How to Handle Multiple Invitations to Thanksgiving Dinners

Thanksgiving is a fun time for many of us - lots of family time and good food. Sometimes there can be too much Thanksgiving cheer to go around. If you're invited to more than one dinner, and don't want to decline any invitations, you may be in a bit of a bind. Here is how you get around this problem.

First, know that it's ok to visit as many people as you care to on Thanksgiving. Family and friends are an important part of any major holiday. Having a full meal at each house you visit is a bit of a problem though. Two or three Thanksgiving meals can leave you feeling sick, so you need a plan that gets you around this issue.

Plan on eating a full meal at one house you visit. Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same for most of us if we didn't get to eat fantastic food. At another home, agree to go just for dessert. If there's a third home you're going to, politely explain your situation if you feel the need, and just nibble. Your loved ones will most likely understand and will appreciate the time spent with you, even if you only had dessert or a light lunch/early dinner with them.

Another thing that you may be concerned about is whether you'll end up always having dinner at one house, and dessert at the other. Develop a rotation system, and give your family enough notice that they'll have time to adjust.

An "every other year" system may work for you. Growing up, my parents had a similar arrangement. One year we'd have Thanksgiving dinner with one set of grandparents, and have dessert or light lunch with the other set. The next year, the situation was flipped. This way we saw most local relatives each Thanksgiving but didn't get ourselves sick having two large meals in one day.

If you're typically invited to two small gatherings each Thanksgiving, you may even consider having Thanksgiving at your house one year and inviting the people who usually invite you. Then you can see everyone and stick with one large meal. You could even do it pot luck to make it a little easier on yourself.

Regardless of how you do it, there are ways to see everyone you wish on Thanksgiving, and avoid having several large meals while you're at it. Just come up with a game plan that will be agreeable to everyone.