Is anyone else spending Thanksgiving alone? What are your thoughts and feelings? I am not seeking therapy, a pep talk, etc. I just want to know who else is spending Thanksgiving alone. I am 58 years old, and I have spent most of my adult Thanksgivings alone. It is tough, it is lonely, but I always get over it. I tell my co-workers that I am going to a friend’s house so that they don’t feel sorry for me. Anyone else…?
I am. I’d like to be able to go to see my family, but finances have made that impossible this year, so I’ll be spending the day alone.
But I don’t even think if it as lonely, really. I’m going to cook for myself (got a turkey breast and the trimmings) and I’m having a Star Wars Thanksgiving - I decided I want to watch all six in order - even the ones (Ep 2) that I really don’t like very much at all.
Mostly, I just want work to be done - I have to work until 9:00 tonight. Blah.
I’ll be working. and everyone else will be off, so I’ll be with you in spirit. At least we won’t have a pile of dishes to deal with at the end of the day! 
Why not try doing something new next year. Let people know that this year you don’t have plans. I bet somebody invites you over.
It would probably be fun.
Meanwhile tomorrow sounds like a good day for a Good book or a movie marathon.
Jim
Just got an email from my best friend, who I’d invited to join us at a mostly-friends dinner at my sister’s – he’d decided he needs downtime more than he needs turkey, so he’s going to stay home and veg.
No pep talk – but if you take it as an opportunity to spend some quality time with a person you like – if you like yourself, of course – it can be very cool to spend a holiday alone. I had a great Christmas once where I stayed home and watched Fred Astaire movies all day.
It’s too bad you haven’t run across my wife. She cannot stand anyone spending this holiday alone. Consequently, though there are three of us, we will have 7 for dinner tomorrow. Three of us and four strays.
You’d be welcome though!
I spent one Christmas alone and I went and found a non-proift organization that was giving meals to the homeless. There are always plenty of opportunities like that and it makes you feel good.
I should be clear, I didn’t go there to eat, I went to volunteer my time to help out.
Well, I wish all the Holiday Alone folks a happy Thanksgiving. A movie marathon sounds like a great idea.
Yeah, a lot of local food banks have sorting shifts where you go work with people and feel good about yourself.
I’m spending Thanksgiving alone by choice. My mom wanted to buy me tickets to fly out but I’m tired of traveling so much this year and am really looking forward to a couple of nice relaxing days off.
I’m still making it a special day tho’. In the morning, I’m doing the local “Turkey Trot” and then I’ve bought yummy food from the local upscale market to eat on Thanksgiving Day. I’ve had Thanksgiving’s in the past when I didn’t do anything special and just ate whatever and they felt kinda sad.
Hm. I was going to start a Home Alone For The Holidays thread tomorrow.
I always cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted turkey, et cetera. When dad died I went to my mom’s. Last year I went to mom’s in Phoenix. She was too sick with the cancer that would take her life less than three months later. I cooked the meal.
My sister’s in San Diego. What is that? 1,400 miles away? 1,500? My fiancée changed her mind last January, so I don’t have her to cook for. I can’t eat a whole turkey, not even a small one. Sure I like leftovers, but it would be too much. I’ll either make myself a steak and drink a whole bottle of wine, or else make a turkey TV dinner. (I’ll probably have wine with that too.) I’ll probably watch a football game, and watch movies.
I’ll be spending Christmas alone too.
I’ve had a lot of those, including one one spent as a freshman at the dorm in college (“It would be…difficult…if you came to Thanksgiving; do you mind not coming?” :rolleyes: ), and now I try to schedule something, like a short backpacking trip or a drive up the coast. I was going to do that this year, but a coworker invited me to eat turkey with his extended family, and since they’re a bunch of oenophiles (the fun kind, not the Sideways assholish know-it-all types) I acceded even though I’m generally at loathe of social situations. We’ll see how it pans out.
Stranger
I am, and I don’t have a problem with it. I’ll see my family on Christmas when they come east. Tomorrow I’m making myself some chicken, drinking a little wine, and watching some ball games and DVDs. Looking forward to it actually.
Yep, alone for Thanksgiving here also. My parents and brother live in Cleveland and my sister lives in Denver. I let my son stay with my ex-wife for the day because it is a family holiday and I would feel selfish if I had him stay with me alone for that day. So it will be me, the TV, Xbox and Gamecube. Third straight year in a row. I bought a turkey but I don’t know if I am going to even bother making it.
I’ll also be doing Thanksgiving alone this year. I’ll be seeing my folks for Christmas, and two cross-country flights within a month during the peak season is no fun. Plans with friends fell through at the last minute, so I’ll just be seeing if I can get a table at a local restaurant for dinner, then heading home to do some reading.
I’m planning to do some work and go out to a restaurant, if I can find one open. Due to a combination of factors, but boiling down to one thing which is completely my responsibility, I couldn’t get home this year.
This will be my first holiday totally alone. My father died in May , and he was really all the family I had. I have very few friends, and most of them live half way across the country; the few here in town have families of their own, and I guess I’m not high on their list of priorities.
So I am fixing dinner for me and the critters; the only reason I am doing the whole turkey thing is I have been really hungry for homemade dressing, so there you go.
I have been depressed beyond words this week. I am so dreading the next few weeks. Christmas will be pretty much the same . Most days I would just rather not even wake up.
I’m alone, but I’ve been alone for the last 7 Thanksgivings. I personally LIKE having a paid holiday off from work to be by myself. My sister is 400 miles away and I don’t want to drive up there.
Me, I’m going to the movies. I think I’ll go see “Walk the Line” in the afternoon and eat a Bucket o’ Popcorn (extra butter, please) and Tub o’ Diet Coke. Then I might waddle over to see if any stores are open to get a birthday present for my sister. Maybe take a walk in the park with the dog, depending on the weather.
I’m not a social person and I’m a vegetarian, so Thanksgiving has always been a day of awkwardness about the whole food thing (“No, I’ve been a vegetarian since I was three years old, auntie. No, I’m not going to eat that, but thanks for the offer. Pass the rolls, please.”)
I’m a bit of a prick about Thanksgiving. I just don’t enjoy it. My family sort of follows a traditional script, not because they enjoy it, but (I think) because they’re not very original people. And I don’t enjoy it.
Also, I never cared for football games or King Kong movies. So Thanksgiving is a day I prefer to spend alone trying to deny that it’s happening.
I’m planning to spend the day working on various projects. Hope to get some writing done, and maybe clean a little.
I send you good thoughts. Feel free to email me at the address in my profile if you want someone to talk to.
whistlepig