It’s such a delectable morsel.
That’s what my grandmother always did with the turkey oysters (is there another term for these?), but these days I think more people are aware of them!
Thanks for the gift links! I think I’ll make the chocolate espresso pie for one of the T-Day desserts.
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I love the back oysters, too, but have used them as a distraction for the Spawns to divert their attention away from the One True Prize.
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You’re very welcome! That was my favorite, too 
Yes, it looks so decadent and delicious, doesn’t it? Yum.
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the pope’s nose flew off the chicken I was carving on Tuesday, and landed right next to my tiniest dog’s crate. So, that’s who got most of it. I made him share it with his 2 little Canine DCs.
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Gift link to a NYT Thanksgiving survey
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Inspiring. I am tempted to follow in your footsteps if I get my act together. A sassy cornbread dressing would play nicely with the smoked turkey breast I’m planning.
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Random brief responses to those takes:
I’m pro-cheeseboard, but I also don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all take on that one. It depends who your crowd is, where it’s all happening, if there’s a risk of kids running off with a plate of blue cheese they’re going to dump on the floor because it’s yucky (agreed), etc.
I disagree about not talking politics—I’m not going to make small talk about fiddles while Rome burns outside the window—but agree that you’re not going to change anyone’s mind. I hardly have any conversations where the point is to change someone’s mind, so that’s not a criterion I’m interested in.
Not only do I not have a Thanksgiving playlist, I’m not sure I have ever attended a Thanksgiving where music was playing. Not that I’m objecting.
Card games yes, but any time you bring up games in any context like this, experience has taught me that some people need to hear that this is not the right time to try to get people to play Settlers of Catan. You gotta get ahead of that. It is a great time to entertain your niece with Apples to Apples.
Emphatically pro-stuffing. Marshmallow-neutral. Pie-neutral: good pie is good, mediocre pie is mediocre.
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My MIL always has games ( Rummy cube, something about trains ETA “Mexican Trains”), and younger generations play theirs (something about market trading that involves a lot of yelling), but I didn’t know games were a thing!
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I love Rummikub, but I kicked so much ass last time we played nobody wants to play it anymore.
Werewolf is a fun phone game with accessories.
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If I haven’t made the pie myself, I like to have a backup plan. An emergency container of decent vanilla ice cream can come in handy. Maybe have a stash of caramel sauce if it’s that kinda pie. It’ll get me through until there is good pie to be had.
Because, pie.
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For the health freaks among us 
Again happy to share any gift links from this list
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My family enjoys a rousing game of UNO after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. So far, my sister is the reigning champ!
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Games are absolutely a thing. If the weather is good, a little flag football after eating is great. If the weather is bad, go straight to the TV to watch someone else play football. The advertisements are for loading plates with leftovers. Be sure to make chipotle mayonnaise for the turkey on rolls. You can shift to the traditional football watching beer, but another Bloody is not amiss (unless there is more of that terrific wine).
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UNO and Rocky Bingo for us. In years past we’d play Pirate’s Gold or Fact or Crap.
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A memorable Thanksgiving games break happened around 20 years ago when I lived in NY. We had dinner at a friend’s house, and his parents had come in from out of state. Between dinner and dessert, his otherwise fairly reserved father led the 10 or so of us in a rousing game of Bullshit using two decks of cards on account of our number.
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Games - always games. As a kid - neighborhood pick-up football games on Turkey Day. During our younger-adult lives, it was booze-laden episodes of Risk. All out - all day. My then-new-to-me-DH said “you all take this way too seriously”. With no connection to that comment, eventually we all evolved into kindler, gentler sports: mantle football and jenga come to mind. Now, entrenched in our 60’s, it’s competitive puzzling and cocktail making, at best. But games (and competition), for sure.
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The main outdoor game I remember playing is the one now most noted for its appearance in Facebook “we were a tough generation, we grew up eating razor blades out of apples and drinking out of the hose” memes: lawn darts.
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