It's Thanksgiving. In my extended family, there is a rule about Thanksgiving

[MineralMan]

and other holidays when many people come together to celebrate:

"No discussions of politics or religion are allowed."

It's a hard and fast rule. There are many, many other things to talk about. Old memories, jokes at one's own expense, plans for the future, the accomplishments of the young people of the newest generation...

It's a good rule. We share what we share in common at these holiday gatherings and leave the things we don't out of the conversation. Election campaigns are one of the things we leave out completely. It makes for a much better, more congenial occasion.

DU is part of my family, so I'll be observing that rule here today, too. I won't be here a lot today, since I have a dinner to prepare for my wife's family. I won't be discussing the primary elections with them, either. Too many other topics we can share.

[Thinkingabout]

1. Yes, we are family!!!

[NurseJackie]

2. It's getting late. I suppose I should take the turkey out of the deep freeze and get started.

Happy Thanksgiving, MM!

[MineralMan]

5. Sounds like a plan to me.

I hope you enjoy the day!

[JonathanRackham]

3. Same house rule here.

I'm chief cook. Don't piss off the cook.

[LittleGirl]

17. ha ha

same here - chief cook. Don't piss off the cook because well....it could get ugly.

[MineralMan]

4. Here's an old Thanksgiving memory:

Thanksgiving dinner, of course, was always a sort of potluck affair. Everyone brought something. One time, way back in the early 1960s, my maternal grandmother, who was in her late 60s or early 70s at the time, was tasked with bringing the mashed potatoes. Bring them she did. A huge pot full of them. Far more than could possibly have been consumed, even by the crowd around the table that year.

As the family matriarch at the time, she was imperial in her insistence that everyone have at least two servings of her mashed potatoes. She urged each of us to have "just a little more," despite our being stuffed to the gills already. She paid special attention to my father, as always, since he had the audacity to marry her daughter. "Have just one more helping, George." He had demurred on that request already a few times, and did not want any more mashed potatoes, good as they were. "No, thanks, Mary," he said, one more time. He was the only member of the extended family who ever called her by her given name.

Well, Grandma wasn't pleased, and dug out another serving and plopped it on his plate. Last straw for my always-patient father. He reached across and took my Grandmother's now empty plate and began scooping out mashed potatoes and adding them to her plate. "Please have some more mashed potatoes, Mary. I insist," he said, smiling all the while. After about the third scoop, Grandma laughed and said, "I see your point, George." The laughter became universal.

That story gets retold every Thanksgiving, and still generates peals of laughter.

[AgingAmerican]

6. We don't censor ourselves

But then we are all Democrats, except my oldest brother whose idea of Thanksgiving is a turkey TV dinner.

[MoonRiver]

7. We won't be talking about it today.

Sadly we had a death in the family 2 days ago, so our thanksgiving will be muted. But, in general, I don't talk politics unless I am sure the other person supports my views. Why go there?

[MineralMan]

8. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.

That makes for a somber holiday. I've been there and it was difficult for everyone.

[MoonRiver]

9. Thank you MM.

It was my brother in law who had been suffering from brain cancer.

[MineralMan]

10. So sad. I hope you can all share

good memories of him today.

[MoonRiver]

11. Yes we will.

[Worried senior]

12. Holidays are hard

My mother died on Thanksgiving Day 2006 so it brings up sad memories.

We weren't the closest but she lived with us the last few months of her life and died at our home. That I am grateful for.

[No Vested Interest]

19. My father died unexpectedly late on Thanksgiving Eve (Wed.) a number of years ago.

I remember going to Thanksgiving Day Mass the next morning, tears coming down throughout the service.

The plan before he died had been to have Thanksgiving dinner at my parents home, but when he died, we brought my mother to my home. I don't remember the dinner, as we were busy calling and being called by family and friends.

After Dad's funeral service, we served the turkey he had bought for Thanksgiving Day dinner. - I always thought that was so ironic - that he bought the turkey for his own funeral service.

Today, I'll be having Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with my three local adult children. Conversation will be pleasant.

Thankful for all the blessings I and we have.
Best to all the DU family.

[mcar]

22. It is hard, worried

My dear MIL died on Christmas eve two years ago. She had been suffering for some time but even so it was difficult.

The good partof it was that it caused the whole family to be here IN FL for the holidays and funeral. SO's side hadn't been all together like that in years.

[yallerdawg]

13. We may not 'talk' about it this day...

but there will be a lot of Thanksgiving dinner prayers addressed our liberal lovin' direction regarding the future of our souls!

Just not at our liberal lovin' table!

[canoeist52]

14. The conservative side of my family makes, then breaks that rule every year, as well.

[TlalocW]

15. One Thanksgiving my brother-in-law and his brothers

Were in the dining room "arguing." For the most part they're pretty similar in their conservative politics, and I don't even recall what they were talking about, but it was political so as I was grabbing more pie, I told them, "I have a simple solution to your disagreement," and pointing at each of them in turn, I said, "You're wrong; you're wrong, and you're wrong." And left. They all laughed at it.

Another year, I tried to pretend I was napping when other members of the family started talking about abortion and George Tiller. Didn't work.

TlalocW

[lovemydog]

16. Sounds good to me.

Happy Thanksgiving MM.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all here!

[Yallow]

18. My Family Can't Talk Politics - I Will Crucify Their Nonsense And They Know It

They don't even try.

My brother in law babbled something about the deficit, and national debt a while back.

I said America's wealthy have 50 trillion dollars in assets, and could pay off our entire national debt and not even miss the money.

All it took.....

One thing that got through. My sister isn't comfortable with the fact that our children will have it worse than we had it.

Maybe she could someday ask herself why, and look for the real reasons.

[JaneyVee]

20. My family specifically talks about politics and religion.

And global affairs.

[Yallow]

23. What Does Your Family Talk About?

Something like every single thing Republicans do is to weaken our president, and our nation?

How about climate change?

Perhaps wealth hoarders that don't pay taxes, and are above the law?

Just wondering....

[ibegurpard]

21. DU is not my family

It is a political message board for the purpose of talking politics. If people don't want to talk about politics because it's Thanksgiving they can take a break for the day.
I find it rather disturbing you consider this to be part of your family.