THought you gys would appreciate this. What a mix we have in New Jersey. This note is semi serious, came from my sister and man I really hope this Thanksgiving goes okay.

 

 

Hi everyone! We would like to cordially invite you to Thanksgiving dinner this year at our house at 2:30pm.

 

I will be preparing the Turkey and a potato dish (not mashed and not sweet) and a vegetable (maybe the escarole that I did last year?)

 

Mom will do the dessert again.

 

Margret and - Guy will be bringing the wine (I think??).

 

Up for grabs is the stuffing (Mom B. would like to do something else; not sure what yet), and sweet potatoes. But I can do those too if no one else is feeling it.

 

 

And although this has been an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) rule, we would like everyone to please refrain from any political discussions aka fights this year. I have provided some safe topics that should help us move the evening along without any awkward moments or smoke coming out of anybody's ears.

 

Safe Topics:

 

Movies/TV/ Entertainment: Robert and I have been watching Game of Thrones which is awesome. My parents just saw 2 episodes of Homeland which I think they liked (oops! is that political?) We also saw Wreck It Ralph which I thought was brilliant but it was after 5 days without power so I could have just been happy to be out somewhere...

 

The kids: Oh they're always up to something cute and annoying. Like now the girls are screaming a song that they just made up that Ruby (the dog) is a Superstar. And this year we have the bonus addition of adorable baby Emma! She is sure to make us all ooh and aah. Except if you are holding her when she poops, watch out! You may go "Eww' and "Oh!" instead.

 

 

Pets: Again always up to something cute and/or annoying. Maybe we'll dress up Ruby as a turkey and have a good old fashioned Turkey Shoot (pretend of course). (I know Rob, why pretend?)

 

Our jobs: Actually let's get this one over with. Everybody's job is fine, we are still liking it. Yeah, it could be better but it's OK for now. The commute kind of sucks but at least we have a job. blah blah blah. (Jobs? Did somebody say Jobs?! Stop it Rob, we said no politics!)

 

Hurricane Sandy: Thankfully we all have our homes but the destruction and aftermath of Sandy is one that we can all lament about and find common ground. We all have stories to share of people that have it way worse than us. Definitely makes us think of things to be thankful for. And isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? : )

 

The weather in general: Crazy, right?! (oh God even that's political now!)

 

Technology: Although this one always bores me, it usually gets people talking for about 20 minutes about the latest and greatest.

 

Food: Delicious food!!

 

The Smiths: Why are they not here at Thanksgiving?! They should be! It's not fair!

 

 

Now since Mom B. does not have email, we need to get this message out to her stat! We can't have a loose canon in the mix! (Canons?! Now don't get me started on military spending. Shh! Rob, I said knock it off!)

 

What you also cannot do is reply to this email with any kind of political message even if you think it's a joke. For instance, Mom and Dad you can't say "Fine by us, at least we won." Not good. Or Dad Smith, you can't reply by saying, "Anyone who voted for Obama is an idiot." In fact I blind copied all of you so you can't Reply All. HAHA!!

 

Feel free to come prepared with any other topics you may find interesting and would like to share with the group. Rob and I will have to check them beforehand, of course, to deem them "Safe".

 

Love to you all! See you soon!

 

Laura

I'll tell you what you've got a "steel set" posting that. It is comforting though to be reassured time and again that no family is perfectly sane.

I would stay home......what kind of family cannot.tolerate a spirited debate ???

 

Oh believe me, it gets VERY spirited.

I'll tell you what you've got a "steel set" posting that. It is comforting though to be reassured time and again that no family is perfectly sane.

 

I'm sure many of us (including me) are thinking that isn't bad at at all lol

I am so sorry that you have a sister like that. I would look for and start a new family if I were you.

Her house. Her rules. Don't like it? Don't come. Right?

 

One year, a relative called ahead to my parents' and instructed them to unplug the TV on Thanksgiving. Said it was a distraction and that we should be able to have a conversation. So, no football. No electronic babysitter.

 

I plugged it in. But, if it were at their house, I'd suck it up.

 

 

Also, my in-laws have a funny thing. A sibling of my sister-in-law is married to a Syrian Muslim guy. Well, they are Cuban. So, Christmas is always Pernil (roast pork shoulder) or Lechon (whole roast piglet). Apparently, the guy didn't want to let his wife and kids come to Christmas because there was going to be pork. This was the case many years when my wife and I were dating. Every year, they ran interference on when the guy was going to show up and they'd take the pig and hide it in a closet. We would sneak around and cut hunks of meat off of it in the friggin' closet.

 

They used to have Thanksgiving at their house so...no booze. When one year Thanksgiving was at my Brother-in-Law's, they tried to impose a no booze rule on Thanksgiving. My Brother-in_Law spent the entire night topping up a glass with Chivas Regal. I don't think we ever drank so much at Thanksgiving. He said,"My house? My rules. Get f***ed."

 

Ahhhh, the holidays.

Where is the talk about Football? ppppsshhhtttt

I would stay home......what kind of family cannot.tolerate a spirited debate ???

