The very best part of Thanksgiving, IMO.
4 Likes
Chinese - what all the Jews do for Christmas. You found out our trick!
6 Likes
This year the theme is self-care, because these are trying times! Halloween, Iāll let the kids and the H choose their favorite candies, and weāll put them in a bowl outside the front door. I am not opening the door! But neither will I turn out the lights. Leftover candy will actually be enjoyed by us.
T-day is typically a small affair anyhow, us and the in laws. Every 3 yrs or so, a little bigger because either my fam flies in, so we have both sets of gārents, or we fly out, and then we also have my sisterās extended fam. Anyway, no one travelling this year. We are definitely covid cautious. So Iāll do a chicken instead of a turkey - more appropriate size and frankly arguably better flavor. And each of the 4 of us will pick a traditional T-day dish they do want. That makes my preparations much more manageable while still making it feel like a special day.
2 Likes
Or for those of us who are looking for an alternative, Indian, which has the added benefit of honoring the holiday with red and green chutneys. 
3 Likes
This is absolutely the first Iāve heard of Jews ordering Indian for Christmas! But absolutely. If itās open, do it! The first year we moved up north away from all our extended family, I did Indian food for T-day in a sort of protest. Not so much I was mad at anyone. But I didnāt feel celebratory in any kind of traditional way. I recall okra. Canāt remember what else I put on the table that year. At the time, it was my husband and I, a 4 y.o and a baby. Kids obviously didnāt care.
1 Like
I will not work. Having retired from retail after nearly 35 years this will be my second normal Thanksgiving and Iām looking forward to some poultry and the traditional beatdown of the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.
5 Likes
Enjoy! Iāve actually never worked a Thanksgiving in my life. This year, though, it would seem appropriate.
1 Like
Not so odd.
6 Likes
If I was going to make a keepsake online it would be "Thanksgiving " .
My great grands on my dadās sides āslave recordsā and Thanksgivings in Alabama, my momās and husbandās family from the Carribean, our sort of first gen kids squarely in the mid to upper class , with son and his wife in Turkey, and we are in Nor Cal, with little family within hundreds of miles.
I would love to make this better than ever.
4 Likes
Why not have a āYunā party?We cook delicious food at home, open videos, and celebrate with our friends and family through videos.I think this would be the perfect way during COVID-19.
2 Likes
Iām going to look up āYunā party, but how do you handle time zones? I know there is a sweet spot. Maybe late AM or very late evening in Europe if its a day off there?
1 Like
Zooming Thanksgiving between the New Orleans, New York, and New Jersey contingents. Liberated by the absence of overlapping dietary restrictions among the usual crowd that make my typical ingredient list an infinitesimal Venn diagram, the two of us will eat things that my Thanksgiving table has never been able to offer.
8 Likes
Thank you! I can usually coordinate New York, North Carolina, Atlanta, and LA, with San Francisco/Bay area , but Asia/Turkey/Europe is hard.
Youāre UTC-8 (standard time). Turkey is UTC+3. 11 hours different. 9a for you would be 8p the same day.
It seems to be just staying at home with the maximum of closely living relatives this yearā¦
4 Likes
Like @jcostiones I worked in retail for many years. For the last several I was responsible for turning the store from Thanksgiving to Christmas after we closed on Wednesday but before we opened Friday morning - we usually worked to to 2am and then were back in 5am Friday. Thursday was busy with company and cooking. We often hosted TD during those years and I never got to spend time with my family, some of whom would be visiting for most of the week. I was so looking forward to having the time to spend together. Oops, thatās not going to happen.
Since we are relatively strict in our CV-19 protocols I wasnāt sure how TD was going to play out. Mr Bean is considered an essential worker and is exposed to people. Fortunately/unfortunately he is on call for Thanksgiving and canāt stray far from home and the problem is solved. It is the perfect āexcuseā to not have to go somewhere where we may not feel uncomfortable or make anyone else uncomfortable.
I havenāt figured out what Iām making yet but Iām thinking Duck Confit. Iāve never made it before and will have time this year. Weāll definitely have pumpkin pie since I bought 2 cans of pumpkin in July ājust in caseā.
7 Likes
Scheduled times east to west coast run all day, we hop on and off while cooking and eating. Its loose and fun. With musical numbers and readings thrown in the mix. The kids pie-d me in the face on Zoom last time we logged in. Think Tik tok on steriods. It was a lot of crazy fun.
3 Likes
Have them call in first or the day before during kitchen prep time.
1 Like
Smart move. My local grocery store has been out of it for months. I hope they plan to restock before Thanksgiving but there seems to be a shortage. I may have to experiment with butternut squash and sweet potatoes, because DH will be very sad if he canāt get his once-a-year pumpkin pie!
1 Like
For me, this year will be hard. After losing my DH, itās just me at home. Iām being very strict with Covid, because Iām responsible for taking my Mom (89) to the doctors, which is about every week. Sheās living independently, and I donāt want to come in contact with anyone that might get me or her sick.
My sister has been trying to get us to come over for TD, and has suggested eating outside (in NJ!) or sitting in the garage. My neice had Covid, and recovered. But I know that her three kids are not socially distancing at all. In fact, they donāt even have the courtesy to wear a mask when they are around their grandmother! Itās really stressful, thinking about what could happen. So, Iām not attending in person. I think my Mom will stay home as well.
Mom doesnāt have internet or a smart phone. A virtual meal would be nice, but she would never be able to do that. So I think Iāll make a traditional dinner of turkey with the fixinās and bring it to her and she can eat it when sheās ready. Itās heartbreaking to not spend time with family, but Iād rather look back after a year and say, āRemember the pandemic Thanksgiving?ā Thatās what Iām shooting for!
11 Likes
