Planning for Thanksgiving

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here, but I have a crap-ton of family.  Yes, that’s the scientific term.  And going back they are Italian, which basically means we all hang out in the kitchen, eating a lot, and throwing our hands around while talking in a way that is dangerous to all. We get together fairly often, and it’s always for a meal.  Breakfast at the sister’s, dinner at wherever; I don’t know why but lunch is never officially a thing. My slightly off kilter family calls it dinner after 12 and breakfast before, and since noon is only one minute long it doesn’t count.

We never meet up at my house because everyone else’s house is bigger with more sitting space. I’m not allowed to cook because I’m a vegetarian and enough said.  They always tell me to bring the salad or the veggy tray, apparently I am not to be trusted around anything that must be heated.

We have experimented with using a private Facebook group (my idea but not everyone would play along) but we usually just use a group email and edit the menu part. My silly family put me in charge of the email a few years ago, I think for Easter.  Maybe Thanksgiving, I don’t remember. I changed everyone’s answer to Dr. Seuss answers (Roast Beast, etc.) and was never allowed to coordinate again. Sad but true.

Apparently they forgot because they put me in charge of the emails again this year.  (Insert evil laugh here) this time I decided to go all high tech on them and use a site called PerfectPotluck.com.  I found out about it when a co-worker used it for a work potluck.  It is very cool!

Basically you tell it how many you want of each item (side dishes, desserts, plates, utensils), jot down a note, type in all of your recipient’s email addresses and off you go.  They click a link in the email you receive and enter whatever they’d like to contribute. It’s pretty cool and super easy.

This is our first family event we used this for and I just sent out the invites but I’m pretty sure based on how well it worked at work that it’ll be out easiest arranged potluck yet.

How does your family do Thanksgiving? Does one person do everything or do you potluck it like we do?