What time is your Thanksgiving dinner?

[Miss Mary]

In my husband's family, we've always gathered at 4 for drinks and appetizers. Then dinner is usually on the table by 6, at the latest.

Compare that schedule to one we attended with my brother's wife's family - an extremely large gathering - grandparents, adult siblings, children, nieces, nephews, distant cousins - they ate and eat every Thanksgiving promptly at 1 p.m. They all arrive at 12:30. No appetizers, cocktails, etc. Somewhere there was a cooler with beer if you wanted one. LOL After this traditional turkey dinner, promptly at 1 p.m, they clean up, play board games, touch football and then have a second meal at 5. Yes you read that correctly, a second dinner. Ham, baked beans, a few other sides (smaller meal compared to the 1 p.m. turkey dinner).

We left before the second meal!

And get this, this family is not obese. You would think they were but they're not. The entire day lasts for almost 12 hours too. This is why my SIL says they "need" to eat twice. LOL

All I know is that first dinner was enough to hold me over for 24 hours!

[Cookiely]

In my husband's family, we've always gathered at 4 for drinks and appetizers. Then dinner is usually on the table by 6, at the latest.

Compare that schedule to one we attended with my brother's wife's family - an extremely large gathering - grandparents, adult siblings, children, nieces, nephews, distant cousins - they ate and eat every Thanksgiving promptly at 1 p.m. They all arrive at 12:30. No appetizers, cocktails, etc. Somewhere there was a cooler with beer if you wanted one. LOL After this traditional turkey dinner, promptly at 1 p.m, they clean up, play board games, touch football and then have a second meal at 5. Yes you read that correctly, a second dinner. Ham, baked beans, a few other sides (smaller meal compared to the 1 p.m. turkey dinner).

We left before the second meal!

And get this, this family is not obese. You would think they were but they're not. The entire day lasts for almost 12 hours too. This is why my SIL says they "need" to eat twice. LOL

All I know is that first dinner was enough to hold me over for 24 hours!

My grandmother used to have the two meal day, but it was cause she cooked enough for an army and navy combined. Still had enough to feed the whole family for a couple of additional days. I sure do miss my grandfathers Italian Thanksgiving day soup which was a meal in itself.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

It was at 3:00 PM this year at my Grandpa's, cooked by a couple of his daughters my aunts, and it was fantastic... As the years go by it is increasingly a sadder occasion though. Both of my Canadian grand parents are now dead, and only my American Grandpa is still alive. Guess I'm just getting to that age (30s), when these things start to happen.