Thanksgiving indulgences or maybe not

Thanksgiving has always been a great family day for me growing up.

When we were little, my Dad would make the turkey and my Mom would do everything else.We'd eat. We'd watch tv. We'd sleep. Then we'd eat some more. [sigh]

As we got older, our Thanksgiving meal grew. We helped with the sides and my Mom was able to add in some Filipino dishes. Now that we've all got families, Thanksgiving has become a HUGE potluck affair.

The last few years, BE and AE have hosted the event at their house. They'd deep fry a couple turkeys and make cranberries and potatoes. The rest of us would pitch in with green bean casserole, homemade cranberries, homemade gravy, ham, lumpia, pancit, rolls, drinks, pies, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, chips, dip, and a whole slew of other desserts. Y'all we'd be bringing plates of food home. Why? So we'd keep cooking to a minimum the rest of the weekend. This way we could SHOP if we were so inclined. We could LOUNGE and SLEEP if we were so inclined. Good plan, no?

But this year Thanksgiving will be at my ILs. It'll be a totally different affair. You see, my MIL only makes enough food for the one meal. THE. ONE. MEAL. This means no leftovers. This means watching your portion size to ensure that everyone gets some. I'm not sure what to do. I want to indulge!

I've asked PD to ask his Mom the following:
(1) Where will we be celebrating the day -- at their house or PD's uncle's house?
(2) Who will be celebrating with us?
(3) What time of day will we be eating? lunch or dinner?
(4) What does she plan on making?

Because...because...I want to make some stuff. I want to cook a ham -- crock pot style. I also want to make some homemade garlic-sour cream smashed potatoes. You read that right. SMASHED -- not mashed. I don't like potatoes totally smooth. I like it a little chunky. I'm even thinking about sauteing some mushrooms and making some homemade cranberries.

We'll see what answers PD comes back with. That'll definitely influence what I'll end up making.

But what's your Thanksgiving tradition like? Big feast? Small affair? Out at a soup kitchen?