I've hosted Thanksgiving at my house a few times, and I honestly didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I love to cook, so I really thought it would be fun to plan the meal and make a bunch of stuff that people would love...but when everyone got there, I was reminded how picky so many people in my family are, and some of the dishes I was most excited about were barely touched. I spent two days getting ready and several hours putting my house back together, only to feel totally drained an unappreciated.
This blog wasn't meant to be a complaining session...but when I read these stats about Thanksgiving, it reminded me that hosting wasn't all that fun. I think I'm going to let Mom host this year, and I'll come help like I always do...less pressure that way!
A survey found 17% of people who've hosted Thanksgiving ended up regretting it, because it's so much work. That's about 1 in 6 people.
80% of Americans have hosted Thanksgiving at least once. And 21% of them had to PRETEND they enjoyed it. Here are a few more stats from the survey:
1. Controlling what's on the menu is one reason we DO like to host. 59% of people said they prefer hosting, so they can make sure all their favorite foods are there.
2. 74% of hosts have to go to the grocery store at least twice to get all the ingredients.
3. 29% of us would rather give up our phone for a month than be the one responsible for cooking Thanksgiving dinner. And 42% of men would give up watching football for a month.
4. 30% of hosts have served something other than turkey as the main dish. Ham is the most popular alternative.
5. 59% of Americans say you should eat whatever you want on Thanksgiving, even if you're on a diet. 94% of us will have pie this year, and 65% will drink alcohol.
HAHA!! So if you're thinking of hosting, you might want to reconsider! It's a lot of work, y'all!