# Holidays in the time of Covid



## bookreader451 (Nov 12, 2020)

I am wondering how many of you are planning traditional holiday celebrations and who is altering plans this year.

I usually host Thanksgiving and it can be 25 people.  I am not doing it this year and everyone seems so disappointed.  I feel guilty but I am afraid of exposing some of us older family members to Corona.  

My state limited gatherings. I don't want to pick and choose.  Hubby suggested I do "take out" but, I am not going through all the cooking and cleaning up if I can't sit down and have the meal, play games with dessert, and laugh with the people I love.  

 What are you doing?


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## AliOop (Nov 12, 2020)

We would normally travel to be with our daughter's family or my parents, since they are the closest. However, as a chiropractor in NV, our daughter must limit exposure to out-of-area folks in order to keep her office open to treat patients. And my parents have requested no gathering at their house, not due to the virus but because both are elderly and get easily exhausted when lots of visitors come over. And if they say yes to one of us, how do they say no to all the other adult kids in our huge extended family? So, no traveling for us.

We are discussing whether to gather for a Thanksgiving meal with a few local friends. All of us have been in regular contact anyway. But we can't make that decision until it is closer to the time, and we see who is healthy, who has potentially been exposed, etc.  I've ordered a turkey just in case, but am guessing that I might end up with a whole lot in the freezer.


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## BattleGnome (Nov 12, 2020)

Usually we visit friends but that obviously won’t happen this year. even if my husband and I didn’t want to be careful one of our friends has a compromised immune system and we definitely don’t want to endanger her.

for Christmas... we always visit family in the first few weeks of December. Since everyone is currently healthy and doing their part we are still hoping to travel. We also know that these plans may change. Corona numbers have skyrocketed in our area during the past few weeks with no sign of anyone coming to their senses. I hope that we can keep ourselves healthy to travel but we have to look at the bigger picture. Not only would we be traveling and potentially exposing ourselves but we could pass something on to family (16 month old niece has never been sick despite 2 pharmacist parents and a nurse grandma). On top of that worry, we would have to pass through Wisconsin to get to family. We did some traveling in June and Wisconsin was scary then, I’m kinda concerned about what things will look like if we travel now.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 12, 2020)

We are in NY and our numbers are low but going up.  My kids are in Brooklyn and my sisters are two blocks away. One of my sisters is a teacher and her husband works at a college.  My other sister is having surgery Monday and may have a bad diagnosis and since the Dr. has already brought up chemo I am afraid to expose her to anything.  My family in Massachusetts are all elderly.  

I am going to suggest a zoom check in with all the kids.  My daughter texted me today and is afraid to expose us, her live-in BF is a teacher in a yellow zone.  We had a sisters fire last Saturday night but, outside is not going to be feasible for Thanksgiving.  If I lived in a warmer climate I would just do an outdoor holiday.


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## dibbles (Nov 12, 2020)

We just today decided to not get together for Thanksgiving. If they want to come for dinner, we will spend it with our son, DIL and infant grandson. We'll figure out Christmas when it gets closer. Covid cases are spiking here in the upper midwest.

@bookreader451 I hope things go well for your sister.


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## earlene (Nov 12, 2020)

My DIL's brother's wife's father was hospitalized and on a ventilator with CoVid, so they are NOT hosting any holiday dinners this year. They normally host a huge family gathering every year. I've been there myself a few times. 

So my DIL invited us to their house instead, but with the rising rate here and in Texas, I had no plans to risk it for Thanksgiving. And as it turns out, I have surgery the day before Thanksgiving anyway, so I will just be recuperating. Guess Hubby will have to do the cooking for the both of us, but he will also be working that day. Maybe I'll plan ahead & buy a frozen veggie lasagna somewhere.

Christmas is another story.  No gathering, but it does look like I'll be traveling, first alone, and then with my eldest sone to help him move.  This travel should be completed by Christmas, but that depends on if the closing date can completed earlier rather than later.  If we have to travel on Christmas day, we'll be eating take-out or food from a trucks stop restaurant.  We shall see.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 12, 2020)

dibbles said:


> @bookreader451 I hope things go well for your sister.


Thank you.  We are all praying for the best.

Erlene I hope everything is okay!   

We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas and I haven't even wrapped my head around that!  

I am getting most of the kids air fryers because they are old and haven't given me grandchildren yet. When they give me grandchildren they will get better stuff.   Seriously the  youngest is 27 and the oldest is 37 what is with kids these days?


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## dibbles (Nov 12, 2020)

They are worth waiting for @bookreader451. My oldest was just shy of 32, and my son was 31. When they had their babies. Karma for me - I was 33 when my first was born.


