As someone who didn’t grow up in the US, I don’t have a large family here, nor do we have any thanksgiving traditions outside of turkey or ham for dinner. But I wanted to learn some new traditions, specially some I can do with adults as my kids are in college.
Honestly all it is for my family is eat the big meal and watch the game. I usually nap during the latter part because I ate so much.
If I’m at my moms then we might do some games. Sometimes we do what is called an “auction party”. Where everyone who shows up brings two things they don’t want anymore. Then we all get the same amount of fake money and sit in the same room and bid on it. I can be real funny with gag items going through long bidding wars. It can also be pretty helpful to get an item you actually care about.
During a covid auction party a half used bottle of hand sanitizer had an absolutely riotous bidding war over it.
The auction party is a really great idea, I’m going to take note and see if we can do it this year. Maybe friendsgiving if the kids don’t want to do it.
My traditions revolve more around what’s cooked, rather than what’s done. Never really had a big to-do when it came to Thanksgiving, to be honest.
Watch the parade, make the favorite dishes, and enjoy the leftovers for a week. The Black Friday leftover sandwich is the best, naturally.
My sister and brother and I are abandoning our large extended family thanksgiving this year to avoid our toxic mother. My sisters friend went missing and was found dead and my mother was being a bitch about it saying things like “if he was closer to his family that wouldn’t have happened. Things like that only ever happen to bad people.”
Mom told me it would be great if my siblings and I all lost our homes and jobs so we would have to live with her again.
My brother is going through a divorce and lives with her for now and he’s cutting her out as soon as he’s back on his feet.
We love our extended family but we can’t ask them to exclude my mother so we are just splitting off this year and I’m still super upset about it.
We cook together, everyone has a dish or two to make. Then we go cut down a Christmas tree that weekend and decorate.
