Bringing your significant other to thanksgiving or any other major holiday is a big step for your relationship especially if they are going to be around family that they have never met before. Here’s what to expect if you’re bringing your significant other with you on Thanksgiving day and how you can navigate around it.
Get ready to have met your whole family and maybe even your extended family depending on how big your family is you are going to have to introduce them, a lot. Get ready to say “Hi, this is my boyfriend, etc.” over and over again. By the end of the day, you probably won’t want to ever introduce him again. If you have a giant family get ready to tell that cheesy moment how you guys met and just knew you had to date or that embarrassing time when you’re at a party and he spilled his drink all over you. If your significant other is introverted give them a heads up that there is going to be a lot of talking and they can’t weasel out of it.
Thanksgiving day is all about the food so have them get ready to eat. I personally know that in my family you can’t get away with just eating once and not refilling your plate, a huge sign of disrespect. Let them know what to fill in on and what is your family’s secret recipe dish that they all love so your significant other should too. If a turkey isn’t their thing warn your family ahead of time. There’s usually ham at Thanksgiving so have them full up at that. Make sure you have another main dish at the table to add heaps of it to their plate or get ready to purchase a main dish from the grocery store but let your family know ahead of time. Especially if your significant other has allergies or specific dietary needs.
There’s probably a high chance that you and your significant other aren’t apart from the same culture or maybe your family just does things a little different like eating dessert first or having food more in touch with their cultures like sticky rice or tamales. Maybe your family makes two or three turkeys like mine occasionally do or it’s a huge festivity and all of you have to dress up or all in pajamas. If you have previous photos of your thanksgiving it is best to show them so they can get an idea of what thanksgiving at your household is like. Also, let them know the little things like don’t enter the kitchen because the cook doesn’t like it to get cluttered or if there is a certain seat they can’t sit on because your brother always sits there, etc. Let them know that the next day once you guys wake up there will be the same amount of food that you have to fest on all over again.
Whenever you enter somebody’s home for the first time or for a big festivity you should never enter empty-handed. Let your significant other that they should stop by the store before Thanksgiving day. I was taught whenever you go to someone else place you should always bring something even if they tell you that you don’t have to. It could be something simple and elegant like flowers but if you get flowers make sure you get a vase as well because it is extra rude if you make the host search for a spare vase even worse if they can’t find one. It might be better to bring something like cheesecake but your family probably has the dessert section down on Thanksgiving day so you should bring a wine that you can pair the food with, that might be a better choice. There is nothing wrong with ending the day with a nightcap or maybe have them greet your family with their favorite wine or whiskey and butter them up a bit, it couldn’t hurt. Bringing something is a great way for your family to get to know them and have a nice chat. Warn your significant other that you will be talking about them once they leave to put the wine away.
Expect your family to expect your significant other to help a hand. Let them know that you two should offer to clean up plates after the Thanksgiving dinner. Expect your family to try to have an excuse to spend one on one time with them. They may try to get a feel for them without you hovering over their shoulders. Just let your significant other know that they should be polite and offer first to help clean the dishes. It is always better to ask first then to be asked to later. Let them know that they might be expected to ask for help even if you know that your mother always ends up cleaning up herself. Whenever someone enters a house for the first time no one ever expects them
Expect your family to get your significant other’s opinions on what they might consider controversial. Definitely make sure everyone should stay away from politics, that is a hard enough subject as it is especially if your significant other will be around your extended family for the first time. Expect your family to ask things like what’s their favorite sports team. If you’re an Auburn family while your significant other watches hockey or worse likes Alabama over Auburn gets ready for there to be a great uproar on the arguing scale.
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