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## BattleGnome (Nov 13, 2020)

@bookreader451 my sister was 33 for her first (only, she claims). I’m 31, my brother 28 - both with pets to act as cousins.

personally, I’d love an air fryer for Christmas. We picked one up at a store closing sale about a month ago and it took 2 uses before I was open to the idea of finding a bigger/better one. It took one use before my husband started recommending it to everyone he talked to.

(the whole grandkids thing might just be a long wait, one of my uncles was well into his 40’s before he and his wife decided to adopt)


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## Angie Gail (Nov 13, 2020)

We are planning on having both Thanksgiving and Christmas as normal. If we had to fly that might be different because I don't think I could stand to wear a mask that long (they give me headaches and can make me feel queasy).


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## Becky1024 (Nov 13, 2020)

We usually go to my cousin's for a big extended family Thanksgiving but won't this year. I am having only 5 at our dinner. Everybody will wear masks except when eating and while eating we will be socially distant. I will probably do the same at Christmas. Cases are spiking here in Ohio and it's only going to get worse.


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## Megan (Nov 13, 2020)

I'm spending the holidays with my nuclear family unit this year. No extended family. Just my husband, my kids and I.
Usually we spend the holidays with my small but extended family...and I usually have one other party with friends as well.
I'll be nearly 8 months pregnant at Thanksgiving and almost 9 months then at Christmas...so Christmas wasn't going to go as usual anyway this year even without Covid. I cut off all events (except for work) at the beginning of Nov. and probably won't visit anyone till at least April.  On that note: can Covid be done now?


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## amd (Nov 13, 2020)

I'm haven't discussed with my husband yet, but I am going to be putting my foot down and we will not be doing any extended family get togethers, at least for Thanksgiving. We'll see what things look like in South Dakota when we get closer to the end of December to decide that. For now, though with positivity rate being so high (and I'm not talking about the "positive pants" that our governor told us to put on), and all of us being in different germ pools it just doesn't seem like a good idea at this time. If it comes down to it, I guess my husband can take the kids but they'll have to find somewhere else to live for two weeks because I don't want their germs back in my house.

I don't think this will be a problem for my side of the family - my mom was hospitalized for a week with Covid the beginning of October, so my sisters and I are all being extra careful to stay away and not risk exposing her again. Besides, my sisters don't like holidays and usually have to work, so we will plan a non-holiday in the summer where we can be outdoors. My husband's family will be the difficult ones, as his parents are divorced and do not get along, we usually have two holidays for each parent (back to back days on the same weekend at SIL's house... don't get me started on this ridiculous bit of nonsense). SIL owns a salon, and while she's the only one there and does take a lot of precautions (she says she wears a mask and spaces out clients so she can clean between... I have to wonder how much she really does because she has been very verbal about how ridiculous it all is...). Their school just went to virtual learning due to high covid cases. I just don't think it's a good idea for us to join their get togethers at this time. (SIL and inlaw parents all live in the same city, we live in a different city the next county over)


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 13, 2020)

I will be alone by choice and SAFE on Thanksgiving. Turning a negative into a positive, I'll get out a jigsaw puzzle, which I haven't done in ages, and listen to opera all day long, being grateful for the opportunity. I will reminisce about the good times when we were all together. There were some doozies, I tell ya! I will be grateful for all the good so many courageous people are doing during these stressful times. I will be sending out love to everyone who needs a little loving. Oh, and I will probably take a nice relaxing bubble bath followed by a little snooze. All the things I love to do on a single day. Whatever y'all decide to do, I wish you well that day and send blessings to you and your dear ones.


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## Misschief (Nov 14, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Erlene I hope everything is okay!
> 
> We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas and I haven't even wrapped my head around that!
> 
> I am getting most of the kids air fryers because they are old and haven't given me grandchildren yet. When they give me grandchildren they will get better stuff.   Seriously the  youngest is 27 and the oldest is 37 what is with kids these days?


Hey, I was in my early 40's when my first grandchild was born; I'm 66 now and have 10 grandchildren in all, most biological and a few "acquired". They're all amazing and range in age from (would have been) 22 down to 4.

We won't be seeing any of them this Christmas. It just isn't safe. They all live in an area where Covid is on the rise and restrictions are in place.


