The moment inevitably arrives when the torch gets passed and hosting the Thanksgiving feast shifts from being someone else's honor (and possible burden!) to become our own. When this moment comes, the question is "Which traditions do you keep and which new ones can you wiggle in?!"
Rethinking Tradition: Making Thanksgiving Your Own
We hosted the family Thanksgiving for the first time last year, and we loved having the opportunity to establish some new traditions! We had our dinner a little later than is typical, but invited everyone over for a round of appetizers and cocktails beforehand. We also opened up the family-only invite list and asked some close friends (whose families were far away) to join us.
For dinner, we added a few gourmet twists. We nixed most of the usual sides and went with dishes that appealed to us - like beet and barley salad, brioche rolls, and stuffing made from homemade sourdough bread. A lot of the familiar components were there, but with slightly different faces.
But we felt it was definitely important to keep some traditions. We had a roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce from a can. We lit candles and made sure there was pecan pie with whipped cream for dessert. We left the dishes for later and sleepily watched football instead.
There was a little awkwardness at the beginning of the dinner as everyone settled in, but by the end of the evening (and the wine), everyone was happy and already looking forward to next year.
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Which traditions are you keeping and what are you doing to make it your own?
Related: What Should I Could For a Smaller Thanksgiving Dinner?
(Image: Flickr member St0rmz licensed under Creative Commons)
Comments (9)
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My favorite Thanksgiving was when my mom decided that she was going to forgo all of the traditions and we had lasagna for dinner. My grandmother would not come back to our house for Thanksgiving for 2 years but it was fun to change things up. I think we still had pumpkin pie though...
view Signe's profile
i don't get to host Thanksgiving, but would love to do it. I have therefore made it my own by hosting a pre-Thanksgiving for friends about two weeks before. I think that counts right? Menu isn't fully traditional as I am vegetarian as well. More like the post with some tradition but some new things.
view Astur's profile
Astur - I used to do pre-Thanksgiving dinners for friends too! Lately, though, enough of my friends stay in town for the holiday that we rotate hosting duties.
This isn't recipe related, but my mom always served rolls in this chicken-shaped basket. I've hosted Thanksgiving (or pre-Tday!) dinners for several years, and two years ago I was lamenting my own lack of a chicken-basket. So for my birthday that year, my mom gave me her chicken-basket. It has no style what-so-ever, and sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the table, but I love it and it will always have a place at my table.
view llemanie's profile
Although I love squash, for some reason I cannot stand it mashed, which is how my family always always serves it at Thanksgiving. So when I get to host, I always make butternut squash soup instead.
Weird, my mom doesn't make mashed squash for any other meal of the year! Growing up, we ate plenty of squash, yes, but only in that unappealing (to me) form on Thanksgiving. And she LOVES it!
view cmcinnyc's profile
I don't use family recipes. I had enough of it growing up and they sometimes border on mediocre (sorry to my mom and mother in law). When we host Thanksgiving we do it "fancy". Long, laborious, and delicious recipes. And lots of alchohol.
view Nikita's profile
I've done the pre-holiday friend Thanksgiving dinners for a few years now. It's pretty fun to choose new recipes using the familiar staples, open some wine, dress up (we're corny and decided to go all out), and to gather around a table and actually have a good time.
My family hates holidays and they're never very fun. It always feels like a forced affair. Not even sure what I'm doing this year yet. But I love food and friends, and when I have my own family I feel like I will try to make Thanksgiving a very big, loved holiday. I love the idea and traditions of it; my experiences have just always left me wanting. I hope to change that, and I hope my kids never have to deal with that!
view BrooklynBaker's profile
llemanie, your chicken basket sounds awesome!!
I made my own Thanksgiving dinner last year for me and my bf (it didn't work out for us to go home) and I kept it pretty traditional, but I think going forward I'm going to constantly evolve it a little bit every year. I'm already envisioning turkey confit, pomegranate relish, sweet potato kugel on my table.
view gourmandizzy's profile
One of my aunts always brings chicken & dumplings, and I can't imagine Thanksgiving without it! But really, the most important part of Thanksgiving for my family is what we call the Circle of Love. We hold hands in a "circle" of sorts (we usually have about 50 people so we're really winding through several rooms) and say a prayer. We remember family members who have passed on and anyone can chime in with a prayer or thanks.
view syrupandhoney's profile
About 5 years ago I boldly decided not to make mashed potatoes. People were sad at first, but eventually came around to the idea that stuffing, rolls, butternut squash and pie really were more than enough starch for a single meal.
view alterjess's profile