Do you observe Thanksgiving?

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

To be clear, it’s not a UNIVERSAL or even COMMON thing- I’ve never done it myself, for instance- but it’s definitely infamous.

I definitely think it's regional. In urban NYC and DC, for instance, it's incredibly common. Lots of sold-out movie theaters smelling of orange chicken burps.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I definitely think it's regional. In urban NYC and DC, for instance, it's incredibly common. Lots of sold-out movie theaters smelling of orange chicken burps.

I’m not sure the Chinese restaurants around D/FW are even OPEN on Christmas.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I’m not sure the Chinese restaurants around D/FW are even OPEN on Christmas.

I assume it's a shooting offense to not have a Norman Rockwell Christmas in Texas.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

GIven that you all have Christmas dinner on Thanksgiving, what do you have for dinner on Christmas day, if not Christmas dinner? I can't imagine Christmas day without the full turkey and all trimmings. It just wouldn't be Christmas!

We typically do a glazed ham as the main Christmas protein. Most of the sides options are similar to what we do for Thanksgiving, except we exclude dressing.

OTOH, there’s some different potato dishes I trot out.

Besides, I thought the traditional Christmas feast protein was a goose.

I’ve never cooked one, but one of my cousins almost always brings 1-2 geese or ducks to the holiday dinners.

She also occasionally brings bacon apple tarts that are surprisingly delicious!

 

[Gradine]

As for Thanksgiving meals, I'm not a huge fan of turkey so I'm more of a sides girlie. Mashed potatoes & gravy is my jam. Cranberry sauce (from the can! I want to see the ridges! Taste the ridges!). My wife also makes an amazing brussels sprouts dish with balsamic vinegar and whole garlic cloves that rules. Some good apple & sausage stuffing too. Man.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The amusing thing is that this actually happens in A Christmas Story. If you haven't seen it, the traditional dinner is ruined so the family end up going out for Chinese (complete with a horrific racist joke about the staff trying to sing Deck the Halls)

whoosh

 

[Gradine]

whoosh

Oh I assumed that that was intentional, the "you" was a general you, not you specifically.

 

[gnarlygninja]

No one is EVER banned. (Some have been asked to bring ice, though.)

I’m a firm believer that everyone has a dish they can cook well. It’s just that some haven’t quite figured out which one it is, yet. And a lot of people give up on that hunt.

At past gatherings, we’ve had 2+ people bringing mac (or other pasta) & cheese. One of my cousin’s wife makes a fantastic banana pudding. Another one- generally considered a TERRIBLE cook overall- nonetheless makes some excellent creole sides.

Are there actually people out in the world actually would ban people from this sort of thing for not being able to cook well?! That's...so rude I am actually getting worked up imagining it.

 

[The Firebird]

My wife eats halal which makes it challenging to find appropriate meats. I don't think we've ever had turkey. Depending on where we are in the country we can find chicken or beef. But in any case I eat meat only rarely these days. So really it is about the sides. Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni...both for Thanksgiving and Christmas, they end up looking similar.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

As for Thanksgiving meals, I'm not a huge fan of turkey so I'm more of a sides girlie. Mashed potatoes & gravy is my jam. Cranberry sauce (from the can! I want to see the ridges! Taste the ridges!). My wife also makes an amazing brussels sprouts dish with balsamic vinegar and whole garlic cloves that rules. Some good apple & sausage stuffing too. Man.

There is only one sauce, and it has ridges from the can.

Thanks for the tip on the garlic cloves in the balsamic sprouts; I haven't tried that. My recipe adds chopped walnuts and chopped dried cranberries.