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## TheGecko (Nov 14, 2020)

We usually go to my sister’s, but may stay home this year.  Christmas has always been a catch as, as catch can affair with all the kids spread out working all kinds of crazy hours.  Our one DIL (hubby’s son’s wife) is a nurse, so they have made themselves off limits because hubby is very high risk with his health issues. We haven’t seen them since January...FaceTime isn’t quite the same of course.  Oldest daughter lives a good 10 hours away and is staying close to home.  Youngest son and his family will be iffy with the baby.  It was one thing to split up the families for an outdoor birthday party in the park, it’s another to get a have dozen people in a small apartment...especially when some of them are high risk.  We’ll see.


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## Catscankim (Nov 14, 2020)

My friends usually have a “Friendsgiving” party at their house. Its a bbq and everybody brings something. I dunno, maybe 15 ppl. It was always outside, even before covid. We all play pool together on sundays for league, every week since things started opening up...and for 13 years before covid.

i always bring the cranberry sauce. Its her husbands favorite. “I am the only one who makes it right” he says lol. Guess it tastes like his moms.

I got a msg the other day asking me for my cranberry recipe. I guess im not invited this year. Ppl get weird that i work at the hospital. Guess we can play league together every sunday, but i cant come to their house for an outside party. Its ok, i just wish they would have just called me.

My recipe is stupid simple anyway lol. She texted me back...is that it??!! Yeah lol...bag of cranberries, cup of oj, cup of sugar...little nutmeg.

Soooo. I guess im making soap for thanksgiving this year lol.

Not meaning to sound pathetic lol. I am ok with that and i get it. I just wished she would have called instead of just not inviting me, and then asked for my recipe without saying anything about the Friendsgiving that i know everybody is going to.


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## Guspuppy (Nov 15, 2020)

So far my cousin is hosting her normal Thanksgiving dinner for about 15ish people. Everyone has been together with one or the other of the guests regularly in the last few months so we are all already exposed to each other's germs. The only thing that worries me is her 92-year old mom (my aunt) but she's doing well and my cousin has requested anyone with any chance of exposure not to come. I'm looking forward to it. We haven't had a family party since last Christmas.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Nov 15, 2020)

I'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year w/ immediate family' we see each other often anyway so the covid threat isn't to much of a concern we all practice safe guidelines as much as possible.


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## shunt2011 (Nov 16, 2020)

I'll be having a small Thanksgiving with my daughter and grandkids.   Sadly, my parents have lost their minds and are traveling to Colorado.  Just can't tell them anything.   But, because of me being immune system is severely comprised right know  I will be avoiding others altogether.  I'm around my daughter and grandkids on the regular and they are taking all precautions.

My parents will not be allowed around us for 14 days once they return.   No rona here.


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 16, 2020)

We invited one older couple over for a socially-distanced Thanksgiving, if they decide they feel comfortable.  They are as careful about staying healthy as we are.  Virginia can be quite balmy in November, so we might be able to eat outside, and if not, we will open windows and crank up the fireplace to compensate. We will cook, drink champagne (a little holiday tradition that I like to keep) and listen to music, no matter what. I love Thanksgiving leftovers and what we can’t eat will go in the freezer.  

My son and his fiancé are buying a new house and pushing hard for us to join them in California for Christmas, but I think the risk of traveling at that time will be way too high for my personal comfort level.  I’ve barely left the house since this began.  He’s my only child, now 30.  As far as I can tell, there are no grand babies on the horizon for me.  

Our family members on both sides are spread across the country, so we‘re all accustomed to rotating holiday visits.  I guess we will see everyone on Zoom this year.


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## Megan (Nov 16, 2020)

Catscankim said:


> My recipe is stupid simple anyway lol. She texted me back...is that it??!! Yeah lol...bag of cranberries, cup of oj, cup of sugar...little nutmeg.



That sounds like my grandma's recipe  ...although she also uses some orange zest to liven it up!


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## The Park Bench (Nov 17, 2020)

I always host all of the holidays.  None of my 3 sons are married (23-27) and so thankfully no grandbabies yet.  I want to keep Thanksgiving just my immediate family and am trying to figure out how to tell the others that they aren't invited this year with out seeming rude


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Nov 17, 2020)

The Park Bench said:


> I always host all of the holidays.  None of my 3 sons are married (23-27) and so thankfully no grandbabies yet.  I want to keep Thanksgiving just my immediate family and am trying to figure out how to tell the others that they aren't invited this year with out seeming rude


Good luck w/ that'  family can be' sensitive' especially over the Holidays.


