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All My Children Discussion Group
Do you prefer to be like the house that everybody comes TO...
Or do you prefer to be the ones that GO to someones house for Thanlsgiving and stuff??
When I was little, my house was always the one folks came to ...my mom did all the cooking and hosting etc...
Sometimes i thought itd be nice if one year my mom could get a break but, ya know how it goes.
Chris/pt
Anyhoo, to stop venting and actually answer your question, I've never had Thks. at home.
I wouldn't have it any other way, even if my grandma is getting cranky in her later years, lol.
ag
yes Chris - your mom probably couldve used a break. we do christmas at our place and go to my SIL's for thanksgiving. i wouldnt mind swapping each year but god forbid i should even suggest it since they are so into ''tradition'' and dont dare ever change anything. But this may be the first time in over 20 years that things might change because my BIL is sick with the flu so i doubt they'll be doing thanksgiving so it will give me a chance to do it myself and they can do christmas.
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My mother was, to put it mildly, a LOUSY cook, but one year, she guilted us into agreeing to do Thanksgiving at her house. She set up a folding metal table in the living room that shook everytime someone tried to saw through a piece of turkey. She had a bowl with corn, straight out of the can, undrained and unseasoned. She just couldn't understand why "this year no one seems to be eating" and why no one wanted to take the plentiful leftovers. As soon as possible, husbands and kids all took off to a sports bar/pizza place to watch football, while my sister and I cleaned the kitchen and ate the fruit and cheeses we brought, while dreaming of pizza at the sports bar.
Since we moved here, I always do the full Thanksgiving. It's us and two of our kids and grandkids who live here, plus a hodgepodge of friends/neighbors that vary from year to year, sometimes just six of us, other times a dozen or so. I really enjoy doing the entire meal and the grandkids like to stay and eat through the weekend, while their parents shop or whatever.
My two oldest kids live in LosAngeles and they do Thanksgiving together along with the grandkids who travel up from SanDiego.
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I just commented on this last weekend when I had company... I LOVE being the house to come to... one I'm a homebody so I love being home... I love having people over. I don't mind cooking, hosting, decorating, party planning - love it all.
Thanksgiving is at mom's. Buffet this year since she moved her computer to the dining room table (so she can avoid going up and downstairs to use it). We all bring something. it'll be fine.
Christmas Eve is held at my house - I took over my parents tradition. I always have a big tree up, its very festive. Some years the family leaves early and other times it goes late... makes no difference. I love having them over.
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I like to be the house where everyone comes to. It is easier for me to do just about everything because my sister and my mother are not really good at cooking......and my sister's house is ALWAYS a messy disaster area....ALWAYS!! And my mom's house is not big enough for us to gather and eat....there are about 15 of us....not a large group at all, but my mom's house is just too small. I usually cook the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, deviled eggs, squash casserole, snaps and usually some type of dessert, but this year I am not cooking a Turkey, I'm cooking a Ham. So my mother will get a Turkey Breast and I'll do a Ham and then my aunt and my cousin are bringing some vegetable dishes and some desserts so all I have to fix is the Ham, mashed potatoes and squash casserole. So this year I will have it really easy.
We like it at our house also because my husband hunts and he can hunt all day and get home and showered just in time for everyone to arrive! LOL
~Ally & Ashleys MOm
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It used to be fairly stressful for me. My family gets together about 7-10 days before Christmas; that takes place about 10 hours from where I live now. When I lived in Georgia, I either had to fly or drive 18 hours each way (I chose to fly). That also meant I had to buy, wrap, and ship 25 or so gifts (I have a large family and liked to give everyone something, even if it was just an ornament) ahead of time. So when everyone else was starting their Christmas shopping in early December, I was frantically trying to finish mine so I could start the job of boxing, wrapping, and packing the gifts. I also had to work ahead at my job in order to be gone for several days and do all the other tasks associated with travel, all while trying to get my own house decorated for Christmas, get my tree up, and attend various holiday functions with friends or for work. It was exhausting. I began to hate that rush-rush-rush and just wanted to do Christmas a bit more leisurely. So I scaled down the gift-giving so I could take a day after my arrival and do my shopping and wrapping there instead of where I lived. That helped a lot.
This year, my family got together last weekend for my Dad's 90th birthday instead of a Christmas party. That means NO travel between returning from our Thanksgiving trip and Christmas. First time in about 25 years that I won't be traveling right before or over Christmas -- gotta love that! Mr. Ingy and I are taking the opportunity for an after-Christmas trip to NYC instead. Otherwise, to do that would mean 3 out of state trips in a 5 week period.
I'm hoping that eventually my family will scrap the annual Christmas party in favor of an annual summer picnic instead. That idea never got much traction but I have a feeling that after skipping the Christmas party this year, this might be the time.
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My brothers, sisters and I have always spent Thanksgiving together until recent years. My mom did Tday for YEARS and then it went to my sister Teresa as Helen does Christmas.
Now Helen's kids each take turns doing it for their family. The rest of us are together and we see them on Friday for leftovers so we're still keeping our tradition just spread out over 2 or 3 days.
I do Christmas Eve with my husband and brothers - love that (then we see everyone else on Christmas).
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That would be me ... twice each Christmas ... once for each side of the family.
I have been doing Christmas for my family since my daughter was born, and she is now 25. I did have a few years off when my aunt did it, but since my uncle died it has reverted back to me. Of course, I had last year off as well due to my surgery, but things are right back on track this year. At one time we entertained my family on Boxing Day (which is the day after Christmas) but the last ten years we have been doing it the Saturday before Christmas. I found I couldn't depend on people to bring what I asked them to bring, so now I just do it all myself. One year I served a sit down dinner with one small bottle of red wine because the person I asked to bring wine decided to bring an apple pie instead. I used to serve sit down dinner's to my family, but since our finished basement is now full of gym equipment (the only space that was large enough for three tables to seat 20 people) I usually serve a hot and cold buffet from the dining room, and people spread out throughout the living room, family room and kitchen to eat.
Christmas Day is spent with the four valley's, my mil, and my step-daughter and four grandchildren. Occasionally my step-son will join us. I do the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, although last year we settled for Chinese food which we ordered on Christmas Eve and reheated Christmas Day. We ordered so much food we were eating it until New Year's Eve!
I love doing it every year ... it is a gift to my family and a labour of love.
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My parents host most major family gatherings and holidays. A couple of my sisters sometimes do the minor ones like July 4 and Labor Day.
I've never hosted a holiday/family gathering. I'm out of town for everyone and my apartmetn is dinky and it wouldn't fit even half of us.
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