Community Chat

[Moonlady]

"Ignoring your guests' dietary needs" is pretty vague. And if those with "dietary needs" can't find *something* to eat, from a table full of food, they should stay home. Everyone doesn't eat everything at the Thanksgiving table.

So I'll add something else polite people shouldn't do:

Don't try to lay a guilt trip on your host just because every dang item doesn't appeal to you.

[SurferWife]

Uh-oh...I would fail at #5.  Truthfully, if I was invited somewhere that I couldn't bring my little dog I would politely decline.  We just can't stand leaving him alone.  We went out to dinner dinner tonight & only had  pu-pu's (appetizers) so we could rush back home to our puppy.  That's how we choose to live our lives.

[MaryLamb]

I am a gluten-free diabetic vegan. If you choose to invite me to your Thanksgiving meal, I expect to be fed as equally and heartily as any other guest at your meal. 

[LizzieInSRQ]

I do not wait for guests who are late. I keep on rollin' on.

[NYC Susan]

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@LizzieInSRQ wrote:

I do not wait for guests who are late. I keep on rollin' on.

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When I was younger, we had a family member who was always late.  Always!  She was even late to dinner in her own house!  

We used to wait - and wait and - wait.  One year she and her husband were late again for a holiday dinner at our house, and my father decided we would no longer wait.  I'll never forget the look on her face when she arrived and saw that we had started without her!  She wasn't always on time after that, but we never waited again.

[Tinkrbl44]

Make your guests pick their own seats ... ??

[Lindsays Grandma]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Make your guests pick their own seats ... ??

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It means Do Not make your guests pick their own seats.

[chrystaltree]

I host Thanksgiving every year for 10-15 family and friends and I don't care if my guests do any of those things.  Lately, it's been buffet so if someone arrives late (my brother always does), it's ok.  Sometimes he brings his adult son or a friend I don't know.  No problem.  I request that my guests bring an appetizer, a dessert or a bottle of wine.  Some do, some don't.  No problem.  The pet thing only came out once several years ago when a friend had the audacity to bring her dog....her sick dog...unbelievable.  The dog would have been more comfortable at home and somone would have taken a meal to her, soup to nuts. She didn't want to give up her good time and didn't care about the dog's comfort.   It's not MY responsibility to cater to my guest's dietary needs!  That's on them.  There are kids with peanut allergies in my family, so I'm very consious of that.  But their moms make and bring much of their own food.  No one wants to take chances with the kids safety.  Everyone else is on the own with the diabetes, carbs, vegetarianism, veganism etc etc.  I cook lots of vegetables, there's the turkey and a ham.  Those who require something special are encouraged to bring their own meal.  I don't ask my guests to work for their supper but help cleaning up is always appreciated.  And I never get it.....LOL   In my house there is no such thing as "eats to much".  What a horrible thing!  I cook a ton of food because I like giving my guests plastic containers full of food and desserts to take home for later or the next day.  My middle sister is the only one who NEVER thanks me but she's an odd duck with "issues".  

[GSPgirl]

Or make their mommy go and buy different rolls because the host didn't have the kind they liked.  My niece did that one year.  That was the last time I had thanksgiving with my husband's family. 

[Diva on The Q]

...invite people over for dinner at a specific time, then have guests waiting for hours before dinner is finally ready.