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## earlene (Nov 18, 2020)

The Park Bench said:


> I always host all of the holidays.  None of my 3 sons are married (23-27) and so thankfully no grandbabies yet.  I want to keep Thanksgiving just my immediate family and am trying to figure out how to tell the others that they aren't invited this year with out seeming rude


Well, in spite of the reaction of the family, your health and welfare do have to come first.  I recall when my mom & dad decided they were no longer going to host the huge holiday get togethers anymore, how it made us kids feel, grown though we were.  But we all pitched in to make new traditions.  We all eventually realized it was time for them to take care of themselves and not have to cater to everyone else every step of the way.


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## Basil (Nov 18, 2020)

earlene said:


> I recall when my mom & dad decided they were no longer going to host the huge holiday get togethers anymore, how it made us kids feel, grown though we were.  But we all pitched in to make new traditions.


You rise early @earlene ! I remember the same , and now it seems all of us are doing again


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## The Park Bench (Nov 18, 2020)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Good luck w/ that'  family can be' sensitive' especially over the Holidays.


Right!!. I just spoke with my two older sons who live in Nashville and they have agreed to get a Covid-19 test on Monday or Tuesday to be sure they are not bringing anything home to us... Now to tell the rest of the people they cannot come LOL!


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## Obsidian (Nov 18, 2020)

I'll be hiding away with hubby, making small meals just for us. I don't like holiday gatherings anyways so I'm doing good.

I'll probably take leftovers to gramma the day after but knowing her and her sons family, they will probably get together.
For some reason, the one side doesn't seem to understand you can get sick from family.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 18, 2020)

_"...doesn't seem to understand you can get sick from family ..."_

Ugh, yeah. I'm afraid a bunch of my family in western Iowa have the same attitude. I don't understand it.

A nurse in the University of Iowa hospital system told my co-worker Connie (his cousin) earlier this week that the U of IA system is close to being overwhelmed. And that's one of Iowa's largest and best hospital systems. He's not going near anyone outside of home and work right now -- it's just too risky.

I was just reading a news article where 32 of 83 guests at an October wedding in Ohio have tested positive for covid, including the bride and groom. Most of the guests refused to wear masks even though the bride and groom provided masks and hand sanitizers at the entrance to the wedding venue. The bride said she was shocked that so few people followed the guidelines, but she didn't say anything. I guess I can see why she didn't want to make a fuss, but it sure would have been a smart thing if she or the groom had stopped the ceremony and asked people to mask up and social distance. It's so bad people have to keep learning this lesson the hard way.

I've read a little bit about the reasons why many people behave like this, and I have struggled with my own case of "covid fatigue" at times. But so far, I haven't given up -- I hike up my big girl panties, put the d**m mask on, wash/sanitize my hands often, and keep my exposure to others to a minimum.

I belong to a social club for women motorcycle riders in my local area. One of them was having a birthday get-together at a local bar last night. She issued a private message to the rest of us to meet her at the bar and enjoy the party. I wished them all a good time while shaking my head in disbelief that she thinks this is an okay thing to do, what with covid rates going sky high in Iowa right now (the state is currently third in the nation -- a very un-enviable place to be). I doubt I'm going to attend the monthly club meetings for the foreseeable future.


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## violets2217 (Nov 18, 2020)

I honestly did not realize Thanksgiving was next week. When my kids were putting away the Walmart grocery order they pointed it out to me and ask why there was no turkey in our order! So hopefully I have a turkey breast in the freezer to throw in the crock pot or we are doing a "favorite meal" buffet. Last holiday we did that it included tacos, homemade pizza and I think a meat loaf and some spicy chicken fajita pasta dish!!! Hope everyone has a great holiday!!!


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Nov 18, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> _"...doesn't seem to understand you can get sick from family ..."_
> 
> Ugh, yeah. I'm afraid a bunch of my family in western Iowa have the same attitude. I don't understand it.
> 
> ...


Good Choice' I cant see exposing ourselves to possible covid' If its not absolutely necessary. I dont even like going to the grocery store! I use every precaution not to cross contaminate when I do, tell the Family the same. We cant be careful enough.


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## Marebear (Nov 19, 2020)

To BattleGnome  -   I couldn't agree with you more about Wisconsin.  I am a resident of Wisconsin and people wearing masks varies from county to county.  I don't understand what is so difficult about putting on a mask.  In my county, 300 people walked in to a county board meeting to complain about masks.  Not one of the 300 wearing a mask.  County board members called it a Covid party.
Small Thanksgiving for me.  Something that I read today - Better a Zoomgiving than an ICU


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## beckster51 (Nov 19, 2020)

All this magical thinking about Covid is very disturbing!  I understand why no one wants to deal with Covid, neither do I.  But I also don't think it's going to skip over me and mine "just cause" if I don't take precautions.  Thanksgiving this year will be me and my husband, with 2 dogs begging for turkey scraps.  My very best wishes for everyone here to stay vigilant and safe.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 19, 2020)

Just an update we got good news today my sister's tumor is benign!  Jumping for JOY!!


