I say "allegedly" because I find it hard to believe it might actually be the case. In fact, I devoutly hope it isn't so.
But I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed once again.
When the kids are little, where Thanksgiving will take place is often a battlefield: Do we go to your parents' house? Do we go to my parents' house? In my family there was no issue... my mother and father had a big extravaganza at their home; my wife's family had a quiet dinner. My wife and I went to my parents for as long as my parents were able.
The last couple of years my wife cooked for them, too, and then we went over the river and through the woods with the food in the car.
I was always pretty hungry when we arrived.
Now we're on the other side of the line.
Will Older Daughter's Boyfriend really come up on Thursday, as he says he will -- or will his plans change, as they changed last year? Will Oldest Son be in town... or will he be out of town at the home of his girlfriend's parents? Or -- gulp -- is there some danger he might bring her to our home?
The answers to these questions will determine how stressed my Long Suffering Spouse will get in the next several days -- and we won't know the answers to all of them until (probably) Thursday morning.
Yikes.
12 comments:
For 26 years, there was no question where my kids and I would be on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day - at my Dad's youngest sister's home. In August of last year though that all changed when my aunt and her disabled daughter were placed in a nursing home so, though for the last five of those 26 years, I had been doing the cooking and then transporting the food to my aunt's as she was no longer able to do that much food prep, everything switched to wondering how many would be here, at my house, for those dinners. And this year, it looks to be more of those questions about how many will be here, around my table. Wonder when someone else in my family will take over the actual cooking duties now though -I figure it will be a number of years yet before the youngest daughter will be that friendly with the kitchen!
thanks for giving the other side of the story - my husband and I settled this question early on with me indicating that Thanksgiving is always spent with my family. His parents are welcome, of course ;-)
Hope this does not turn out to backfire on me when my kids grow up!
yep. in spades.
Plus we have the added bonus of divorce...so the kids each have two parental homes. Daughters both have boyfriends who have parents. Everyone has living Grandparents (and a couple great grandparents) so they have demands too.
Last Christmas Day my oldest and her boyfriend drove from San Francisco to Santa Cruz to Sacramento...all on one day. They were trashed from running around. Couldn't relax and enjoy or celebrate.
At that point I said no more maternal mandates that wreck my kids' holidays. MY birthday is the only holiday with required attendance from now on.
Well, it's something we don't have. Similar problems arise over Christmas.
Curmudgeon,
Does your LSS incorporate any Cuban elements into your Thanksgiving meal?
Unless we go to my "American" in-laws' in PA, as we're doing this year, somehow, some way, something Cuban winds up on the dinner table.
Be it black beans and white rice (individually or mixed in "Moros y Cristianos") or yucca with mojo, or maybe just Cuban-style pumpkin flan - there's always a lil' sumpin' sumpin'.
My husband is the youngest of 10 kids, and Thanksgiving is the holiday they all get together.
There will be at least 60 people (including kids) at our holiday this year! Maybe more.
But all we have to worry about is bringing mashed potatoes. The downside, we get no leftovers, bah.
Considering that I will be at work manning (womanning?) the 911 lines, I don't really have the dilemma of where to go. Apparently my brothers are all gathering at my Mom's just like they did last year - without me once again.
Thanksgiving was so much better when I was a kid and we all went to my grandfather's house and filled the place with cousins and aunts and uncles. Now, it's sadly just another day.
I miss being a kid sometimes.
I never have that problem because I work nearly every holiday. My husband spends the holidays at his mom's house while I slave away at the hospital. Please don't feel sorry for me. I make double time and a half when I work the holidays:-)
MJ
yes it makes it a little difficult for shopping - how big a bird to get, how many desserts, etc, etc.
but i'm sure it will all work out somehow, it always does.
We don't have Thanksgiving but similar issues arise with Chinese New Year reunion dinners. My parents worked it out for years with lunch at my mom's side and dinner at my dad's. But now there are grown, married children and in-law families involved.....COMPLICATED!
so are you saying i'm not invited curmy?
smiles, bee
tyvc
ah, family, the ties that bind, or something.
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