My sister-in-law’s pumpkin roll. Hot diggity.
That and canberry sauce.
I have nothing. I like turkey and all, but I don’t care if I have it or not.
So pretty much, whatever is on the table.
My grandmother’s fried potatoes and creamed corn. Actually she makes these for pretty much every family gathering, but still. NOBODY can fry potatoes like my grandmother.
Homemade fresh cranberry relish - none of that canned stuff for me. REAL mashed potatoes. One year my MIL said we didn’t need to bring anything, and when I asked about the potatoes, she pointed to a couple of boxes. I bring the real ones (made with Yukon Golds and lots of butter) now. And last year I found a recipe for creamed corn that is just heavenly. I had nothing to compare it to, memory-wise, and everyone loved it. The recipe I use is here.
Wow. I make a pretty good Sangria, but hadn’t even considered it to be served with the appetizers! But it would be pretty much perfect. Thanks for the reminder!
Gravy, stuffing, pie, whole-cranberry relish, and my special holiday alcoholic cranberry punch (which is what will keep me sane while I cook all this crap for my husband’s relatives).
Recipe, please?? 
I wouldn’t have considered it either, but manthous has a long family history of sangria at Thanksgiving, and I will happily climb aboard that bus!
Cranberry juice*, ginger ale, orange juice, and lemonade in a 2:2:1:1 proportion. Add this base to however much vodka you want (I dunno about anyone else, but toward the end of the day my glass is just vodka with a little of the base for color). Garnish with lime. A splash of lime juice wouldn’t be bad, either. I think I’ll try that this time.
I might get fancy this year and experiment with a lime, cranberry and candied ginger garnish. Garnish is essential to completing the illusion that I am not really here and this is not really happening.
*I use the hardcore non-sweetened cranberry juice from Trader Joe’s, but if you prefer you can use that Ocean Spray stuff.
Scrape the corn from the cob into a skillet and fry it right up. There may be more to it, but it’s my mom who makes it and if I ask how then I’ll always be the one who has to make it.
Damn, that fried corn sounds wicked good… maybe I’ll experiment with it sometime…
For me, I have to have-
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Turkey
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A nice green salad with no funky, bitter, new-age lettuces in it
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Fluffy riced potatoes with lots of butter and salt
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My own homemade gravy (a three-day process that has already begun- roasted turkey yesterday, making stock today, making gravy on Thursday).
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Really good bread- crusty on the outside, soft and yummy on the inside.
My mom sometimes makes an awesome potato casserole topped with potato chips, and my MIL always steams her green beans with bacon slices, which is heavenly.
Gravy has always been considered a beverage in my family, so lots of giblet gravy, unstrained (are you listening, sister?). Also, my wife’s cranberry sauce, my deviled eggs, and stuffing that’s been cooked in the bird (up yours, Alton).
But the crowning food item is the turkey/stuffing/cranberry/mayo sandwiches the following day.
I can do without turkey, honestly. I’ve never been a huge fan of it. I’m all about the side dishes. Mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing (with more gravy), sweet potato streusel, brussels sprouts with garlic, my aunt-in-law’s cranberry salad (it’s a crazy Jello-pecan-and-cream-cheese concoction that both sounds and looks awful but tastes fantastic), and the obligatory cheese board and deviled eggs for appetizers while everyone’s waiting for the meal.
My have-to is Broccoli Rice Casserole. Frozen chopped broccoli, sliced mushrooms, white rice and wild rice, and -uh… Velveeta cubes and cream of mushroom soup.
It’s tradition! Another tradition is boiling over the giblets, for the turkey gravy. 
Stuffing with sausage, wild rice and mushrooms. And gravy to go on it. And turkey or cornish hen to go with it. Everything else changes from year to year, but those three things are the heart of the meal.
Ooh, I think my aunt used to make that, or something very similar. It was something like cranberry jello (or maybe some other red jello made with cranberry juice instead of water) in a layer, then a layer of cream cheese, then another layer of the jello with walnuts on the top. Delicious. She doesn’t make it since I moved away. Nobody but Mom and I ate it. 
Myself, I gotta have turkey and rolls and sweet potatoes and some sort of cranberry salad. And pumpkin pie or cheesecake for dessert.
Collard greens and macaroni and cheese.
All the other stuff is optional, as far as I’m concerned.
When my father was alive, he actively disliked turkey. But he loved most/all of the side dishes, and would make a full meal out of them!
I can take or leave the turkey, but I must have my Granny’s dressing, whipped potatoes, and giblet gravy. You could just give me the gravy boat with a straw in it and I’d be happy.
Pumpkin pie for breakfast (family tradition), stuffing with gravy and cinnamon apples.