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## dixiedragon (Nov 19, 2020)

We've rented a pavilion in a local state park for Tgiving. Literally every Thanksgiving I can recall for my entire life has had gorgeous, sunny weather - sometimes cold but always sunny. So knock on wood that this continues! But even so, we're down from our usual 30 people to around 10. 

It's really scary. My co-worker has a special needs sister who is in her 70s. She got pneumonia and had to stay in a bed in the emergency room for 24 hours b/c there were no other beds. So scary.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 19, 2020)

earlene said:


> Well, in spite of the reaction of the family, your health and welfare do have to come first.  I recall when my mom & dad decided they were no longer going to host the huge holiday get togethers anymore, how it made us kids feel, grown though we were.  But we all pitched in to make new traditions.  We all eventually realized it was time for them to take care of themselves and not have to cater to everyone else every step of the way.


We faced that when my mom and dad moved when they retired.  I picked up the torch for the locals (meaning NY and NJ) relatives and my holiday has grown year by year.  I will so miss this Thanksgiving as I have felt the need to "keep family together" since my mom and dad passed.  Family is so important and missing them at the holidays is so acute for so many of us.


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## dibbles (Nov 19, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Just an update we got good news today my sister's tumor is benign!  Jumping for JOY!!


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## amd (Nov 20, 2020)

amd said:


> I'm haven't discussed with my husband yet, but I am going to be putting my foot down and we will not be doing any extended family get togethers, at least for Thanksgiving.


We had the discussion and it did not go as horribly as I thought it would. He was totally on board with the "not mixing germ pools" he just didn't think I would be. (Ummmm.... any reason to not have to spend ridiculous amounts of time with my inlaws is a good reason for me!) So we will be staying home and doing a small get together with our nuclear family - which this year will be just my hubby, daughter and I as the oldest boy will be working (he moved out of the house in March), and the middle boys will be at their mom's. I'm just trying to figure how much and which snackies I should make for our Star Wars movie marathon... and how to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner in snack form so that we don't have to leave the couch...


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## earlene (Nov 20, 2020)

We just received emergency alerts on our phones:  All of Illinois is in Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation; our CoVid infections rates, hospitalizations, ICU & on ventilators are higher right now than they were at the peak this past Spring.  It's not looking good here in the MidWest.  I was just thinking about getting my hair cut again.


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 20, 2020)

amd said:


> how to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner in snack form so that we don't have to leave the couch...


Go to the Recipe Forum... I just posted *Dad's Leftover Turkey Pot Pie*. Looks easy, nutritious, filling, and yummy.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 21, 2020)

amd said:


> I'm just trying to figure how much and which snackies I should make for our Star Wars movie marathon... and how to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner in snack form so that we don't have to leave the couch...



Sounds like a great time!  How about Hawaiian roll sliders, (turkey and cranberry), stuffing fingers with green bean casserole dip and mashed potato poppers.  I would love a challenge like that.


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## beckster51 (Nov 21, 2020)

I found this to be a fascinating article about parallels during Thanksgiving in 1918 and the current situation.  For your reading pleasure:









						We're celebrating Thanksgiving amid a pandemic. Here's how we did it in 1918 – and what happened next
					

On Thanksgiving more than a century ago, many Americans were living under quarantines, and officials warned people to stay home for the holiday.




					www.usatoday.com


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## Zany_in_CO (Nov 21, 2020)

beckster51 said:


> For your reading pleasure:


Interesting!


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 25, 2020)

I set the table today for our meal tomorrow.  With 6’ spacing between two couples, we’re maxed out at a table that usually seats 8-10.  I set salt & pepper & butter for each end, and I guess we’ll use different sets of serving utensils when we serve ourselves in the kitchen (one couple at a time...). I’m still hoping we can eat outside.  They’re calling for 70 deg, which will be fine, but also a chance of rain.  Setting the table makes it feel a little festive, as do these turkeys my son and I made when he was little.


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## dibbles (Nov 25, 2020)

@Mobjack Bay the turkeys are so cute, and I am jealous so thankful you have that incredible view! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


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## beckster51 (Nov 25, 2020)

@Mobjack Bay, what dibbles said!  Me, too.  Your table is lovely as well as the view.  I hope you have a safe, fun visit.


