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My family we do dinner early; like around 2 or 3. That gives people time to relax after they eat and still leave with plenty of time left in the day to do whatever they want. No one ever leaves though, we hang out and drink then everyone stays the night.
But if they wanted to leave and shop they totally could.
My family is of modest means, old school and not materialistic. But we throw on a feed that would make many millionaires envious. Roast turkey, Pa dutch potato filling, AND bread stuffing, butternut squash,Copes dried corn, rolls, gravy, peas, pepper cabbage, cole slaw, cranberry relish, wine( for toasting), that weird green bean casserole thing, and then pies and ice cream and coffee. Then over the following days you have turkey pot pie and turkey corn noodle soup.
No shopping, no binge watching TV, just eating and talking. I'll take a feast like that with family over waiting in line to buy some too big TV or electronic gizmo that will be obsolete in a year.
...so why do you need a national holiday for this?
Personally, I like national holidays like Thanksgiving, but celebrating them is a choice and I don't understand why you feel everyone should feel the same way you do.
Huh? No one said everyone has to do or feel the same thing. Some like traditional, and what sometimes happens is people start dismissing traditions as old fashioned or even oppressive and I reject that.
After my Thanksgiving dinner with the family I drove out to the mall to see what's going on around 8:30pm. I found the food court was packed with shoppers eating big meals. Eating like they haven't had dinner at all.
The Mall opened here at 6PM on Thanksgiving Day, wait a sec.. Isn't that dinner time?
Yep it's dead, but for different reasons.
Thanksgiving has traditionally been to thank God for what He's given us in this country and for the food on the table.
We've made it to be about consumerism, partying, a turkey, and a football game.
Actually, it was like that, although I don't blame interracial marriage or homosexuality. Blacks and other minorities celebrated Thanksgiving back then too. However, mobility and immigration have indeed played their parts. As has women in the workforce (not a bad thing), consumerism and the shaming of patriotism by the leftists.
Nothing is more Republican that opening on Thanksgiving Day to make a few more bucks, so your underpaid employees have to work, while you sit at home and have your picture-perfect Thanksgiving dinner as per your earlier pictures.
IMO, Consumerism is the #1 reason that Thanksgiving is not the same.
That said, to each their own. If you want to shop, then shop if a place is open. For our family, we spend it together (Thanksgiving is our biggest holiday to get together). We prefer not to shop, not only so we can be together doing what we like, but also so we don't contribute to others having to work for peanuts instead of being with family. It's our choice, we don't put it on anyone else.
And shaming of Patriotism is not a partisan issue either. Some Dems certainly seem to be ashamed of their American Heritage (I'm not one of them), but there's plenty of Republicans who seem to spit on what America was founded on. They seem to lack pride in our melting-pot heritage. And our right-leaning leaders seem to love to wage wars, and then cut budgets for Veterans. How Patriotic is that? How Patriotic is it that they don't want to pay for their wars, they want to put it on the backs of Working Americans?
I'm sorry, I'm sure you're a smart person, but your post seems to be ignorant of reality....
I'm wondering how that's possible?? I put my turkey in the oven at 9:30 a.m. and it was done at 2:30 p.m. so 5 hours for the bird. (15# bird).
As I cooked, I was trying to figure out how BF shoppers ever ate at all? If the doors opened at 4-6 p.m., then they had to have NOT cooked dinner (if they were the cook that day) and instead, got in line at least 3 hours prior. I can see why they were famished and ate in the mall....
They put the bird in the oven at 4 am and other people bring a dish or help cook. We usually eat at 1:00 or it depends on if someone has to work.
As for T day dinner being dead. Ha. I hear more complaints, mostly among the younger folks, about having to go to multiple family dinners.
About 12 years ago I was still living in the same house as my then-husband and we were in the middle of a divorce. One of my sons was away in the military and the other planned on spending Thanksgiving with his fiance and her family. I went out to my favorite trail and trail ran for a couple of hours early in the afternoon. When I was done I drove back into town in search of something to eat. It was a small town in rural Tennessee and the only thing open was a Chinese restaurant. Sure...........why not? I walked in and was a little stunned just how many people were eating Chinese food on Thanksgiving.
What does that have to do with your story? Nothing. Just thought I'd share.
LOL. Reminds me of A Christmas Story.
Fra la la la la.
All our holidays DIED in 2007 and 2013 when DHs grandma and my grandma died. No one on either side took up the traditions and so Easter Dinner, Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Dinner DIED. " Do you own thing"...so we do. We dont celebrate anything now.
and yes my children are fine with it and dont care.
It was dead for me years ago when we used to go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. They are vegan. Blecccch. Need I say more. Trust a vegetarian/vegan to totally destroy a meal. Tofu turkey roast? Not even "cashew gravy" can help that. Tofu pumpkin pie? No Reddi Whip or ice cream on it to make it edible? No thanks. I was the only one in the office who came back 5 pounds thinner after Thanksgiving weekend.
DH did a complete 180...now we only spend Thanksgiving at my folks. What a spread! My mom is getting up in years, but I and youngest daughter will keep the tradition of fat packed unhealthy Pennsylvania Dutch cooking going strong. Thanksgiving hasn't changed much in Berks County, PA. Bring on the turkey, gravy, Copes Stewed Corn and Potato Filling!
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Some like traditional, and what sometimes happens is people start dismissing traditions as old fashioned or even oppressive and I reject that.
