Everyone wants their Thanksgiving to look just like the Norman Rockwell painting “Freedom from Want.” Ours? Never looks exactly picture-perfect. Let's count the ways Rockwell's Thanksgiving dinner differs from mine!
1. Family can afford 50-lb. turkey.2. Aunts not arguing over who ruined Barbie’s hair 30 years ago.*
3. Drunk uncle smiling cheerfully instead of ranting about Operation Wall Street.
4. Grapes in centerpiece have not yet been demolished by my children.
5. Where. Is. The. Wine?
6. No one using celery stalks as light sabers.
7. Tablecloth not “enhanced” with cranberry stains.
8. Children not relegated to card table in kitchen.
9. Teen nephew not sporting snarl and multiple piercings.
10. Grandpa still wearing pants.
How does your Thanksgiving look?
*Note to my sister: You totally told me to give your Barbie that mohawk. She looked way cooler like that, anyway.
1. I'm the host, instead of any white-haired relatives.
ReplyDelete2. Turkey is pre-sliced, prior to serving.
3. My table's little...we serve from the kitchen counter.
4. I don't actually have a dining room, come to think of it.
5. My three-year-old made place cards with thumb-print turkeys, and she insisted on writing the names.
6. Ditto on the grapes.
7. My husband cooks the turkey.
8. I don't wear an apron. Or a bun.
9. It'll be quite warm here in Charleston - open windows and doors to keep from using AC.
10. Our table will be filled with love and laughter...so there's that. :)
1. My turkey would be either raw or burnt.
ReplyDelete2. Our family contains many more shades of color than the pic above.
3. By the time the turkey makes it to the table everyone is pleasantly buzzed.
4. Ditto on the ditto on the grapes.
5. Wine... see number 3.
6. Kids make the centerpiece so it is never really 'beautiful', but it means a heck of a lot more than a bowl of empty grape stems and bruised apples.
7. Table cloth... why? So I have one more thing to wash after dinner?
8. Is that real china? We use chinet.
9. What are the celery stalks for anyway? Those should have been cut up and cooked in the cornbbread stuffing!
10. My thanksgiving is much more fun than this one appears.
Excellent post.
ReplyDelete1. We will have turkey AND ham (kiddos not big fans of turkey).
ReplyDelete2. Thanksgiving dinner will be just our family, not extended family.
3. Not sure I'll set a formal table this year (see #2).
4. Ditto on the ditto on the ditto on the grapes.
5. A white table cloth is an invitation to "paint" with food onto the cloth. Not having one.
6. Perfectly groomed hair, and smiles? That doesn't happen for everyone at the same time, at our house.
7. If I had that many people around a table, one or two would be wearing noise-canceling headphones.
8. I don't own an apron.
9. Half of my family won't drink water with their meal, given a choice of just about any other beverage.
10. There will probably be football that can be seen from the dining room table.
Thanks for posting this - what fun!!
1. I wouldn't be just buzzed but totally sloshed.
ReplyDelete2. Grapes are only in wine form.
3. I don't have a dining room and my table only seats 4 so we will just camp out in front of football.
4. Clean AND groomed? I might shower that day.
5. I don't like enough people to willingly feed that many. My parents are our only guests.
6. My fancy dishes mean that the kids won't be eating off of unbreakable plastic plates.
7. The celery is for bloody marys.
8. What's a table cloth?
9. I will be doing most of the cooking and not my mom. Which we are all thankful for.
10. By the time we eat someone will be bleeding.
Oh crap! Is it Thanksgiving already?
ReplyDeletethe people in the picture look showered. I can't cook something and shower and wear nice clothes in the same day.
ReplyDelete1. We're just having a small ham this year, can't afford a bird that no one else will eat.
ReplyDelete2. The last time we had a pleasant meal with the extended family, we agreed to have Thanksgiving Dinner at The Country Buffet, the times before and after are the reasons why I no longer host the holiday meals at our home.
3. Our Table Seats our 4, provided someone helps me clear it off so we can find it again... currently it seems to be a pile of "Art projects," Lego boxes and Projects, and various other things we need more space to house.
4. Grapes go in bowls?
5. The wine would work better if you could give it to the kids- but since this is not Italy, we'll not try that experiment.
6. We don't eat celery- thus will not purchase, but light sabers can be "made" with so many other objects (and STOP Poking your Brother with a FORK!)
7. Tablecloth will likely sport pumpkins and other halloween decorations, and will then go from table to washer, after being shaken out off the front porch.
8. House too small, and children too "Creative" to be relegated to any other place not closely monitored by adults.
9. No teen nephew- and I may get dressed, or wear my PJ's- depending on my mood that morning.
10. Right now I'm thankful we'll be fed & have a roof over our heads, when the boys get older- I may try and make something special of this day, Until then- I pray for no snow & warm weather so they can GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY- instead of being jailed inside with us for 4 consecutive days.
1. The biggest difference-we're having Thanksgiving at the lake.
ReplyDelete2. Table? The kids have a small one, otherwise we'll all balance our plates on our knees while sitting in camping chairs
3. Some items will be served less than steaming hot (which is fine, only certain dishes need to be hot) because we're cooking in a camping trailer.
