I was in the States last Thanksgiving, and it was lovely. But this year it's a normal working day for me, I'll be working from home and thinking of all my family and friends across the Atlantic.

I'm think of fasting this year.

Our generous friends are letting us stay in their nice Lincoon City Oregon condo with our dog. Beach walks and hikes and beautiful coastal drives, here we come. We are going again to a splendiferous Thanksgiving buffet at a snazzy area resort, and doubtless will do some small town shopping and vineyard sampling. And will visit the Tilamook factory for ice cream cones for us and the pup.

Preschool Thanksgiving party on Wednesday. Parade on TV. I'm already hyping it up to my toddler, hope he will enjoy it. Dinner with the 'podes; I'm bringing Pioneer Womam mashed potatoes and the finest boxed stuffing Shop Rite has to offer.

I'm guessing some kind of painkillers and/or preparations for being on massive amounts of painkillers.
Since my computer is being serviced yet again (for nearly the price of a new computer) and was not done yesterday as promised (which is part of why I agreed to this malarkey), screwed up things are taking an extra spin cycle to get down the damn hole, which take an extra taxing bent around "the holidays" in the US, as a third of everybody is already checked out for the year while another third is making themselves frantic or miserable, forcing the rest to navigate between the two. The able bodied can get away with quite a bit in the confusion, otherwise there's a lot of buffeting going on.

Actually, that whole bit might just be about the US in general. We are jam packed with jive turkeys year round.

Tech note: comment disappearance.

Thanksgiving for us is all about friends and our created family. Don't get me wrong: I love my family here in the USA, but the sad facts are that we both have to work on Friday, so there is no traveling to visit family. Thus, for the past 6 or so years we have done "orphans Thanksgiving" where we have an open invite to anyone who wants to come by. Pot-luck, I do the turkey, everything else is up for grabs.

This year we have 8 adults, including the TPS/stynxnos as mentioned above :) (maybe another couple typically flaky friends of mine) and a couple of kids. It will be awesome. It's always awesome.

I love American Thanksgiving. I love that it's about coming together and fellowship and no gifts. Yes, I'm aware of problematic parts of it, but the parts that I love are just that.

I'm bringing Pioneer Womam mashed potatoes

I made those last year and they turned out to be awesome. Everyone said they were the best mashed potatoes they'd ever eaten. Well, with half a pound of cream cheese and half a pound of butter, they couldn't be anything other than delicious.

Diane and I also made some little pecan pie bites, by buttering a mini-muffin pan, adding a few layers of buttered filo and filling the little filo cups with the pecan pie filling (not sure of the recipe, but I know it involved lots of butter, brown sugar and chopped pecans). Sometimes a whole slice of pecan pie is too much, but people want the taste of pecan pie at Thanksgiving, and these little two-bite tarts were great. You can have just one, or as many as you want.

Drive down to my mom's Wed night, parade/dog show/holiday cards/online shopping/turkey Thursday, we'll go see my bff & family Friday, then my aunt & cousins arrive Friday night so we'll visit with them until Sunday when we go back home. Then I will wish for another weekend and the ability to catch up on sleep.

Just the two of us again this year-- Jon's not crazy about turkey, though (plus turkey's a bit much for two), so I got us a couple of nice thick porterhouse steaks, and, in the holiday spirit, some sweet potato gnocchi. Got some yummy frozen apps and pie to pop in the oven, too. What could be bad? Work's been a bear for both of us, so we need easy. Plus Jon's got the dreaded Black Friday and family's too far, so... (My brother and his girlfriend will have dinner at what Jon calls "the home" with my mom, and I'll go visit on Saturday, but, forgive me, I just can't do the home for Thanksgiving).

I do miss a big family Thanksgiving like my mom or sister-in-law used to make (and Christmas with Jon's family, who mostly live in Maine now). We make the best of it, and I'm very grateful for what we have, but it is lonesome. I actually cried at a Pioneer Woman's family Thanksgiving special yesterday. Pathetic, I know.

(Too bad Jon and I never knew about your open invitation "orphans" Thanksgiving, 'pode-- sounds like fun. Enjoy! : )

I'm off to the nursing home at Thursday for their lunch meal with my folks, brother and his wife, and possibly some other relatives (including the one great aunt who is still alive at the nursing home--but not mentally present at all). It's going to suuuuuuck.