 

Hope you're kidding... It's your family...

Bring the exact same thing she cooked and that should get your thanks giving started..

Let's just say that there's a reason my family stopped alternating the Thanksgivings between my father's family and my mother's. My dad wasn't happy that a 3rd grader would try debating his lawyer-aunt over political discussions, and hold his own, at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

Works for me anyway, my mom's cooking is better. Green beans almondene anyone?

Wouldn't go. Start off by telling me what I can't do. Sorry. A lot of topics lead to some type of political issue. Honestly I would contemplate going and as soon as we sit down say" boy some election, screwed for Another 4 years" and wait for the uncomfortable stares. Lol

last year at christmas, my wifes brother brings my wifes ex boyfriends baby momma (the guy cheated on my wife with this chick before we met....i know a lil confusing), but it was so awkward neither one" of them work or have custody of the children so my first question was"so patty what do you do for a living" her response was im between jobs now so i followed that up with o thats great so you can spend lots of time with your kids especially during the holidays, o by the way where are they????"

 

my wife laughed her ass off and the rest of the night was great...... i love starting shit

Wow that sounds not fun................

censorship at home....I'm sorry I would pass also. Can't believe people cannot have a civil discussion about important things. Probably the reason elections turn out the way they do (did).

Everyone is entitled to have peace in their home. Sometimes, in order to keep "peace" it's better to just stay home, in my opinion and experience.

That makes my family look like preachers. thats why my wife and i are ditching our psycho familys and haveing our owne thanksgiving with a few friends. This may be the first holiday besides 4th of july that i enjoy!!

censorship at home....I'm sorry I would pass also. Can't believe people cannot have a civil discussion about important things. Probably the reason elections turn out the way they do (did).

 

It is a shame. Something tells me the sister probably has some good reasons for this letter. Can't really blame her if there are some hotheads in the family that can't remain civil even on a holiday. My sister in law's soon-to-be ex is like this. Made holidays miserable to the point that we skipped plenty of family functions if we knew he would be there. Ignorance and belligerism become tedious rather quickly.

Don't verbalize your thoughts, wear an "Obama is an EFFIN Idiot!!!" T-shirt and let the others start the conversation.

Don't verbalize your thoughts, wear an "Obama is an EFFIN Idiot!!!" T-shirt and let the others start the conversation.

 

Sounds like the best plan yet!

Thank god my wife and her whole family in NJ are republican.. or else germans/italian/irish tempers would be flaring!

I guess you would have to know us to see the tounge in cheek nature. We laugh about it but it gets unbelieveably tedious after a while. My sister, brother and law and I agree that adults getting together seperately and having a spirited discussion is better than involving the 4 and five year olds on the holidays. We use Thanksgiving to celebrate a few youngsters' birthdays while we are all together and it has happened that the discussions have gone on during the singing of Happy Birthday. Not good from the Mom's standpoint.

 

 

Where is the talk about Football? ppppsshhhtttt

We're a hockey family, through and through. No debates.

 

Let's just say that there's a reason my family stopped alternating the Thanksgivings between my father's family and my mother's. My dad wasn't happy that a 3rd grader would try debating his lawyer-aunt over political discussions, and hold his own, at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

You should have seen the discussion we had with my wife's family three weeks before I was to be deployed. Kentucky,and New York B.S. plus pro and anti war. When baby Jane from Denver schooled Micheal the NY architect on the Middle East wars. Oh that was fun.

 

Wouldn't go. Start off by telling me what I can't do. Sorry. A lot of topics lead to some type of political issue. Honestly I would contemplate going and as soon as we sit down say" boy some election, screwed for Another 4 years" and wait for the uncomfortable stares. Lol

 

This is likely to happen anyway

 

censorship at home....I'm sorry I would pass also. Can't believe people cannot have a civil discussion about important things. Probably the reason elections turn out the way they do (did).

 

It is a shame. Something tells me the sister probably has some good reasons for this letter. Can't really blame her if there are some hotheads in the family that can't remain civil even on a holiday. My sister in law's soon-to-be ex is like this. Made holidays miserable to the point that we skipped plenty of family functions if we knew he would be there. Ignorance and belligerism become tedious rather quickly.

 

 

At issue is the depths of knowledge on the issues. While civil at most times there is so much knowledge on both sides that neither can wait for the other to finish their point. And every point goes on FOREVER. I feel for the kids.

Bring the exact same thing she cooked and that should get your thanks giving started..

 

Love it!

 

I can't ever really remember any crazy holiday family stories, maybe that is because the only people who gather together are the small group of people that we all like/get along with.

 

Godspeed to all you out there with insane, dysfunctional, and crazy families!

Dang it....I read too fast. I thought it said "Thanksgiving massage"

Going to Jamaica for thanksgiving .

Picking up a shoty for the wife from pk90 when we get back.

 

This is a good story

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

 

Love it. Who said that?

Love it. Who said that?

According to Google, it was Eleanor Roosevelt.