4. As we eat, we'll most likely be up and down multiple times making sure my kids don't jump in the lake (hey, it's still in the 70s here most days).
Um, that's about it, but I think that's enough, lol.
1. the turkey doesnt come from the kitchen here, but the fryer set up in the back yard.
ReplyDelete2. other relatives arent looking for 'something else to fry' and resorting to cinnamon rolls (because they just dont want the grease to go to waste.
3. they are at the dinner table and not behind tv trays strategically placed around the football game.
4. family members arent looking in disgust when the other relative greets his white trash girlfriend/wife at the door.
5. ditto on the wine question? i mean seriously? do yall not see all the kids sitting at that table? no way granny is sober in that picture..
6. the kids are all happy to see the turkey and picturesque spread put in front of them and not complaining about wanting a hot dog or ramen noodles instead. (yep my Asperger's daughter is on a ramen noodles kick at this point)
7. dad is wearing a suit. i am happy to see my 73 yr old dad put on shorts instead of walking around in boxers (with the broken fly button-talk about an appetite killer)
8. no dogs with plates of turkey of their own.
9. lack of tank tops and flip flops... its hot down here in louisiana!
10. what? no baked beans or anything possessing deer meat? thats like a staple at any given family gathering!
thanksgiving-its like the halloween for parents! you know, having to go from one relatives house to another and leaving with enough leftovers to last a week? and you dont even have to say trick or treat!
ok so my post doesnt take you to the right blog... oops! i momentarily forgot the url to my blog. its http://gohmomreally.blogspot.com/ sorry about that!
ReplyDelete1. Our dinner will be egg-, soy-, and dairy-free.
ReplyDelete2. We decided we couldn't afford the gas or wasted days of vacation just to travel, so we're staying home.
3. I was going to serve a small split turkey breast, but we invited a co-worker over, so I had to buy a full breast today (I hope it defrosts on time!).
4. Everything is homemade (including making bread for the stuffing days in advance, see #1), except the cranberry sauce. I like it to still have the indentation of the can on it.
5. Our toddler will probably eat as much as any of us will. And he will spend a large portion of the cooking time staring at the oven window saying, "chicken?"
Those grapes are real? Ours are never real. Doesn't mean they don't get eaten, but just thought I'd point that out as a glaring difference. Great post!
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't have a migraine, I could so come up with some...
ReplyDeleteYour list is awesome though!
1) This year we have NO ONE but me, my husband, and our son to feed
ReplyDelete2) If we had that much food no one would be smiling because of the thought of all the leftovers
3) Seriously...WHERE IS THE WINE?!?
4) There is no dog stealing food
5) I see no carbs on that table
6) I'm sure that at the end of the meal there will be an assortment of picture-perfect pies. We will have my attempt at pumpkin tartlets
7) There is no baby joyfully flinging food on the dogs' heads
8) People are nicely dressed. I'm pretty sure we will be in sweats
9) Absolutely nothing on that table id inedible
10) How on earth does the cook still look that good? By that point my makeup is smeared all over and my hair is pointed in a million different directions!
There's a lot of people in that picture and most of them are sitting. There's only 4 of us. We don't ever have that many people in our apartment at one time. It freaks my older son (ASD) out.....and neither of my children sit down...not for Thanksgiving....not EVER. They will probably be either standing on the chairs, hanging off them, or walking circles around the table. All the food will be over at the counter where I keep it and serve it so it doesn't end up all over the floor. There will not be utensils at their places because they both refuse to use those for eating and if they were at the table with that many people and knives and forks, one of those people would have a knife or fork sticking out of their hand. If I make it into clothes (and out of my pjs) it won't be a dress; it will be jeans and a t-shirt and one of my younger son will probably be in his underwear because he hates clothes (SPD). Looks like they've got fine china there. We eat off corningware because you can throw that stuff across a room and it doesn't break. I like that in a dish. I also see a pure white table cloth. I do not own anything that is stark white, and I gave up on table cloths when I had children. Other than that, looks pretty similar...yeah.
ReplyDeleteI try to make it norman rockwell, always turns out more like Beverly Hillbillies.
ReplyDelete1. We raise our own bird.
ReplyDelete2. Some years the house is full, some years it's just us. This year will be just us, so no quarreling--I hope.
3. Political discussions are off limit in my house because we're divided between Republicans and Democrats and ne'er the twain shall meet.
4. Grapes? All on our table comes from our gardens so no grapes here. Maybe a pumpkin or two :)
5. Agreed! Where is it? Even the kids get their juice in wineglasses here.
6. Grandkids are getting so big, might not be any food play until the great grands arrive. Shucks.
7. BIG 12' foot table won't be in use, but even our small table's cloth will undoubtedly wear some battle scars by the end of the day.