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## bookreader451 (Nov 26, 2020)

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  I was grumbling a little about missing the kids and my sisters and my husband just reminded me how very much we have to be thankful for.  We do!


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## shunt2011 (Nov 26, 2020)

Happy Thanksgiving!  I’ll be spending it alone as sadly I was exposed to the Rona.  I’m cooking dinner so that my daughter can come pick it up.  We will be zooming for dinner.


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 26, 2020)

dibbles said:


> @Mobjack Bay the turkeys are so cute, and I am jealous so thankful you have that incredible view! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


Thank you dibbles and @beckster51. Hurricanes aside, it’s a peaceful, beautiful place to live.

and, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Nov 26, 2020)

bookreader451 said:


> Just an update we got good news today my sister's tumor is benign!  Jumping for JOY!!


Best news ever! much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day' Im happy for your wonderful news. 



Peachy Clean Soap said:


> Good Choice' I cant see exposing ourselves to possible covid' If its not absolutely necessary. I dont even like going to the grocery store! I use every precaution not to cross contaminate when I do, tell the Family the same. We cant be careful enough.



Change of plans' because of the spike in corona virus I felt it was to much of a chance to have even a small Family Thanksgiving Dinner! " It Takes A Village" is my thoughts to overcome this dreadful virus. Blessings to you & yours Happy Thanksgiving .


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## AliOop (Nov 27, 2020)

shunt2011 said:


> Happy Thanksgiving!  I’ll be spending it alone as sadly I was exposed to the Rona.  I’m cooking dinner so that my daughter can come pick it up.  We will be zooming for dinner.


Ugh sorry to hear that. Hope you are recovering well from surgery and that the C19 exposure turns out to be a nothing burger for you.


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## KimW (Nov 27, 2020)

When we lived in Virginia, we'd have gatherings of 15 to 21 friends at Thanksgiving.  Since we've moved to the country, the most we've had is 6.  With COVID we had exactly none this year, but still had a good time putting on a spread for ourselves and had much fun putting together a meal package for an older gentleman up the road who had nowhere to go due to COVID.  We made sure to keep the cold separate from the hot items that could be reheated, so he could easily throw out the cold items if he wished.  Hubby said he was most excited to receive his Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.


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## beckster51 (Nov 27, 2020)

shunt2011 said:


> Happy Thanksgiving!  I’ll be spending it alone as sadly I was exposed to the Rona.  I’m cooking dinner so that my daughter can come pick it up.  We will be zooming for dinner.


So sorry that you had to eat alone with daughter on Zoom.  Your family must set a date in the future to have a celebration meal!  I hope this quarantine just turns into a much needed vacation for you.


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## lenarenee (Nov 27, 2020)

KimW said:


> When we lived in Virginia, we'd have gatherings of 15 to 21 friends at Thanksgiving.  Since we've moved to the country, the most we've had is 6.  With COVID we had exactly none this year, but still had a good time putting on a spread for ourselves and had much fun putting together a meal package for an older gentleman up the road who had nowhere to go due to COVID.  We made sure to keep the cold separate from the hot items that could be reheated, so he could easily throw out the cold items if he wished.  Hubby said he was most excited to receive his Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.View attachment 51955




I'm sure he did! What a great thing you did!   And I have to ask - did you get a ladder out to take this shot?


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## AliOop (Nov 27, 2020)

@lenarenee probably a selfie stick


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## Catscankim (Nov 27, 2020)

My holiday meal lol. A turkey hoagie and cranberries lol. I had work overnight Sun mon tues, and it takes me a few days to recover.  I bought chicken, cranberries and broccoli to make, but when i started pulling everything out of the fridge to cook, i decided to order door dash lol. I did make the cranberries though. Been waiting for them for a year lol,


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## KimW (Nov 27, 2020)

lenarenee said:


> I'm sure he did! What a great thing you did!   And I have to ask - did you get a ladder out to take this shot?


I did indeed use my little step ladder.  



AliOop said:


> @lenarenee probably a selfie stick


Alas, I only have an ipad, and not a smart phone, so I used a ladder.  You can just see it in the lower left of the shot.    I'd love a smart phone, but I twitch/shake just enough that I find it almost impossible to key in a phone number or type on them!  Silly things.  LOL

As a newbie to soap making, I've had myself thinking mostly about the right oils to mix and which to start with. I however went for the 100% pko because I wanted to see how it turns out. 











Oh and I used a soapcalc to get the required weights for my recipe. After 24hours the soap was looking good and I unmolded but accidentally ruptured a few. I know this recipe is probably not good for bathing as it will definitely deprive the skin of lots of oils but what do you think about having it as a laundry soap.

