GTKU

[mommyatty]

1. Being completely honest, would you rather spend Thanksgiving with your family or with friends?

2. When do you start cooking if you cook? Day of? Day before? Last weekend?

3. Do you have plans for the weekend after Thanksgiving?

[mommyatty]

1. Friends, which is what we do. MIL is with us, but she’s pretty much part of our nuclear family.
2. I start Wednesday so Thursday doesn’t feel so hard.
3. Friday we are going to make ornaments at a friend’s art studio. Saturday we are going to my law school alma mater’s football game. I’m also going to spend time sewing and decorating our house for Christmas.

[sandandsea]

1. Home alone. It’s easy and relaxing. We did that up until last year. But my SIl can’t travel so we go there for Christmas so Thanksgiving is our only chance to see DHs extended family.

2. we are traveling so we aren’t cooking

3. We fly home Saturday night and are decorating for Christmas on Sunday.

[mellym]

1. We don't really have a friend option so family but I would love if we could alternate sides each year instead of running around to two places on Thanksgiving or celebrating it on Saturday with one side.

2. I only have to bring a dish to pass so Thursday

3. We put up our tree and decorate on Friday as a family, watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music. We'll go see the lights in the park. Mostly spend time together as a family all weekend.

[rere]

1. I prefer to be with family, even though they are insane and get on my nerves. We don't get together often, so it feels like Thanksgiving should be the time to spend with them.
2. I am baking 2 pies tomorrow. DD and I are doing cookies and a cake for a local homeless shelter - she is using it for service hours for school. Thursday morning, I will make the banana pudding, mac and cheese, and corn (which is basically putting corn in a bowl).
3. I am heading to a larger city about 1 1/2 away Saturday to do some Christmas shopping. There are about 16 women going and we are getting a couple of hotel suites to spend the night. Hopefully, I will wrap up most of my shopping, have some good food, and not too many drinks.

[k3am]

1. Friends. But my ILs are my ILs so that’s not an option. We have ILs coming along with two sets of old neighbors and two sets of new neighbors. It’s gonna be crowded.

2. DH started the turkey yesterday. I’ll prep all the sides tomorrow.

3. I work Black Friday - it’s also my birthday. DH and the kids will meet me for lunch and Christmas in the park and then DD will come back to work with me for a few hours. (She looks forward to it ALL year.) Saturday, we have dinner plans with a friend for a birthday celebration. Sunday, football. And hopefully playing outside if the air is nice.

ETA: omg I forgot the most important part! Setting up Christmas at our house! I love decorating and it’s rubbed off on DD!

[phdmomma]

1. I like both. This year we are hosting my parents and a bunch of my graduate students and their spouses...so it should be lively to say the least.
2. Tomorrow I am baking a few pies. And then picking up pretty much everything else from whole foods. Thursday I will cook some carrots and crescent rolls.
3. On Friday I will go shopping with my mom, this is the day that I do pretty much all of my Christmas shopping. Then over the weekend we will go and cut down a tree and decorate the house. I really look forward to Thanksgiving now that whole foods is here to help.

[186momx]

1. I've done both and it really is a toss up. DD and I tend to do family as then we don't have to travel. DH doesn't really do holidays so he goes and hangs with other friends who do more of the outdoor adventure for the long weekend and it has worked well the past couple years. This year DH will be home as his friends got guilted into the family thing and have to travel. I'm dreading the weekend.

2. I'm making pies tomorrow just because I have the day off otherwise I would have done it Thursday morning.

3. Normally DD and I go and do some later morning black Friday shopping followed by setting up the tree while watching White Christmas. Actually the last couple Thanksgiving we've both been down and out with colds all weekend. This year we are dealing with CenturyLink on Friday and Saturday so everything has been put on hold.

[xctsclrx]

1. I would prefer friends, but my friends do family. So family it is.

2. I will start tonight and make a few things tomorrow and then finish up Thursday. DH does the Thursday cooking though.

3. Day after-decorating for Christmas, Saturday is the iron bowl, Sunday we don't plan anything.

[polecat8]

1. I love spending holidays with my family. My dad's friend always spends Thanksgiving with us. Spending holidays with the in-laws is always a cluster and full of drama.
2. For Thursday, we have to bring cheese, pepperoni, and crackers for appetizers to my parents' place. DH is also making a key lime pie since we'll be celebrating my dad's birthday and it's his favorite. For Saturday, DH is making a pie and sweet potato casserole to take to his dad's.
3. We'll probably decorate for Christmas on Friday or Sunday. Saturday will be Thanksgiving with the in-laws. Maybe we'll take the kids to the museum or something. I'll also be doing some online shopping.

[freezorburn]

1. Friends. For the past few years we have had a Thanksgiving potluck with my single parent group. It feels more like a family than my actual family.

2. I also do a dinner at home the weekend before, with DS and XH and my brother. We sometimes have another friend or two come, but this year is was just us. I usually start prepping some things a day or two before, but I was too busy this year and had to do everything on the day.

3. Polar Express train ride on Friday, regular swim lesson on Saturday. Somewhere in there we will go get our tree, since DS’s school kicks off it’s annual tree sale fundraiser this weekend.

[covergirl82]

1. I would love to have a Thanksgiving with my family (DH and kids), my parents, and two families we are close friends with.

