and New Year.

AmerLisa

The usual holiday craziness....

AmerLisa

We'd love to have that tradition as well!