As a single digit youngster , long ago,
Getting together meant seeing all the cousins ,aunts and uncles .

about 30-35 of us would meet up at least twice a year, sometimes three times.
Eat converse, play a game or three and go home
full filled and happy.

This year will be the first time in ten years that I will be going with Bonnie to my reunion /thanksgiving feast.

It turns out that of the 30-40 that will be there,
four have a person or persons that "we don't talk about"

three more don't like to talk about their service in the armed forces

three more won't like talking about their employment

five won't like discussing their health issues

two (or three more ) have some legal issues pending

and of course politics,religion, financials,
and what anyone does behind closed doors are Always
steered clear of.

So we are down too hobbies, sports, births ,deaths, weather and traffic are about it.

I am very thankful this day that All the moms dad's ,aunts and uncle's from holidays long past,
made it about us kids, and just did what they had to do to make our holidays enjoyable and 95% care free.

best wishes to all the Sigforum members , hope your day goes well

I would bet that when you were a single digit your parents were thinking the same thing..

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I was a kid, 50s/60s, Thanksgiving was a big deal, but only for immediate family.

I was next to the youngest, me and little brother still lived at home, 4 older brothers out on their own, 3 of them married, two with kids.

Still made for a house full with 6 boys, 3 wives, 4 kids and usually my Great Aunt Ida. She was a spinster and my paternal Grandmother's sister, the only link left to that side of the family.

Great fun for us kids, but now that I'm an (alleged) adult, I understand how much work (and tolerance) was involved for the adults.

What with 2 of our 3 kids hours (or states) away, we don't bother any more.

Baby daughter lives a half-hour away, but she's working two jobs to try to make ends meet and today is her first day off in 10 days. Also her son's girlfriend (both live with her) is due any day now.

We have made several improvements.
The adult males don't wear a suit and tie.
No silver wear to polish.
No fine china will be hand washed.
No white linen tablecloths to be ironed and washed.

Who's idea was all that stuff anyway?

Holidays were a pretty big deal at one time. You sure didn’t go shopping, I remember you could hardly find gas let alone McDonalds open. I’d imagine Great grandma was in charge of the China and dress code.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
We have made several improvements.
The adult males don't wear a suit and tie.
No silver wear to polish.
No fine china will be hand washed.
No white linen tablecloths to be ironed and washed.

Who's idea was all that stuff anyway?

I just read the essay on what Thanksgiving was of 1789/1863/1942/2018.

Made me reflect on the various stages of my own family during select decades back into the 1950s.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

https://www.realclearpolitics....942_2018_138716.html

I am 59 and I remember going to my Great grandpas house for Thanksgiving. He had an old farm house with an Outhouse, 3 holer. We would all eat too much .. The kids sat at the Kids table. Afterwards they played Pinochle I remember learning the game and being able to play.
And getting to go over to the barn, my Grandpa had an orchard so he always had a barrel of cider in the barn. And it was Very good come November.

all went well, the two oldest members of the group were 91 y.o. and 92 y.o..

youngest was 5 weeks old

neither in a wheel chair.

a lot of food left over, they liked my coleslaw, sweet pickles and olives .

I would like to take chili , next year but it's a 90 minute drive. keeping it hot could be problematic.

met four people for the first time, will plan on going next year , weather Bonnie can go or not.

In the 1940s and 50s I grew up in Detroit and my mom had 2 sisters and a brother also living there--I had 5 First Cousins, 2 near my age, and the extended family (14 souls) frequently gathered to celebrate holidays, birthdays, etc. The ladies rotated households each year for the feasts and all of them contributed food. The adults ate at the big dining table and the kids had a card table in another room. I don't remember what was discussed at either table, but no one got angry. They were events of great bonding and always fun.

Those days are long gone. All of my parents, sibling, and aunts and uncles are now dead, and 3 of the 5 Cousins I grew up with, too. And the family is spread all over the country. Yesterday I went to Golden Corral to eat alone--the food was fine, but there was no "family" to share it with. Later, I did go see my Best Friend, who was in town pulling a 12-hour security detail for a local power company, and we had a good visit. Occasionally, a friend in the church choir will invite me to their Thanksgiving dinner (I do take a gift) and, of course, I do enjoy such events. That did not happen this year, hence my dinner alone. That is just one of the consequences of never having married--no wife and children to celebrate with.

I hope everyone here had an enjoyable day.

flashguy

Like many of you, I was part of a large family group as a kid and Thanksgiving was a huge southern style meal. Great memories! But time, deaths and circumstances have evolved into my being alone at holidays. I ordered a great custom made meal from a local restaurant, took it home and shared it with my favorite dining companion: The cat. Afterward, we napped. If this sounds sad and lonely, its not! I like peace, quiet and solitude on holidays so this Thanksgiving was fine for me.

We had our family over for Thanksgiving.

China, silver, and crystal on the table. But our generation is the last in our family with nice table ware. Our kids and grand kids could care less. Wife says let’s sell the crystal. Probably no market for it.

A sign of growing old.

We had a nice, quiet Thanksgiving yesterday. Oldest son and my DIL, youngest son home from his first term at Michigan Tech, almost 10 hours away, wife, two younger daughters and my elderly Dad. I prefer it that way.

I dread X-Mas day. My brother and I choose who will host, with my younger brother and 2 sisters coming over with their significant others. Takes a few weeks and several hundred dollars to prepare and the only ones who offer to help with the dishes & such are the only others who ever host. At times my siblings ideas of bringing dishes to pass include buying a fruit salad and then opening jars of pickles & such. On top of that my one sister actually had the guts to bitch about picking up AND dropping off my Dad one year, who lives all of a quarter mile away... BOTH DAYS!!

Having said all that, my wife & I, aside from my one brother who does not host, are the only ones with young kids and all that goes along with that around the holidays. I didn't offer to host last year, and think I am done hosting for a while. Don't see why, just because my wife & I have busted our asses and therefore own a sizeable house we should be stuck hosting several others who simply coast. Not fair asking my wife to bust her ass over the holidays so that others who don't have responsibilities show up, eat, make and leave a mess, and then leave it for us to clean. On top of that I simply don't enjoy the company of some of them. Guess that makes me a Scrooge;-}!