Holiday Dinner: Family Harmony During Thanksgiving

me • relationships • family fun • family fun-traditions

by Robin Greene on November 21st, 2018 | No Comments »

The Thanksgiving holiday brings families together for eating, reflecting, and having fun together. The women hang out in the kitchen, the men watch sports in the TV room, and the kids run through the house playing chase or hide and seek. As the final preparations are finished we gather around the table and stuff ourselves with delicious food.

Just as the table is cleared and you sit down to rest for a moment it is time to head off to the next family. You are already feeling as fat as the turkey you stuffed and now you have to go eat again at the next family’s house.

It is the same conversation between you and your husband every year. Which family will we share Thanksgiving lunch with and which family will we share Thanksgiving dinner with? It is my experience that no matter who my family has lunch with that family always feels slighted as if we are not spending the same amount of time with both families.

My husband and I decided that we needed to do what was best for our family. Well, in advance of the next Thanksgiving holiday, we each spoke with our families and let them know we would rotate the lunch and dinner schedule between families. So far it has worked out well. Both families know what to expect each year. It takes away any argument about where we will spend our time.

Rotating lunch and dinner schedules are just one way to ease the pressure of satisfying parents. Another option is to have a Thanksgiving dinner at your own home before or after Thanksgiving and invite both of your families. If everyone in the family (on either side) agreed, one family could have Thanksgiving on another day. This option works well for families that have members traveling into town.

The key is doing what works best for your family and allows you to enjoy the holiday.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving and keep both sides of the family happy? How do you make sure you see both sides of the family during the holidays?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Robin Greene is a mother of two, a wife and a kindergarten teacher. Robin enjoys spending time with her family and wants to have has much harmony as possible. During her spare time Robin enjoys freelance writing for mybabyclothes.com. Shop for the holidays and grab your little one the perfect baby clothes, maybe a tutu and matching baby headband for that holiday picture or a sweet baby hat to keep them warm this winter.