Here is the recipe too


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## violets2217 (Nov 27, 2020)

Catscankim said:


> I did make the cranberries though.


I forgot cranberries this year!    I decided to go and try to find some canned cranberry sauce! After 5 stores & crazy crowds, still no cranberries, but when I made it home my turkey breast was done in the crockpot and the house smelled wonderful!


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## KimW (Nov 27, 2020)

Catscankim said:


> My holiday meal lol. A turkey hoagie and cranberries lol. I had work overnight Sun mon tues, and it takes me a few days to recover.  I bought chicken, cranberries and broccoli to make, but when i started pulling everything out of the fridge to cook, i decided to order door dash lol. I did make the cranberries though. Been waiting for them for a year lol,


I've had many a similar Thanksgiving meals.  Cranberry sauce looks delish!


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## earlene (Nov 28, 2020)

It was just Hubby & me, and Kitty Baby makes three.  He took the day off, so I made my usual vegetarian stuffing, portioned out some of it & added some giblets to stuff a turkey for his meaty entrée.  Kitty Baby scarfed down her serving of turkey, which was really only about half an ounce or so (I didn't weigh it; I just give her the equivalent of a soupspoonful of meat or she ends up vomiting.)  

Even though it's only been the two of us forever, it's the first time I have actually tried to downsize the entire holiday dinner to a meal for two, rather than my usual large family gathering style.  It's really hard to do and I didn't really succeed, except with the candied yams (I made enough for only 2 servings each).  We still have lots of leftovers.   I've been packaging portions & making soup stock ever since.

Kitty Baby only ate the turkey on Thanksgiving day one time.  Each of the 2 other times I cut some up for her, she ignored it.  I was actually surprised she scarfed it down on Thursday because she normally won't eat any wet cat food with turkey in it.  She's quite particular, in fact.  If it doesn't have salmon in it, she turns her nose up and walks away.  For awhile I'd buy something else thinking, 'What cat wouldn't like this?' and it turns out she lives with me, that's what cat wouldn't like duck, turkey, any paté, any wet food that doesn't have gravy in the mix.  

Here's what we had for Thanksgiving: 

Deviled eggs from 4 eggs (fresh chicken eggs - so delicious!) = 8 deviled eggs.  It took us 3 days to finish them off, but they were delicious as usual.  Good with breakfast.

Mashed potatoes & cauliflower from 2 small baking potatoes + 1/4 head of cauliflower = too many servings as a side.

Brussel sprouts with red onion in a tasty balsamic sauce made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard & horseradish (I don't even recall where the recipe originated, but my FIL loved this dish when he first came to our house for a holiday meal & I've been making it ever since.)  I ate the last of this last night; just love the sweetness of the onions in this dish to counteract the tartness of the brussel sprouts.

Stuffing using my mom's recipe, plus pine nuts, mushrooms & vegetarian sausage; the liquid I use for my stuffing is Brianna's chicken-style vegan broth powder made as broth =  OMG, I have never learned to downsize stuffing, surely because I love it so much. 

Stuffing for the turkey for Hubby has the cut-up boiled turkey giblets & the liquid in which they were cooked; this is added to a portion of the vegetarian stuffing I make for myself.

Stuffed portabellas made with the aforementioned stuffing (the veggie version) = two servings, which we actually didn't eat until lunch the next day.

Candied yams made with 2 smallish yams (maybe small/medium) = not enough leftovers (I love my mom's candied yams, especially when heated up and sitting atop a little bowl of stuffing.)  I'll be making more this week, because this and stuffing are my two most favorite things to eat together.

Turkey, which was the smallest one we could find, was 10 pounds of meat that will last quite some time, since Hubby is the only human in the house who will eat it.  Hubby's work lunches are taken care of for awhile, but to allow for variety, I've packaged some for the freezer.  I am also currently working on a soup stock with the bones and whatnot. Soup has always been one of my specialties; Hubby thinks I'm a culinary soup genius, which is altogether a nice opinion for a husband to have, right?

But we forgot the cranberries!  Never even took them out of the cupboard.  We also forgot to put the bread in the oven.  But really, we didn't need either.

Then to top that off, Hubby brought home two pies. Two, count 'em, two!  And the pumpkin pie is HUGE!  I don't even like pumpkin pie all that much, and this was simperingly super sweet; I ate part of one slice, and that's it for me. He's going to have to eat a whole pie all on his own.  He also bought half pecan pie, which we have yet to cut into.  I like pecan pie, but it's always so sweet, I can never finish a whole slice.  So he'll eat most of that as well, with whipped cream of course.  I like whipped cream, but the pies are just too sweet for me, a concept Hubby does not even comprehend.

