(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kitchen Table Kibitzing: It's Thanksgiving! [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-11-23 Happy Thanksgiving! Yup, that’s my Thanksgiving table! The picture taken early this morning. Dinner today for six as my daughter and her partner are traveling this year. (Another couple, who usually joined us in the past aren’t coming because they would prefer not to have vegan mashed potatoes and gluten-free stuffing. They’re staying home by themselves, having picked up some turkey and sides from Whole Foods.) I met my stepdaughter at 10 this morning to give her the turkey to cook at her place. Tired of dealing with my temperamental oven which for the past few years has led to our meal being delayed and a mad rush to reheat everything else. The only thing I have to do is put on my entertaining clothes. The house is clean, the dishes ready to pop in the oven for heating up. So as I will be entertaining with KTK goes live at 5:30, thought I’d share some research I did on how to navigate your way through holidays with family and other challenging guests. Tips for a Peaceful Thanksgiving with Family Let Go of Situations Not in Your Control. ... Surround Yourself with Positivity. ... Set Healthy Boundaries. ... Focus on the Positive. ... Get Comfortable Saying “No.” ... Focus on Family Traditions. ... Limit Unnecessary Stressors. ... Engage in Self Care. From Girl Boss: How To Deal With ‘Those’ Relatives During Thanksgiving Ask for—and accept—help If you ever find your family confrontations happening over that massive pile of dishes (and that fact that it’s always falling to the women in the family), or if you are totally overwhelmed by the length of your holiday “to do” list, this is a really important thing to keep in mind: It’s OK to ask for help. The holiday shouldn’t have to rest on your shoulders. Asking for and accepting help can bring a lot of conflicts down a notch. Don’t bottle it up and go into martyr mode. It’s a day of gratitude, after all. Try: Asking your fellow diners to help with dishes. Form an assembly line and turn on some music. You aren’t admitting defeat, you’re admitting humanity. Psychology Today offers 6 Tips for Thanksgiving with a Difficult Family How to navigate (*ahem*) challenging family dynamics this holiday season. Plan a post-Thanksgiving night out (or in) with friends. Before Thanksgiving weekend, plan a get-together with your friends for a day directly following the holiday. Consider it time to debrief, tell all the crazy stories, and shake your heads (he said what?) That way, you’ll experience the Thanksgiving day shenanigans not as a migraine in the making, but as fodder for your night out. All in all, remember most of us are in the same boat and approach the holidays with a sense of humor and a live-and-let-live attitude. A wise person once defined “dysfunctional family” as any family with more than one person in it. You may not be able to choose your family, but you can choose a shrewd strategy or two to keep you sane. With some practice, you and your extended family may even figure out how to explain your younger brother’s James Charles-inspired winged eyeliner to Grandma. Plus, Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without some discussion of what we are grateful for! 82 Happy Thanksgiving Quotes to Toast to Gratitude and Gathering “To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.” Thanksgiving jokes… "Why did the turkey bring a microphone?" "He was ready to roast." "Which side of a turkey has more feathers?" "The outside." "Is that your pop-up timer or are you just happy to see me?" “What do you get when you cross a turkey with a centipede?” “Drumsticks for everyone!” "Why did the turkey stand on stilts?" "Because nobody eat flamingoes for Thanksgiving dinner." "What kind of turkey requires ID?" "Wild Turkey." "What did the turkey say when he met the president?" "Pardon me." [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/11/23/2207674/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-It-s-Thanksgiving?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/