Sunday Stealing

(Link in meme-roll)

How many Thanksgivings do you attend?

Just one. Good Lord, so much food at that one, who needs more??

Where do you attend Thanksgiving(s)?

My house.

What is your favorite dish?

Dressing. Stuffing. Whatever you call it. The bread thing.

What is your least favorite dish at Thanksgiving?

Sweet potatoes.

What, if any, are your Thanksgiving traditions?

The tribbles come out and frighten small children and get thrown around in a random way. Football. Parade. Dishes. Divvying up the leftovers. Aside from the tribbles, it's all pretty standard stuff.

Name your FAV thing about Thanksgiving.

Seeing family. Eating.

Do you make anything for Thanksgiving? If yes, share what and why.

Up until last year, I've made the whole damn meal. Last year, my niece Katherine actually offered to make something substantial, as she did this year. I don't mind--it's pretty straightforward at this point.

Out of everything you eat at Thanksgiving, what can YOU cook the best?

Our turkey (somehow) always turns out great. It's just never dry, and believe me it's not because I do anything super-secret or -special.

What do you drink with your Thanksgiving feast?

Sometimes we have alcohol. Usually, just water/pop/milk/juice/whatever people want.

Has there ever been a feud during your Thanksgiving?

Katherine can get spazzy about football being on all the time. She and Alan (her husband) had a memorable argument one year that literally terrified Beast's dad and a friend of ours who was there. She's just a massive knot of ... I don't know. Some days she's better. Some days she's still 13.

Do you have Appetizers before you Thanksgiving meal?

There's always stuff to nosh before we eat since that usually happens around 3. This year: shrimp cocktail, lots of veggies and crackers with hummus (and I got out cheese for James because as soon as he found out it was hummus he wouldn't eat anymore, doofus).

How many people attend your Thanksgiving(s)? If yes, who?

The standard count is 6 at this point, aside from Beast, Sparky, and me. But all are welcome, and not all 6 make it every year. This year was a year without Don, my other nephew, because he's a truck driver and there was some kind of "urgent" grocery delivery he had to cover. :(

Have you ever missed a Thanksgiving?

"Missed" as in "didn't celebrate"? I don't think so. Even the year my dad and my sister Ellen died, we had the meal--four days after Dad died, two days before his funeral, 9 days before Ellen passed. I mean, most of the family was there, and the food had been purchased.

What kind of pie/cake/dessert do you eat for dessert?

Yes. Pie. Not cake. (who has cake on Thanksgiving--that's just all wrong!!) This year it was a choice of apple, pumpkin, and French silk. The latter is all gone. Sparky will take the pumpkin home today when he goes, and I'll be having apple pie for breakfast for a couple more days.

Do you ever play games at Thanksgiving?

Sometimes. We introduced Apples to Apples a few years ago which drives Katherine nuts because there's no definitive "answer" or "winner" or whatever. Cards Against Humanity will eventually show up, but we either need to do that SOON or wait about 10 years till her kids are old enough to be around (or not want to be) while we play.

Name 3 things you are Thankful for:

1. All the very good people of the world. 2. Free will to do the right thing. 3. The tolerance and forgiveness of my friends and family.

Is there anyone who has normally attended Thanksgiving, that will not be there this year? Who?

Well, Don (see above). I miss the years Amy was able to be here. And I miss the rest of my family, even Mom's lumpy gravy.

Name the funniest person at your Thanksgiving this year and tell us more.

James. Always James. He's just a big goofball, age 43. Picture That Kid in 8th grade, the dorky-but-smart-and-doesn't-care guy. The one who'll try anything. Not gullible, just experimental. That's James, still.

He drove off the driveway when he left this year, so he had to winch and chain himself back onto the road. That was fun. [to be read in Sarcasm Font]

Which person eats the MOST?

I think Katherine outdid everyone on Thursday, and then sank into a turkey+ headcold coma.

Which person eats the LEAST?

This year J hardly ate anything. Again. And not because he's only a year old. He has a little cold and he's not a fabulous eater under the best circumstances. At least he didn't scream the whole day this year. No, this year was the year of Endless Poopy Diapers.

Do any animals attend Thanksgiving dinner?

Just the turkey....

If so, do they get Thanksgiving scraps?

Pinto doesn't attend the meal, but he does get all the leafy bits of celery, random carrots, some dried fruit, etc.

Who carves the turkey?

Normally, Beast. This year Sparky did a fine job in his place. He used the little pamphlet attached to the outside of the turkey wrapping for guidance, and since he works in food service he does know how to operate knives and all safely.

Have you ever had to make Thanksgiving all on YOUR OWN?

OMG, YES I HAVE! For decades, jeez. One of Sparky's friends posted his first attempt at making the whole thing on Twitch (video). That was something that would have been fun to watch.

Do you get along with the people you have Thanksgiving with?

I love everyone who comes. Some of them make me crazy in assorted random ways, but that's part of the fun. Fortunately, we don't have any truly obnoxious people... I did sort of dis-invite Alan's mom and stepdad after a couple of years' attendance. They are vegetarians, though on Thanksgiving they cave and have some turkey. But she is just a first-class narcissist and I had enough the year after Katherine and Alan's first baby died with her constant me-me-me and "failed to invite" them.

Is your Thanksgiving formal, or do you just do whatever?

"Formal" ha ha ha. Nothing, but NOTHING, in my life is every formal if I have anything to do with it. I do usually use a tablecloth and my mom's china settings, but those are literally the ONLY formal things I can think of. Oh, yeah...we pray before we eat. Or sing the Doxology. Is that formal?