Maybe we can repeat this for Christmas and eldest son can partake. After all, I will be going to help him with the move; he may as well eat a traditional Christmas dinner with us.


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## BattleGnome (Nov 28, 2020)

Instead of a full turkey I found a bacon wrapped breast - about 3lbs. It left just enough for hubby’s lunch. 

im not usually the one cooks thanksgiving but I overly planned so that we wouldn’t have leftovers for days (and so that I can pretend I’m starting to eat better)


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## bookreader451 (Nov 28, 2020)

I just made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts.  I usually have so much more but with just two of us it was plenty.  We usually have three stuffings and tons of veggie sides. I even forsook the buttermilk rolls this year .    Tonight I am using the leftover mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie.  

Tomorrow the meat comes off the carcass and I make stock.  Then we have soup and pie.  I have leftover duck in the freezer and will make chicken and do a hot water crust turducken meat pie.  The best part of a turkey is the meat pie and soup.


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## earlene (Nov 28, 2020)

I'm finishing up the stock tonight, unless I end up falling asleep on the couch between strainings.  Hubby goes back to work in the morning & I want to get this all done & be able to make soap again while he's at work. I'm tired of the smell of turkey stock in my kitchen.

Hubby went to visit MIL from outside her window, and we are going back tomorrow together.  Her phone hasn't been transferred to her new room, so we won't really be able to hear each other very well.  Hubby said he had a hard time hearing her through the window and he isn't hearing impaired, so he'll have to interpret for me, I guess.  But I am so glad to hear she was in good spirits and seemed to be feeling pretty well.


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## Mobjack Bay (Nov 28, 2020)

All in all, I think we did a good job pulling off a Thanksgiving day with the company of one equally cautious couple.  We wore our masks inside, except while eating, and maintained social distancing remarkably well throughout the day. I opened most of the windows, which worked because it was a balmy 70+ degree day here in Virginia. I also set up a fan at one window to bring in fresh air. We ate indoors in our sunroom/dining room with windows on two sides and sliding doors on the third side open.  We were out on the deck in the fresh air for most of the rest of the afternoon.  It was only the third time since the pandemic started that I was physically with people to socialize in any way.  It was a very good day for mental health. We made everything we usually make, including a big turkey and then split it up and sent half home with our guests. I’m looking forward to turkey soup!  I made the stock today in an Instant Pot which I haven’t used much since we bought it last winter.  It works great because it’s sealed and the smell does not permeate the house.


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## Basil (Nov 29, 2020)

earlene said:


> It was just Hubby & me, and Kitty Baby makes three.  He took the day off, so I made my usual vegetarian stuffing, portioned out some of it & added some giblets to stuff a turkey for his meaty entrée.


Your meal sounds wonderful! I saw that you are a vegetarian ? Your menu sounds similar to mine, except I wish I’d thought of the portobello mushrooms! I had roasted tofu made in the air fryer for me and a granddaughter. I haven’t seen your soap recipes but wonder do you use lard or tallow in your soap? Or do you use all plant base, etc? You are so busy all the time it seems! I enjoyed reading your menu. Thanks for sharing


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## earlene (Dec 1, 2020)

Basil said:


> Your meal sounds wonderful! I saw that you are a vegetarian ? Your menu sounds similar to mine, except I wish I’d thought of the portobello mushrooms! I had roasted tofu made in the air fryer for me and a granddaughter. I haven’t seen your soap recipes but wonder do you use lard or tallow in your soap? Or do you use all plant base, etc? You are so busy all the time it seems! I enjoyed reading your menu. Thanks for sharing


Thank you, Basil.  Yes, I have been a vegetarian for 21 years now.  Although I started out only making soap for use in my home with only plant-based oil the first 2 or 3 years, I expanded to using lard in soaps for my non-vegetarian family. In my family there are other vegetarians, but many are not, so I figured I'd give it a try for them.


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## Basil (Dec 1, 2020)

earlene said:


> Thank you, Basil.  Yes, I have been a vegetarian for 21 years now.  Although I started out only making soap for use in my home with only plant-based oil the first 2 or 3 years, I expanded to using lard in soaps for my non-vegetarian family. In my family there are other vegetarians, but many are not, so I figured I'd give it a try for them.


That’s interesting. It seems using the lard and tallow are less expensive and a harder soap, but I haven’t tried. I’ve only been a vegetarian for 10 years. I’m interested in seeing what you’ll make for Christmas


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