Thanksgiving Day Survival Tips

Juggling Families, Travel and Too Much Turkey Dinner on Thanksgiving

Nov 1, 2006

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time of togetherness, but in today's world of mixed, split and rejoined families many juggle Thanksgiving family visits.

It can be particularly challenging to enjoy Thanksgiving if you are a couple, and each of you has divorced parents. You could feasibly end up having four stops (all in which people expect you to eat a full Thanksgiving meal). At the end of Thanksgiving Day, you will be stressed, exhausted and probably nauseous.

Here are some tips for making Thanksgiving go smoothly, and maybe even having fun that day (really):

Host Thanksgiving Dinner

Tell all family members to come to you if they want to spend time with you. Invite everyone, tell everyone you've invited everyone, and let the chips fall where they may. Thanksgiving may still be a tad psychotic, but at least you won't spend a ton on gas and you'll only have to eat one meal.

To make it even easier, make it a potluck. You make the turkey, and ask everyone else to bring the sides, drinks and desserts.

Spread Thanksgiving Around

No one wants several Thanksgiving dinners. Suggest you have drinks and appetizers with one family beforehand, dinner with another, and bring a great dessert to a third for some after-dinner socializing with coffee. If you have even a fourth family, visit that one the day after Thanksgiving for some fun (and hectic) Black Friday shopping.

Eat Out on Thanksgiving

I know for many, the mere concept is absurd. But who says you absolutely have to make Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe you hate cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Won't everyone be much less stressed if you just meet at a local restaurant? Local family restaurants often have quite a decent Thanksgiving dinner planned.

Be Anti-Social on Thanksgiving

You might make some family enemies, but there's nothing saying you have to get together with everyone. Especially if you live a long distance from family members, you might consider just doing Thanksgiving with your household only. Promise everyone you will make the rounds on Christmas instead, if that will smooth things over.

Don't Let Thanksgiving Make Your Crazy

No matter what you do on Thanksgiving, don't let something as silly as a holiday make you crazy. If the travel, traffic, family members, cooking, hosting or hyper children start making you want to pull your hair out, just take a deep breath. Have a sip of some just-released Beaujolais Nouveau or some other Thanksgiving-esque wine. Put it all in perspective. Thanksgiving Day is just one day out of the year. If nothing else, you have 364 days before you have to endure it (or enjoy it) again.

More on Thanksgiving

The copyright of the article Thanksgiving Day Survival Tips in Family Travel is owned by Kelby Carr. Permission to republish Thanksgiving Day Survival Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Nov 1, 2006 1:10 PM

Jennifer W. Miner :

Nice suggestions! There have been years when the idea of eating dinner in a restaurant on Thanksgiving was mighty tempting to me (although I've yet to do so).
And, if you can't stand hosting t-day, there's always this:
<a href="http://luxuryresorttravel.suite101.com/article.cfm/worst_thanksg iving_dinner_recipes">Worst T-day Recipes</a>
(tee hee)
Jen

Nov 2, 2006 4:24 AM

Kelby Carr :

Hahah! I acually like to cook, but then again I had one nasty Thanksgiving I hosted. I was very pregnant with my first child, I had just a few days before been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, and I'd been to the hospital the night before until 3 a.m. after a fall. So I was tired, cranky AND making loads of food I was not allowed to eat (mashed potatoes, pie, stuffing, etc.). Not fun!

I haven't done the eating out one either, but I have definitely done the anti-social and "come if you want to see us" Thanksgivings. They are far less stressful.

Nov 2, 2006 10:26 AM

Jill Florio :

Thanksgiving is FULL of foods I don't normally eat, being a low carber. But thanksgiving is the one holiday I take a break from low carbing. That way I get my stuffing and can eat it too. :)

Nov 2, 2006 12:08 PM

Kelby Carr :

Yeah, Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without some major carbs. Of course, I didn't have the choice that year. It was quite sad measuring out like a third a cup of mashed potatoes! Heheh. Now THAT is a pitiful site on my plate. No one should ever be forced to measure their taters!