All your options are acceptable just vote with your family what option they prefer.

Anonymous wrote:

We will not be going out or getting restaurant take-out because several of my older relatives are really bothered by the idea of going to a restaurant for dinner on a holiday.

Oh yeah, these people are not going to like the idea of Chinese food takeout for Thanksgiving dinner!

The best Thanksgiving dinner I got from Wegmans was actually their turkey breast dinner and not the full turkey. It was very simple to carve slices of turkey breast instead of dealing with the whole turkey carcass. No one noticed or cared that there wasn't a big turkey on a platter and I didn't have to deal with the guilt of throwing away bones instead of making a stock from the leftovers...

If you have kids, and you always do a big Thanksgiving meal with the trimmings, I would keep up that tradition. Just order something. In past years, I have done Thanksgiving meals from Wegmans and from Balduccis. Both were fine. The traditional meal with the trimmings is the link to your family tradition; celebrating in a new place is the novelty.

I would maybe go a little extra on the desserts, or a special drink that you don't ordinarily have (like hot spiced cider or something for the kids), or something else, or plan a new activity or something fun for the kids (cousins?) to make the day special. I wouldn't skip the traditional meal just because you are in a rental house.

Why is it your decision what the group eats? Just get together with them to figure it out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would ask all the people attending which they prefer - catered/premade thanksgiving or nontraditional meal.

+1. Poll your audience...not us! Either is fine!

It's possible just asking the question will bring out 5 volunteers willing to pre cook the sides.

Anonymous wrote:I would ask all the people attending which they prefer - catered/premade thanksgiving or nontraditional meal.

+1. Poll your audience...not us! Either is fine!

Catered thanksgiving meal for sure. Many don’t want to eat normal casseroles or typical restaurant meals on thanksgiving. It’s a day known for a certain set of food!

Anonymous wrote:Do Wegmans. WF just isn’t that good.

Rocklands is prety good.

Get catering from WF or another place. Absolute no to the DCUM usuals of lasagna, chili, baked potato bar, taco bar, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I would ask all the people attending which they prefer - catered/premade thanksgiving or nontraditional meal.

No, taking a poll is a bad idea. OP just needs to place an order at WF or Wegmans or wherever and pick it up in the AM, and then reheat things in the oven.

I would ask all the people attending which they prefer - catered/premade thanksgiving or nontraditional meal.

OP here. Thanks for thoughts and suggestions so far. Some of your questions are my questions too -- I have been trying to ask the family how they feel about it and if people are attached to having traditional Thanksgiving food, which would narrow things down. No one will give me a straight answer, which I am taking to mean that no one is super attached to Thanksgiving food but also not opposed to it.

Dinner on Wednesday will be a special menu at an Italian restaurant. Which now that I think of it, makes the lasagna idea a bad one, so that is out (though I could do another casserole-type dish that would freeze well -- as someone noted, I could do the enchiladas in advance).

We will not be going out or getting restaurant take-out because several of my older relatives are really bothered by the idea of going to a restaurant for dinner on a holiday. The Whole Foods takeout is okay because we would pick it up in the morning. So it needs to be something we can make or bring with us, or that could be picked up well in advance of dinner.

Whole Foods

Do Wegmans. WF just isn’t that good.