8. Ah, the "little kids' table!"
9. Son's former girlfriend won't be here with her pet snake and rat. Shoot. I sure liked that girl. Pets and all.
10. I'll have to check my hubby :) I*hope* he remembers his pants!
Thanksgiving is always kind of a depressing holiday for me. My parents are dead, siblings too far away to visit. We cook a small turkey and serve it on our normal plates (even though I have two sets of beautiful china passed down from my grandmother). I make pumpkin pie. The kids won't touch mashed potatoes (?!), so I don't even bother anymore, even though the potatoes are my favorite part of the meal. So Thanksgiving is just another night of dinner around here. But with pie, which we don't usually have. As Anonymous 12:36 mentions above, it's pretty hard to have a sit-down dinner with ASD kids who don't sit down. We tend to dread meals around here. Heartburn city. Holiday meals are especially difficult, because I still kind of expect them to be special and warm as they were for me as a kid. But life isn't like that at our house. Everything is a struggle.
ReplyDelete1. Only DH, DS#1, DS#2, MIL. FIL passed away this summer.
ReplyDelete2. Hopefully copious amounts of wine will help in his absence.
3. DS#1 currently only eats one brand and one flavor of hummus (Tribe red pepper for those in the know) and white corn chips (he's also GFDF).
4. DS#2 will still most likely eat what's put in front of him; he's also GFDF.
5. Whereas I am not GFDF, please pass the mashed potatoes swimming in butter.
6. 72 hours in a non-childproofed home with a curious 3 and a even nosier 2 year old will be super fun.
7. Did I mention two double ear infections, colds and pain meds?
8. I refilled my Ativan script so I'm good to go.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
1. Ridiculously expensive, free-range turkey to feed 12-15 people; 3 out of 5 of us will eat it.
ReplyDelete2. No extended family within 2000 miles - no arguing!
3. See #2.
4. Fruit centerpiece is composed of fake fruit. The children discovered this ages ago.
5. Wine is a local Pinot Gris from just down the road, therefore way too good to waste on the children (but by dinnertime, I'll be considering it.)
6. IMHO light sabers are the only decent use for celery stalks.
7. Table cloth is a nice beige pattern that hides stains well. I'll bring out the white linens if/when the kiddos ever learn to eat with utensils (so... college, right?)
8. Table in kitchen = ladder to counter and above mentioned wine. I wouldn't put it past them.
9. See #2 - ah, the advantages of a small family.
10. We will be dressed and groomed and smiling or THERE WILL BE NO PIE (I take our holiday photos on Thanksgiving so everyone will be bathed and beautiful.) I even own a pretty white apron. And glasses. And I can put my (graying) hair in a bun... oh dear.
... But don't worry. We may look Rockwellian, but we're (well, me mostly) closely related to the Griswolds. Scorched cat and all.
The 5 Ways Norman Rockwell is NOT like my family:
ReplyDelete5. All the people are the same skin color.
4. Floral wallpaper. Enough said.
3. The men have enough hair left to comb.
2. Potlucks don't have matchy-matchy serving plates.
1. Dinner is being served during daylight.
And then 5 ways Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving DOES look like my family's...
5. The overlarge turkey is presented whole because no one wanted/knew how to cut it.
4. People are smiling, but only because the food is final-freaking-ly ready.
3. On the other hand, they could be smiling over juicy gossip about relatives not present.
2. There are more white-haired people at the table than children.
1. Water is being served because we had to hide the wine.
1. We had PB&J and popcorn.
ReplyDelete2. Hubby got to argue with the family at their place while the kids and I stayed home.
3. I only wanted to be the drunk. Instead there was tea.
4. Grapes were drawn.
5. See #3
6. There was saber action but it was during Toy Story
7. Table was covered with craft fixings so no cloth.
8. Children always welcome at the table.
9. Only snarling came when I heard my mother in laws lecture on how I should have made my kids sit through the family formal dinner.
10. The Boy didn't have pants on for parts of the day.
Why my thanksgiving was WAY cooler than old Rockwell's....
ReplyDelete1. No need to decorate the platter before serving the turkey...no one notices (not even me)
2. No one in my family with white hair still has their taste buds = no one with white hair cooks
3. Every one of the 'grandparents' here were way cool - as evidenced by them NOT wearing blue ruffled dresses.
4. We don't serve fruit. Seriously.
5. My kids don't bother to sit at the table, or quite frankly come downstairs to eat
6. Neither did my friends' kids - until dessert
7. Fish crackers are considered an appetizer
8. My mom's contribution to dinner was Cranberry Martinis - which she mixed and served to the guests all evening
9. My dishes aren't made of clear glass(who could get the water spots washed off of those anyway?)
10. I had a full house of 23 people - with 5 out of 8 kids having autism - and not a single meltdown in 6 hours of chaos!
Join us next year SRMM. :-)
OK, I'm not witty enough to come up with my own top ten. Just lovin' this post and laughing...
ReplyDeleteThat photo looks all kinds of boring! I prefer our eclectic approach. You know, I cook for two days and then we all gather around the coffee table (some of us on the couch, some on the floor) and eat with half of us in pajamas and some of us shirtless. You know, it works.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDelete