Hey everyone ~ I could use some suggestions as to what to do after dinner on Thanksgiving. Something besides watching the games. Do you play games or anything besides sitting around looking at each other and trying to decided what to talk about next now that wind and weather has been completed. I really need help.

Know that this is a Christian family who does not talk about church or their relationship with the Lord. You're not supposed to talk about religion in a group like that.
Blessings,
Nancie

Oh, my,
other than laugh at each other while we all try to roll away from the table, I have no idea! But you know, games are always a fun thing to do. We like electronic Catch Phrase. We have not had company, nor gone anywhere for Thanksgiving in years. But I do hope your Thanksgiving goes well.

Blessings,
Barbara

We used to finish Thanksgiving dinner, then all sit around talking about going for a walk together. And then, after a little while, having pie instead of going for a walk together!

-- Alyson

OK, here's a serious idea:

Have a bowl full of papers with questions written on them, like "how did you meet your spouse?" "Who was your best friend in grade school?" "What was your first car?" "What is your favorite kind of candy?"

Everyone likes people to care about them enough to listen to what matters to them, or to their personal history -- this is a fun way to get to know your family and in-laws a little better.

And it's fun!

-- Alyson

Well..... we use to watch the games or a movie,
but now that little ones have entered the picture, we watch them.

Great idea Alyson! Dominos is a fun game to play or scrabble.

We're a game playing family so that would be my plan. Of course, that would be after the guys went into the living room, watched MORE football and then woke up from their nap. By that time, the ladies would have cleaned up the kitchen so we could play!

Some of the games we like to play are, Phase 10 (cards or dice), Trivia Pursuit, older version or new (we just bought the 20 anniversary edition and it's fun), Chatter Matters, which is a very fun game that asks questions that only family members would know, Pictionary, Scattergories, Cranium, Loaded Question, which would be another fun game because you have to ask eachother funny questions, Outburst, etc.... Anyway, like I said, if you come to my house, we'll probably get you to sit down and play a game with us and you'll be laughing in no time! BTW..I was the big winner last night in Trivia Pursuit, yeah for me!!!

Last year the children spent Thanksgiving afternoon chasing Poopie Chicken!

Another thing that we've done though (if it's a family celebration) is go through some old photo albums together. It was really interesting to hear some of the stories from my parents and their brothers and sisters. I always seem to learn more about my parent's antics from my aunts and uncles.

Poopie Chicken???

Do I even want to ask???

Our family loves to play board games, go for a walk or to the park to toss the frisbee and chase the kids and then later to a nearby shopping center that turns on their Christmas lights after dark on Thanksgiving evening.

A fun game to play if you don't like board games is Spoons. It's a crazy, boisterous card game that gets everyone laughing.

Blessings, Patsy

Ok Scarlet it's time to revive the Poppie Chicken story.

Patsy ~ Can you tell me how to play spoons? I've heard it can be really wild. Just what this family needs ~ some wildness.

Nancie

Ok, now will somebody PLEASE tell me...

Are these chickens -- ummm, covered with something you DON'T want to step in...

Or is there something with flowers involved?

Or do I really, REALLY not want to know?

Poopie Chicken is my children's pet rooster...best guard "dog" I ever had. We finally moved him to my dad's farm because he kept attacking anyone that came to the door. It worked great for door to door salesmen, but he could never learn to attack on command so I've had more than one friend run back to their car in fear of our attack chicken.

Somewhere on the forum I shared PC stories, because he was always doing something completely stupid like harassing my german shepherd. The dog stays in a chain link kennel in the backyard during the day, and the rooster would strut back in forth in front of the kennel to make the dog chase him along the fence. When he really wanted to aggravate the dog he would stick his head through the fence and steal the dog's food. This completely incensed the dog, and consequently the rooster's comb on top of his head had chunks taken out of it by the dog.

He lived in our backyard for almost a year...and suffice it to say his name fits him. He now lives in a nice barn, and continues to "rule the roost."

Nancie, To play Spoons you need enough spoons minus one for each person who is playing and a deck or two of cards, depending on how many people you have. We put the spoons in the floor and sit in a circle. Each person is dealt 4 cards. The remainder of the cards are picked up one at a time by one person in the circle. That person can keep the card drawn or pass on a card in their hand, never having more than 4 cards. Each one in the circle keeps passing on the cards keeping 4 cards in their hands. When a person gets 4 of a kind they reach out and grab a spoon. When one spoon is grabbed everyone else grabs a spoon. The one without a spoon drops out and the game starts over till there is just one left. It goes fast and you can make up your own rules. We like it because young and old can play and it causes a lot of laughter.

Blessings, Patsy

Scarlet you left out the very best story. Remember the one about bringing him in durning an ice storm. I almost wet my pants reading that story. You just have to dig that one out and tell it again.

Here you go, Nancie...I found it:

quote:

---

Our dogs and cats are sweethearts, but the animal that rules at our house is our pet rooster, PC (short for Poopie Chicken.) During the ice storm we had here we put him in a dog carrier and let him stay in the kitchen overnight because it was so cold. What we didn't realize is that Nate, my youngest put his toy parrot near the cage to keep PC company. The toy parrot repeats whatever you say to it twice. So, the next morning not only were we awakened to the rooster crowing, but for every time the rooster crowed the parrot crowed twice. The poor rooster was so confused because he thought there was another rooster in the house. The more the rooster crowed...the more the parrot crowed. My husband has now built the rooster his own tree house.

---

Laudy, Laudy. I am from Alabama and I thought we had funny animal stories! Only in the South!!! LOL LOL

Nancie,

I have not done this since my husband died, but I use to air pop a big bowl of popcorn and begin stringing it for my Christmas tree. If you have little ones at your Thanksgiving gathering let them make some cute crafts.
Oriental Trading company has all sort of cute stuff to make ornaments or necklaces for the holidays. If you have pinecones make "pinecone turkeys." Years back Shirley Dobson and another woman put together a neat book on family traditions, but I am not sure if it is still in print. Check your library or perhaps go to Focus On the Family.

I remember you telling me that you make delicious shortbread, so I would love to have your recipe if it isn't a family secret.

Blessings,
Lisa