2. The only thing I'm contributing to Thanksgiving on Thursday is rolls. I'm making them tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon, and they will take me all afternoon to make, given time for the dough to rise and also for them to bake. On our mini-Thanksgiving with MIL on Friday, I'm making stuffing, green bean casserole, and potatoes. We're eating at noon, so I'll start making food around 10:00 am.

3. We have no solid plans for the weekend after Thanksgiving. We might go to the downtown of our small town and do some shopping to support Small Business Saturday. I might take DD to open skating at an ice rink nearby. Because we're leaving Dec. 1 for a week at Disney World, we might put a few Christmas decorations out so it feels Christmas-y when we get home from our trip. We'll go to church on Sunday.

[mustardseed2007]

1. I've never spent it with Friends, only family. I like the idea of spending it alone although I don't know if I would really enjoy not seeing my parents as much as I think I would.

2. If I'm hosting I start cooking the night before.

3. Actually yes. A dear friend's child is having his birthday party so we're doing that. I'd like to do some yard work and do some christmas decor as well. I'm going to try to do a bike ride on black friday.

[supertrooper1]

1. Family. There is no drama and it's nice to get together. We invite both sides to our house so we don't have to pick which side to go to or try to go to both on the same day.

2. I make pies and rolls the day before. DH cooks everything else the day of.

3. No solid plans for the weekend. We might go see Santa. I want to out up Christmas decorations.

[waverly]

1. Family usually unless someone is misbehaving.

Last year my SIL was bent on telling us everything we do wrong as parents which were all non-issues like not letting DD run around and play in a house with a giant piece of chocolate cake that she could smash everywhere. Apparently we were not free range enough to worry about smashed cake on her in-laws walls and furniture and carpet.

2. DH cooks the day of, but he is prepping now and getting ingredients.

3. Nothing in stone yet. DH and DS are going to "the game". They are flying out Friday night and returning Sat night. MIL and FIL will leave on Sat morning, I think. My mom might leave then too. DH keeps dropping hints that his sister is around. Well if she wants to see anyone on another day but Thursday she will need to see them Friday. I am not seeing her Sat or Sun after all the other relatives have left. Those are my recuperating days.

I mentioned having a girls day with me and DD, and FIL pouted and said he would just stay in his hotel room. After you leave to drive home, FIL no need to pout. eyeroll.


Maybe I should change my answer to #1?   

[twinmomma]

1. Family - as long as it's mine, not the in laws. My family treats Thanksgiving as just a really nice, casual weekend together. The in laws made it A HOLIDAY with expectations and stress and poorly planned timing for everything.
2. I don't cook. I help a little while there, but my parents handle the heavy lifting. My dad loves to cook and plans it all out (even though it's the same every time).
3. Shopping on Friday with mom, sister, and some aunts and cousins like always. Then just hanging out! I'm excited that this year my kids will get to spend the whole weekend with a cousin who is the same age. They're going to have a ton of fun and hopefully occupy each other so that all the adults can generally relax.

[ilovelucyvv]

1. Family which is easier because they live close by
2. MIL cooks
3. We just came back from vacation Saturday night and the house is a disaster. I still have luggage to unpack and laundry to fold and put away. I can’t start to think about Christmas decorating until i get that under control. DD also has over a week’s worth of makeup homework in addition to her monthly packet due next week

[mae0111]

1. Family. I actually prefer to visit my ILs at Thanksgiving (vs Christmas). It’s a much easier holiday to travel, IMO. I like helping with the cooking and the clean up, and it’s generally much more casual. I do not enjoy the heavy drinking, however.

2. If I was hosting, I probably would have spent the weekend cleaning and organizing, and started food prep today. Since we are going out to dinner, no food prep.

3. Maybe dinner with friends on Saturday? Otherwise it will be quiet.

[2chatter]

1. Family. Although I’d prefer nuclear plus my mom instead of DH’s huge gathering.

2. I’m making everything. I am starting tomorrow night.

3. I need an extra day this weekend. Getting up most decor and the two big trees, backlog of laundry mountain (to put away), wash dogs, Black Friday shopping with DD, decorating my mom’s door for the contest at her place....ISO a family activity for Friday night - may just do a Christmas movie and s’mores over the fire pit.

[librarychica]

1. Family. Maybe. Probably. Ask me Friday. Though some years (this is one of them) we end up with a friend-family combo.
2. We do thanksgiving as a potluck so I’m only responsible for turkey and desserts this year. I have all the food and will start baking tomorrow.
3. The girls and I will go for a mature walk somewhere Friday (H may join us, work depending), Saturday the oldest and I will volunteer at a meal packing event and Saturday afternoon/Sunday we will hopefully do a whole lot of nothing. Maybe set up some Christmas decorations.

[campermom]

1) Family. My family is pretty great. I don’t have a ton of really close friends.
2) I have a half day and some errands, and afterwards I’ll peel and cut 10 lbs of potatoes. I’ll make them tomorrow and put them in a crockpot to warm. My batch is half of the potatoes!
3) I’ll run a local 5k with my turkey drumstick headband I got for 2.00 at the grocery store. Hang out with my sisters and their families all day. Dinner is late this year at 5. Laugh at the table with cousins for a few hours. Maybe bring a cousin or two back to my house to sleep over w my kids.
Friday we go back and spend the day with the fam. (My parents is the central location, I live 10 mins away). We eat Chinese for dinner.
Saturday we leave for Punta Cana with our good friends!