I loved it as a kid. We always went to my grandmother’s- no alternating years or anything. So it was tradition, we knew what to expect, it was cozy. My grandmother loved hosting and she loved having me over in the days leading up to it to help, so we had extra time together.

Now it’s a mish mash of where we go and it’s changed every few years as people moved or passed away. So now it’s a nice dinner with some branch of the family, but I don’t feel the warmth and tradition in the same way as I grew up with it.

Anonymous wrote:Food, family, football, no expectation that I buy gifts for anyone.

This

It’s not as commercial as all the other holidays. It’s about relaxing with people you love, enjoying good food, and reflecting on all the reasons there are to be thankful.

I also really enjoy cooking and hosting parties. Unfortunately we rarely get to host but I help out whoever is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food, family, football, no expectation that I buy gifts for anyone.

This, except we don’t watch football. If we celebrate at home, we watch the NYC parade and the dog show. Big pancake breakfast, then we clean up from that and do an early dinner. It’s my favorite day.

This is what we do too. I find it less stressful than Christmas for sure

Totally. Christmas is a bit easier now that my kids are older, but good lord, the pressure to make sure everyone in the house gets the right gifts and has the most magical Christmas ever, on top of all the activities that happen beforehand, that’s the most stressful time to be a mom.

YAS! This is it for me too.

I'll cut against the "it's one day" people and say part of what I like about it is that it's the start to Christmas. I'll usually throw on a Christmas movie that night, and ending the holiday by looking ahead to the next holiday is part of the fun for me.

Anonymous wrote:Good food

No gifts

It really is only one day, not MONTHS of events

+1 The expectations are so straightforward. Just cook, gather, eat, and then it’s over. A few days of leftovers if you’re lucky.

I think all holidays used to be more contained like this. Christmas and now Halloween have become ridiculous endurance competitions. Please just let us have Thanksgiving.

I'm Jewish, so most of my important holidays are not holidays for the general culture, which makes it harder to hold the time for family. I like that I celebrate Thanksgiving with the rest of the country, which means we all have off of school and work.

Op here. Maybe the monotony of the food is what kills it for me. I’ve always eaten the same things every year - Turkey, Ham, Yams, Greens, Sweet Potato Pie in an endless cycle. Now as an adult, I continue to make these same dishes. Maybe I need to let go of the pressure to have the traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

Small family size. So we don’t travel to gather. No one visits each other so it’s quiet and should be fun I suppose.

Bleh.

Thank you all for sharing. Keep telling me about you all’s Thanksgivings, I am enjoying reading about your reasons.

Good food

No gifts

It really is only one day, not MONTHS of events

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food, family, football, no expectation that I buy gifts for anyone.

This, except we don’t watch football. If we celebrate at home, we watch the NYC parade and the dog show. Big pancake breakfast, then we clean up from that and do an early dinner. It’s my favorite day.

This is what we do too. I find it less stressful than Christmas for sure

Totally. Christmas is a bit easier now that my kids are older, but good lord, the pressure to make sure everyone in the house gets the right gifts and has the most magical Christmas ever, on top of all the activities that happen beforehand, that’s the most stressful time to be a mom.

Anonymous wrote:I like Thanksgiving because there are only a few times each year when I have a day totally free to indulge in cooking more complicated dishes that my family wants to eat. It's a slow day, we eat a few decadent things we only eat for the specific holiday, and we slow down enough to focus on why we are thankful for each other.

Now, we have a small nuclear family, and we never travel for Thanksgiving. This might not be possible if we have a big family gathering.

+100

If you don't like cooking or aren't good at it, I can see how Thanksgiving would be a pain. It is a difficult holiday for people who don't cook because restaurant versions of Thanksgiving food don't hold a candle to the food a good cook can make at home.

Spouse and kids help with the cooking at our home and our food is delicious. We also enjoy hanging out for the meal. It's nice not to be in such a hurry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food, family, football, no expectation that I buy gifts for anyone.

This, except we don’t watch football. If we celebrate at home, we watch the NYC parade and the dog show. Big pancake breakfast, then we clean up from that and do an early dinner. It’s my favorite day.

This is what we do too. I find it less stressful than Christmas for sure

Delicious food that I eat guilt free once per year after running the Turkey Chase 10k that morning;

Spending time with multi-generations - our early 20s kids, us and grandparents, who won't be around much longer;

Variety of other relatives who drop in from year to year;

Continuing family traditions;

Relaxed, low-key, chill, no pressure time. Just plain old food, family and fun. We host, have been doing so for decades, and I really enjoy this holiday

Anonymous wrote:Food, family, football, no expectation that I buy gifts for anyone.

This, except we don’t watch football. If we celebrate at home, we watch the NYC parade and the dog show. Big pancake breakfast, then we clean up from that and do an early dinner. It’s my favorite day.

I like to cook together and have the day off for walks, watching movie together, just peaceful.