to be jealous that Americans get Thanksgiving AND Christmas?

[FeuDeRussie]

Thanksgiving sounds really good. Like Christmas, but no presents to worry about (AFAIK?), just FOOD!

Are there any Americans around who can tell me what Thanksgiving is like? Do you prefer it to Christmas?

[Tee2072]

The other advantage to having Thanksgiving and Christmas, is you can spend one holiday with one family and one with the other. So none of those 'who are we going to spend Christmas with?' conversations.

[KeatsiePie]

Exactly Tee. It is nice that if the families are not near each other, you can still spend a major holiday with each.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[musicalendorphins]

Check out Diners Drive-ins and Dives on youtube, the host goes to greasy spoons that have great reputations and tries the food. It is artery hardening, sometimes unbelievably unhealthy and often mouth watering torture to watch. I like the seafood type places he visits, and the southern smoke barbeque places. I want to try smoked bbq from the south so badly And the food from new Orleans....sigh. I eat healthily at home, so I think we could do a few calorie laden foods for a "treat".
Dh and I want to map out some of our favorite places from the show and do it. It is becoming a popular vacation idea for people.

[CheerfulYank]

You'd be welcome Tante. I believe you have my address.

[squoosh]

It's a relief to hear that gravy flows generously at your Thanksgiving dinners!

[AntsMarching]

What is so special about Boxing Day? We always got Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I much preferred being off work for the build up to Christmas rather than being off once it's done.

[CheerfulYank]

Like a river, Squoosh, never you fear! :) I was just consulting my dad on the phone earlier about the best way to make gravy. We have the conversation every year but I need reassurance!

His grandmother could and did make gravy out of everything...it was from the Depression. Her family would get a tiny bit of meat from somewhere and eat gravy from it for days.

[TanteRose]

CY ooh I do, don't I

one day, I am going to do a road trip round North America - I have various friends in US/Canada...will let you know

(It will no doubt be sometimes in the next 20 years or so ) (and I'll make sure its around Thanksgiving!)

[musicalendorphins]

My ds's and their friends love Boxing Day, as the stores have huge sales. They go spend their Christmas money.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

YABU.... Eating turkey once a year is plenty.

[Sneepy]

We did thanksgiving last weekend. The menu was turkey, cornbread and sausage stuffing, mash, GRAVY, cranberry sauce, brown sugar squash, green bean casserole (from scratch but similar to the traditional campbells one), bread rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie. It was amazing. The Brits there couldn't get enough of the stuffing and green beans and there was no pie left at all.

I love cooking thanksgiving, it's like a dress rehearsal for christmas but do much less stressful! You just send all the non-cooking people out for a hike or similar and the cooks have lots of wine and get everything on the table! Then you eat until you can't get another bite in, then you get out The Pies.

I can't believe anybody would have a roast without gravy!! Although not sure what gravy you would have with ham. Surely some kind of sauce though?

[dontmixthecolours]

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to the gym to sulk and have holiday envy!

[missuswife]

I'm American but have lived in the UK for many years. I love love love Thanksgiving.

When you're a kid, you get the Thursday and Friday off school, which is obviously awesome--we did not get half-term holidays.

In my experience, Thanksgiving is celebrated with the whole extended family, and is potluck--I love the food and that everyone brings their special dish, and we all look forward to so-and-so's pie or whatever. It does mean having to drive to aunt-whoever's house but it's great seeing everyone together.

I did not grow up celebrating Christmas at home, being Jewish, but I did spend many lovely Christmas days with friends and their families. IME that day was for immediate family, so you wouldn't have to drive anywhere. Most families in my area had a massive cartoon ham with the bone in, usually honey-smoked or something. No mince pies but they do eat sprouts.

I love Christmas in the UK. Boxing day is a good recovery day and I love that everything is closed on Christmas. I think also because I never got to fully participate in it as a kid and over here it is impossible not to feel included in the festivities because it is such a huge deal.

I do really really miss that in the USA, Christmas season does not start until the day after THanksgiving. You can start your shopping any time but at least you don't have all the ads/music etc until November.

[squoosh]

Is it true that they don't have Christmas crackers in America? I can't imagine Christmas dinner without crackers, rubbish jokes and people nodding off after dinner still wearing their paper crown.

[Inamechangedalright]

Thanksgiving- the celebration of the conquest and genocide of the real Americans?

Yeah, I'm really jealous we don't have that

[Pandemoniaa]

I'd never give up bonfire night. Not for any number of Thanksgivings.

But as others have said, Christmas is a rather different kettle of turkey in the US. It doesn't seem to start in October for starters. However, my American (soon to be) ddil says it is all over very much more quickly than here and certainly there aren't the slothful joys of Boxing Day.

[Sneepy]

Wow inamedchangedalright was there not enough American bashing on this thread for you? Way to take it up a notch.

[littlefishexpat]

As Americans in England we're having Thanksgiving this weekend with friends, a very international bunch so it won't be too traditional but for the love of all that is holy there will be GRAVY.

We do enjoy Guy Fawkes. The fireworks are great -- but now picture it with a proper BBQ, watermelon, cool drinks, no rain or mud . . . and you have the 4th of July!

[missuswife]

Annual leave in the States is pitiful. I used to get 10 days per year plus bank holidays. And maternity leave--don't get me started.

But, playing Trivial Pursuit after dinner on Thanksgiving, with all the dads/uncles asleep on the sofa--worth it. Also you get the family day on Thursday and then you often get invited round to friends' on the weekend for another full on dinner, especially if you are a young person living in the big city and your family is your friends.

Yes, there is the issue of what happened to the native peoples of the continent. But we usually use Columbus Day to feel national guilt and hypocrisy, especially in the liberal areas where the name of that day has been changed to Indigenous People's Day etc. Thanksgiving is not a celebration of genocide, it is a day to be thankful for what we have and enjoy being with family. Many families choose to dispense with the pilgrims cr*p and teach their kids the true history of the country, or treat it as a pagan harvest festival.

[missuswife]

Oh and yes, at my potluck on Saturday there will be gravyrivers of it. littlefishexpat I hear you on the non-traditional front. I have been doing a potluck for years and am usually the only American. I don't care what people bring as long as they bring something. One year someone brought a prawn curry!

[Feminine]

I lived in America for 7 yrs, and I had many Christmas days and Thanksgiving celebrations before moving there.

Its better here :)

I miss America dreadfully sometimes but I always felt sad Christmas seemed to have no soul and was over in a second!

All the Christmas trees (where I lived) were chucked out for the trash by the 26th

We always has gravy...even though it was from a Heinz jar! Thanks MIL

Oh and served on hefty plastic plates...

[Ullena]

Well, given that almost every time I speak to a stranger they ask what part of America I am from, DH and I are having Thanksgiving today! Even though neither of us is American. Or Canadian. Or Welsh...yeah, they're just assigning random countries now, aren't they?
We are having roast potatoes, gravy, yam and pear colcannon with wensleydale cheese, and sliced roast turkey leg (thank you Iceland, for cheap turkey in a roll ).
Om-nom-nom...

[Pandemoniaa]

We do enjoy Guy Fawkes. The fireworks are great -- but now picture it with a proper BBQ, watermelon, cool drinks, no rain or mud . . . and you have the 4th of July!

But you can't have Bonfire Night without the cold, dark, mud and sausages! Although I look forwards to enjoying 4th July in the US now I am gaining an American family.

[fatlazymummy]

I'm not jealous at all. 2 big meals to cook - my idea of hell.
[No offence intended to any Americans].