When did having a family get-together and a nice sit-down meal get to be such a logistic nightmare? When our family expanded to over two dozen and granddaughters grew up and got lives of their own, that's when.
My daughter, daughter- in-law and I have spent the last two weeks trying to set a date for a get together for Thanksgiving and it's a real chore. It's like planning a foreign invasion with probably a lot more hassle. No one consults the other side to see what date works before setting off rockets.
Our daughter-in-law keeps suggesting dates that are before or after but I don't want to do that. It just doesn't seem the same.
She said they could do Thanksgiving Day which I would certainly prefer but our daughter and family make the trip to our son-in-law's parent's home for Thanksgiving and Christmas so I don't get those days. They don't visit them often or see his siblings much since they live several hours away and I live right by them and see them frequently so I try not to be bitter about it. Several years ago I tried talking them into alternating years but that never happened. At least I get Christmas Eve although I'm not sure I'll be able to pull that off this year. Maybe I'll just go all Scrooge this year and call the whole thing off.
One granddaughter just got married and started her new job as the world's best (according to her adoring Nana and Papa) nurse. She and her husband work twelve-hour shifts which I think should be against the law anyway.
Another granddaughter works on weekends while she attends college. Another started a new job that requires her to work all the dang time. Another granddaughter is in her senior year of college and her activities keep her busy any day of the week. Our son works a rotating schedule, so he gets up before the chickens and gets home in the late afternoon/early evenings which is crazy considering he was never a morning person. At least our grandsons are home and available anytime, anywhere. Lots of food and/or presents being offered is a bonus.
I thought we had nailed down a day by hosting a come-and-go finger foods day instead of a sit-down meal. I picked doing this for Thanksgiving since I know having everyone all at the same time just isn't going to work. Nope, the day I had picked won't work either. Our daughter-in-law's family is having a reunion that day.
Nailing down a day is not my only dilemma. What can I make that everyone can eat without giving them food poisoning if it sits out all day? I am paranoid when it comes to making someone sick, so this is quite worrisome. I don't leave cooked food in the refrigerator for more than a few days for fear of getting sick. David, on the other hand, thinks anything less than two weeks old is still A-okay to consume but he's never gotten to test that theory since I remove any old food. I sure miss our Cocker Spaniel for this reason. I don't think she even tasted anything; she just sucked it all in. I nicknamed her 'Hoover' since she 'hoovered' her food instead of chewing.
I'm probably going to have to borrow some crockpots to help keep things warm and even then I'll worry about it all day.
Do potato chips, dip, pop, pie, cookies and sandwich fixings sound good? How about a 'Dagwood' with turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, yams and gravy on hot rolls? I guess deli-sliced turkey and ham in keeping with the holiday tradition would be a better way to go, dontcha think?
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!