Anonymous wrote:We have Thanksgiving as our lunch meal, then break out all of the leftovers for dinner. I have never understood having Thanksgiving at off times like 3 or 4 p.m. My ILs used to do this and everyone was starving waiting around for food. Small appetizers for lunch didn’t cut it.

We eat at 3 or 4, but we have heavy appetizers and drinks. Honestly you can get full on appetizers alone. Agree that it's a marathon day for food. I personally love a little of a lot, rather than a huge plate of food at 6pm. It's my favorite day of the year.

Parade-dog show-appetizers and drinks-football-dinner-games-dessert

Anonymous wrote:I hate afternoon thanksgiving. You eat at 2 and then what? Nothing the rest of the day? You start cooking at 6 am? This is the least relaxing version of a holiday.

Totally agree. When she hosts, my MIL loudly starts banging around the kitchen at 6:30 and is in a frantic rush all day--for what? For some arbitrary deadline? And then she gets mad when people want a little something for breakfast. Like, sorry, we can't just tell our small children to starve all morning and gorge on two plates of food. And then she's upset that DH wants to make a turkey sandwich at 8 p.m., even though of course he cleans up after himself.

When I host, we have an easy breakfast, appetizers and soup for lunch, and dinner around 5/5:30, pies about an hour after dinner concludes. Then if anyone wants to make food after that, go for it.

Anonymous wrote:We go to my moms. She likes eating dinner at dinner time. Ao she compromises and serves dinner at 5:30 to accompdate the little kids.

+1. Our family has always eaten Thanksgiving dinner at normal dinner hours.

I hate afternoon thanksgiving. You eat at 2 and then what? Nothing the rest of the day? You start cooking at 6 am? This is the least relaxing version of a holiday.

Everyone has a normal breakfast, then we start cooking. Dinner at 2, followed by cleanup and a movie (it’s literally the only time of year that I go to a movie theatre). Afterwards, some people nibble on leftovers, and everyone has dessert.

I love holiday meals at 3 or 4, where we can have apps for a late lunch and be truly hungry for feast. We go for a morning hike and this is enough time for leisurely prep

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat early--it's a lunch meal (caveat being we are a small family with no nearby extended family so we have a small turkey that cooks quickly.) Then we go for a walk and come home and have pie. I get that when you're hosting 30 people that doesn't work.

I hate having Thanksgiving as a dinner meal. I love having all the food put away and the kitchen cleaned up and not having to worry about it after dinner. I like the everyone just puts together whatever plate of leftovers or turkey sandwich and pie whenever they get hungry in the evening.

I shoot for around 3 because I want the kitchen cleaned up and closed after the meal. I don't want people eating dinner and making a mess later in the evening.

Kitchen is closed after 3p folks!

IL year- supper starts at 5:00 and we have ~7- 9 people.
My family year - we have dinner at 1:30 or 2:00 (usually for 35-40, a ‘greats’ table, adults table, and a kids table). Then we eat again ~7:00.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat early--it's a lunch meal (caveat being we are a small family with no nearby extended family so we have a small turkey that cooks quickly.) Then we go for a walk and come home and have pie. I get that when you're hosting 30 people that doesn't work.

I hate having Thanksgiving as a dinner meal. I love having all the food put away and the kitchen cleaned up and not having to worry about it after dinner. I like the everyone just puts together whatever plate of leftovers or turkey sandwich and pie whenever they get hungry in the evening.

I shoot for around 3 because I want the kitchen cleaned up and closed after the meal. I don't want people eating dinner and making a mess later in the evening.

…you don’t let people eat anything else after a 3 pm late lunch? What is wrong with you?

The guests can take a delicious piece of fruit and eat it outside.

I can't tell if this is the actual Burger King lady or somebody mocking her.....

We go to my moms. She likes eating dinner at dinner time. Ao she compromises and serves dinner at 5:30 to accompdate the little kids.

3-4pm, with the intention that people will go back for 2nd dinner later that night. Food is best on day one. It's a marathon.

We have Thanksgiving as our lunch meal, then break out all of the leftovers for dinner. I have never understood having Thanksgiving at off times like 3 or 4 p.m. My ILs used to do this and everyone was starving waiting around for food. Small appetizers for lunch didn’t cut it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat early--it's a lunch meal (caveat being we are a small family with no nearby extended family so we have a small turkey that cooks quickly.) Then we go for a walk and come home and have pie. I get that when you're hosting 30 people that doesn't work.

I hate having Thanksgiving as a dinner meal. I love having all the food put away and the kitchen cleaned up and not having to worry about it after dinner. I like the everyone just puts together whatever plate of leftovers or turkey sandwich and pie whenever they get hungry in the evening.

I shoot for around 3 because I want the kitchen cleaned up and closed after the meal. I don't want people eating dinner and making a mess later in the evening.

…you don’t let people eat anything else after a 3 pm late lunch? What is wrong with you?

+1. You are a terrible hostess! You could get away with that if dinner was served at 5:30 or 6 with dessert around 7/7:30. But 3 is absurd. If you serve it at 3, I will be back in your kitchen later. I will clean up after myself. But if you tell me the kitchen is "closed" I will take my family, leave, and never return to your house--even if you are my mom or MIL.

I have 3 under 5. I can't stand the early meals. My kids still nap 1-3pm. I'd like to eat at 4pm, not 2pm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat early--it's a lunch meal (caveat being we are a small family with no nearby extended family so we have a small turkey that cooks quickly.) Then we go for a walk and come home and have pie. I get that when you're hosting 30 people that doesn't work.

I hate having Thanksgiving as a dinner meal. I love having all the food put away and the kitchen cleaned up and not having to worry about it after dinner. I like the everyone just puts together whatever plate of leftovers or turkey sandwich and pie whenever they get hungry in the evening.

I shoot for around 3 because I want the kitchen cleaned up and closed after the meal. I don't want people eating dinner and making a mess later in the evening.

…you don’t let people eat anything else after a 3 pm late lunch? What is wrong with you?

The guests can take a delicious piece of fruit and eat it outside.