We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time this year. It's also our first time making a turkey, fingers crossed it comes out ok! (We did practice with a chicken so we are not completely unprepared :)). There will be about 12 people from my husband's family and mine ("mine" being my dad, the rest are in-laws). Everyone is bringing at least one dish and most are bringing two, so the burden isn't all on us to prepare everything. Hopefully it will be fun! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

(pips, it's every year! I will write a note in my diary to remind me to email you next year. -- unless you want to ditch all your food this year... more than welcome :) -- I forget not everyone is on fb and thus misses my broadcasts.)

We are going up to Portland, or actually to Estacada. We are invited to our daughter's GF's mom's house, for the first time. Should be interesting and fun.

For the first time since we moved to the States we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Between family and friends, there will probably be a dozen adults and a smattering of small people. I have been planning and prepping for the holiday for weeks, so that the actual day should go pretty smoothly. The parade and dog show are big around these parts as well.
Some of our Brazilian friends who moved here this year will be joining us, so this is their first Thanksgiving, and they are pretty pumped.

The last few years have been pretty tough. Two years in a row, we had a death in the family right around Thanksgiving. Last Thanksgiving was actually the first without those loved ones, and the holiday was quite sorrowful. Hell, I am filled with sorrow just thinking about those we've lost. But we are trying something new this year, we are ready to make some new traditions and celebrate the old ones we want to hold on to.

We're holding off on Thanksgiving dinner until Saturday since we couldn't get everyone together before then.

Wife and I are going to find out if any Indian restaurants are open on Thursday and pig out on curry.

Hosting my mom and her husband at our house this year. My grandmother passed away in June, and this is the first "first," and I'm dreading it a little. But we are dividing up her signature contributions to the day (homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, winter squash, chocolate fudge), and it should be a nice day of remembrance, football, maybe a walk after dinner.

I will be working at my new job teaching English to 5- to 12-year olds.

Heading a half hour south to have dinner at a coworker's house -- there will be beer and wine, dogs and cats, and more food than one would think humanly possible for two people to produce in one tiny kitchen.

I am suddenly thankful that although my grandmother is in assisted living, she's coming to Thanksgiving with us.

Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes are absolutely delicious - I normally make them. This year, we're doing the Fast metabolism diet, but have switched up our phase a bit so that we can have sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, along with our turkey.

My aunt and uncle are in town this year, which is rare, so we're going to their place. I'm excited to see everyone - we haven't had any family events for a while, with one person or another in the hospital.

Our puppy was supposed to have surgery tomorrow, but the weird skin bump seems to have receded on its own, so he doesn't have to! That is very thankful news - he's a 12 year old pug with breathing issues, so we really didn't want to put him under if we didn't have to.

Snow might ruin my plans!! Please, snow, no.

Not shopping. I have learned to hate the fall season over the last 20 years or so. After September ends I don't go to any stores or shop on-line. I just hate the Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, advertising, news orgy.

We are going to MA to my mom's house but I am worried about driving tomorrow afternoon. Husband has to teach until 2 so we are stuck driving up during the snow. Hope it goes ok and there isn't too much traffic.

Looking forward to seeing my mom's side of the family including my aunt whose cancer seems to be not diminishing but not progressing.
My mom's husband's sons will be there, and one of them is bringing his new fiancee from Tanzania so that is going to be exciting. I wonder what she will be like! My mom met her when they went to Africa in May for the engagement, but didn't have much feedback other than that she is quiet. I am happy that the son found someone. I am not sure his older brother ever will because he is so unpleasant and weird.

Speaking of, the only person I really am not looking forward to seeing is my crazy pretentious jerk of a cousin/uncle who has nowhere to go and our family has taken in despite him being rude and not very closely related. He is ex-CIA and never lets anyone forget it. Last Thanksgiving he regaled us all with insanely gross stories about his dental surgery and then a cruise that disappointed him because "there was no one to F." Who knows what it will be this year.

Having the first family Thanksgiving since my son was born. My brother and his wife have been throwing "stray cat" parties since they were out here alone. So we're joining the potluck party.

We did Thanksgiving on Wednesday since both our sons work in retail and that was the only day they both got off this week. The last several years we got lazy and went out for Thanksgiving dinner. When my wife asked my son what he wanted to do for Thanksgiving he said he wanted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at home, so that's what he got.

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For actual Thanksgiving, we did nothing. Not a darned thing. And for that, I am thankful.