Thanksgiving Orphans
 

Anyone here going solo for turkey day? I may, for the first time. My parents are going Florida bound for 2 weeks. They're trying to get me to go, but I don't want them to drive me bat shit. So I'm not sure if I'm going to join them. Plus, I'd be missing my dog terribly for 2 weeks. That'd be the longest I've been away from him.

I think I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. But there has been some emotional bs I've been dealing with over a boy. So the parents are concerned leaving me alone.

Who else is gonna be an orphan?

I've spent thanksgiving alone for the last 3 years, and last year I wasn't with my family but hung with a friend and theirs.

Its just another day - i haven't had turkey and mashed potato on thanksgiving day itself in almost 5 years.

Maybe we can have a TFP special Thanksgiving video chat! Do you guys have webcams?

Well.. this particular thanksgiving, I'll actually not be an orphan. Have a feeling there won't be much internet where I'll be.

Real Thanksgiving was in October.

Not this year, but in the past I have hosted a few Orphan Thanksgivings. I would gather bunch of my friends who who unwilling or unable to be with their families, and go all out making dinner. We had a lot of fun those years.

Even though I prefer being alone I wont be.

That is SO emo.

I've spent two Thanksgiving alone when I was in CA, it was....lonely. Actually, I had the choice of spending it with my sister's in laws but being alone was a much better decision.

Not so much ever since I moved back to WA.

Kelly I don't like people and family reunions are painful for me. I prefer to be with friends more than family.

But when I am alone I get naked, I play games, I go to the movies, I read ... shit ... who you calling emo????

I do.
This may be a possibility :).

Speaking of thanksgiving orphans, If you have an open home and an open seat at your table try contacting your local military base. every base i was at around thanksgiving family's from the surrounding area offer to take kids in for thanksgiving. even though the military is usually really good about letting people go home for the holidays some one HAS to stay behind to watch over the joint. Out in Groton,CT the local chapter of Subvets always help a thanksgiving feast typically serving 400-600 Submarine school students.

That's really cool.

My shrink suggested volunteering somewhere. Like at those 'Feed The Hungry' places. I think it's a fantastic thought, but I'm not sure I'll be doing that. For some stupid reasons - for one, I freak out driving in an area where I don't know my way. And I'd be doing that in this case (don't visit dt too often.)

Ever since my parents passed away, everyone I know is worried I have no where to go for Thanksgiving. I have 2 older brothers with whom iI am close and a HUGE extended family. There's always somewhere to go.

Mmmmmmm mashed potatoes!

Do you go to the movies naked???? I would LOVE to go to that movie theater!

K I have plans now. A Canadian friend of mine, who of course already had her T-Day, bought a turkey and we're going to have our own lil feast. It'll be ok. Our dogs can play and stuff. So yay.

But I think we may plan for afternoon so if anyone still wants to Turkey Day-cam in the evening, I'm game.

I'll have Bear Cub and my daughter. I'm not sure we will do a traditional Thanksgiving meal though. I want to but it's just so much food for 3 people. Especially since Ryleigh seems to have a stomach the size of a peanut.

If you like ham, you can pick up Honeybaked in prepackaged slices. Same stuff - just not a whole hunk of it.

Gawd, I love Honeybaked Ham lol.

I wish I was an orphan.


My family is getting way too big and they all live within minutes of each other in the same suburb of Denver. So, if everyone shows up we have 35 people. My grandparents had six kids. And they all have tons of kids... and some of them have kids... It's insane.

I'm jealous. I'd love to have a large family. Local would be a total bonus.

It's nice some times. Living where I do and not being able to drive limits the family functions that I get to go to. So, when I do see all of them it's nice. For the first few hours.

And mainly now, when we have big family dinners I'm the one doing most of the cooking. I don't get to socialize as much.

As long as you're not left doing the dishes lol.

No. My rule has always been, "I cook. You clean."

lol

The best Thanksgiving Days were the ones when miscellaneous "orphan" friends and work buddies came to us! I always invite folks I know who are on their own or what ever/moved/lost parents/divorced/temp. in the area/etc. Once in Dallas we created killer T-Day Spaghetti with spare ribs and 3 old pals still ask when we an reunite to do that again!

