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Thanksgiving Dinner vs. Christmas Dinner

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

This year, I am in charge of hosting my husband's family for both Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Day Dinner. In the past, when made by his mom, these meals are EXACTLY THE SAME. Same meat, same veggies, same rolls, same pies. same, same, same, year after year after year. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs.

I like to change things up....just a bit....not enough to cause all the Traditionalist fits, but just enough so the meals are different enough to be make different memories. Shouldn't Thanksgiving taste different than Christmas? kwim?

One thing dear hubby and I changed last year...we used a smoked turkey instead of normal turkey. It went over really well.

So, this blog is an attempt to get ideas from my SparkFriends.

So, friends.....what are you ideas? emoticon
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MIPALADY23 11/25/2012 7:12AM

    All these suggestions sound perfect. Just tweak it up a bit or keep the favorites and change up the not so favorites. Let us know how it goes.

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ASOBFALLS 11/21/2012 1:59PM

    Kind of a late response but .... different.

I grew up in Nigeria and a family favorite is a Rice 'Curry' dinner. Now when my children visit me it is, "I can have turkey anywhere...will you make us Curry?" emoticon

So I haven't cooked a traditional Thanksgiving OR Christmas dinner in a long time! emoticon



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BROWNCOFIDDLER 11/14/2012 9:44PM

    It's been a whole lot of years since I ate at a relative's house for Thanksgiving or Christmas - maybe decades. Our family is very small and unfortunately I'm a creature of habit. Anyone who reads my blog knows that - it sounds like a broken record! I do turkey for Thanksgiving & ham for Christmas. I try to serve it in a healthy way, or as much so as possible. Like no sweet potato casserole w/marshmallows! Real sweet potatoes instead. Usually have broccoli as the vege - not the Campbell's bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup & onion rings or whatever it is. I do have pie for them but I don't eat it. The 'treat' is usually ready to eat cold shrimp & cocktail sauce.

The main thing I take away from the day is that the meal doesn't matter at all - it's an incidental. The only thing that matters is spending precious time with the people I love the most and recalling the fond memories of all of those who no longer sit at the table with us and the wonderful Thanksgivings & Christmases we spent with them. How thankful I am for those wonderful times.

Just eat & be merry!!! It'll all work out and a good time will be had by all!! emoticon

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DRAWNTHISWAY 11/14/2012 9:40PM

    What? No christmas goose?*chuckles* Here I thought you would sit around telling the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge an serve a goose...

In other ideas
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com
/holidays/christmas-ideas/chris
tmas-dinner-menu

http://
www.divinedinnerparty.com/chris
tmas-dinner-party-recipe.htmlR>
http://www.divinedinnerpa
rty.com/christmas-dinner-englis
h-recipe.html




Comment edited on: 11/15/2012 8:10:56 AM

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SPARKLINGHOPE 11/14/2012 2:35PM

    I mainly do the same for Thanksgiving and Christmas. One year for Christmas we did do prime rib roast which was good. If I changed up meals Thanksgiving would stay a turkey dinner and maybe change Christmas meal plan. Good luck. :-)

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WILSON425 11/14/2012 1:17PM

    I always do Thanksgiving dinner. And for the most part it is the same. I always try a new pie or dessert recipe but the basic meal stays the same. Christmas dinner is usually lazagna. We make it the day before so with all the kids opening gifts and everything going on all we have to do is throw it in the oven with some garlic bread and no hassle.

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KYEM2007 11/14/2012 12:24PM

    I'm a non-traditional traditionalist or something like that. I love the "usuals" that we have every year, but I always want to try new things. My mother always smokes a turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I always try to add something new. Some "experiments" have turned out well, some just ehhh. In the past two years I've found some keepers..... spinach salad w/homemade dressing and a great recipe for brussel sprouts.

Other than the smoked turkey, we have a pretty non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner at my mother's house.....augratin potatoes, baked beans, cheesy peas & cauliflower, broccoli, rice & cheese casserole. Sounds rather odd to most, but it's what we request year after year.

However, I can usually find the dressing/stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc at the three other dinners that I will have to attend.

I'm always trying to find something healthier to take since we have to go so many places during the Holidays.


Jennifer

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EMMAEKAY 11/14/2012 12:14PM

    Thanksgiving and Christmas are TOTALLY different meals in my family. We do a turkey and trimmings, plus pork roast for Thanksgiving. Christmas is all about a big, glistening ham and hot soups. We have a lot of the same side dishes at each meal, though. I always try to make something different, too.

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1CRAZYDOG 11/14/2012 11:47AM

  Well, even if the MEAT or entree is the same (turkey, ham . . . whatever), you can change up the sides. That's how I handle it and I'm doing T-Day and Christmas as well.

I used to sweat these things out, but gave that up1 LOL

I have my Thanksgiving Dinner all planned out but haven't worked out Christmas yet.

Christmas Day dessert has always been hgomemade cookies, so that will definitely be the same this year, though I don't eat them (first, sick of 'em by the time I'm done smelling them as I make 'em! That's a good thing, and being diabetic, not a good choice for me). So, that part will remain the same.

Hope that helps . . . know it's not much.

I'm always perusing recipes to get new ideas.

HUGS

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