The idea is days before chat with folks you care about. Then just think, the more the better". I've done Pot Luck T-days that were good, too. This year my hubby & I are gonna do a light low impact meal, but enjoy life kinda pot luck and see what happens. We are tired of the same old in-law BS and usually have fun even if it's just us two. It's the attitude that defines the day IMHO. I might just cook home-made soup and bake bread. Whatever. But the lonesome are informed casually. No need to bring anything.

I've done the volunteer for the day at soup kitchens gig, which is always fun but bittersweet. Those folks really need smiling faces during other times in the winter (esp. the day after New Years and in February,) not just some of us with guilty consciousness/vibes from church - or what ever, who only volunteer once a year on Thanksgiving.

So WHo Knows what or who will be here on Thursday. Our door is open and there is always any extra chair & plate!

We've done orphan's thanksgiving for many years now. It's fun.

This year, we went and visited lurky's family in the fall. It was going to be Thanksgiving, but we just couldn't face travelling then, and Stella couldn't get time off then... So we went over Halloween weekend. And did Thanksgiving dinner. On Halloween day afternoon. It was AWESOME.

So Thanksgiving is done. We plan to make some pie and other desserts, and I'll whip up a batch of egg nog (T-day is the start of Official Egg Nog Season--ping me here if you want the recipe), and we'll sit around and watch movies and stuff. We already have a few friends coming over to hang with us.

Living as an expat, there are many people far from home on Thanksgiving. The thing is, when it's the real Thanksgiving, in October, I am usually away on business and the school my wife teaches at is on break (so most of the teachers are off traveling). The same thing happens at Christmas. Most of the teachers are off traveling.

As a result we celebrate Thanksmas. This year will be our third annual Thanksmas and we have grown to over 20 people who are desperate for a little turkey (tofurkey for the vegetarians), gravy and stuffing.

Yes! We called ours Thanksoween!

Next year we're considering throwing an Val-Easter-Pendence Day party!

There are some good people on this forum

My family collects orphans. We've had as many as 75 people when the grandparents were all alive and now we're averaging around 50 per year at a state park. Every year it seems to be less family and more friends... we typically do christmas on MLK weekend. We don't know what to call that. :lol:

I think I'm appreciating this thread so much as it's the first T-Day where I'll be without my parents since they opted to travel. It's just cool to read about other families and such. s'all good.

We debated Thanksoween but it turns out that everyone is around for Halloween, so it wasn't missed like Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Besides, we get to make decorations with Turkeys, Christmas trees and Moose (see this year's invite below).


This thread reminded me that I hadn't ordered my Turkey yet. Thanks TFP!!

My friend who was putting on a Thanksgiving just for us called about an hour ago. Her turkey's still rock solid frozen. We'll probably do this tomorrow lol.

We decided that since we had Thanksoween and we're not doing any sort of thanksgivingish celebration today, we're going to do the opposite of Thanksgiving today. We've declared it Ingrate's Day. When we eat dinner (beef stroganof! yum!), we're going to go around the table and everyone say one thing they deserve.

I am this year. Husband and I just moved to NYC, and while we could have gone back home for Thanksgiving, I just wanted to lay low and do nothing... so that's what we decided to do. Husband's making BBQ chicken, and I'm just chillin out. :)

Going to my parents friend's house for thanksgiving. Not that we celebrate it, but it's a reason to get together. A small gathering of 7 people.

I debated about starting a different thread that would be similar to this one. But I guess it would be best to just add to it.

For the first time in 42 years, our kids and their families are both visiting with the other grandparents. So we have our first Thanksgiving alone. We have been planning for this for a couple of weeks.

So all we've done today is watch football and eat "football" food. It's been totally quiet and fun. We've eaten enough appetizers that we didn't miss the big turkey dinner. We are even going to have mini-cheesecake bites for dessert.

I do miss seeing all the grandkids and our kids. But it's been a nice break from the traditional Thanksgiving get together.