“Don’t Touch My TV”: 44 Thanksgiving Hosts Call Out Behaviors They Can’t Stand From Their Guests

When my mother in law used to show up and act like she was the host. She wouldnt lift a finger to help. Which honestly wasn’t the problem. I actually love to cook and my husband is good at cleaning up. . But she’d invite random people and mess with the flow. You just don’t mess with the flow. Like decide 10 minutes before dinner that she wanted all the grandkids to paint. On the table. Where half the food was already staged. And the other half was being carried out. The final straw was when we were doing the toast before dinner one year and my nephew knocked over entire bottle of red wine. They all continued to sit and eat whilst my husband and I crawled around under the table around everyone’s legs trying to clean it up. She wanted to be the “fun Gramma” but honestly she was so disruptive and bossy , she actually stressed my kids out.

Bring what you are “assigned” to bring, don’t go rogue.

When people bring food but won't take the leftovers home and tell me to just get their dish back to them.

We have the entire house - the living room with the game on, the dining room table with snacks and treats, the backyard with the firepit going, and the garage with the beer fridge, but noooo, let’s all congregate in the 95° kitchen where I’m prepping food.

No politics and remember you aren't the only one eating...save some for everyone else

I have a guest pet peeve. In-laws who ask me to bring a side dish and then they go ahead and make a duplicate just in case I don’t do it right. I’ve had this happen and my offering gets treated like the “spare”.

When I’m only halfway through eating and people get up and start clearing the table and doing dishes.

Sure I should be glad for the help, but I would really like to enjoy the food I worked so hard to make first. Also somethings can’t go in the dishwasher, or need to be on the top shelf, etc so I feel like I need to be in there directing.

My nephew and niece won’t eat anything that is served at Thanksgiving. Without fail, my SIL wants to make grilled cheese sandwiches for her kids just when all of the rest of the food is almost done. It’s always at the worst time to have someone else trying to use a burner for something that is not part of dinner.

When somebody (my mom cough cough) brings an entire alternate menu because “so-and-so likes it this way”.

DON'T TOUCH MY TV!!! At some point, me and my 82 year old father will be watching A Christmas Story, followed by National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. As we have done every year for the last 30+ years or more

Do not interrupt me when I'm in the middle of basting the turkey or stirring homemade strawberry pie filling! In fact, stay out of the kitchen altogether while I cook. If you must come in, get what you need and get out!

OK...kind of reverse...

My mom was actually hosting, and it was going to be scaled back since it was just 4 of us which is rare in our family. I got there and my contributions just needed some warming.

Her ham was still in the foil - because it was fully cooked so we can just eat it - and her scalloped potatoes (from Costco) were still frozen.

We will not be repeating that again.

People salting their food before even tasting it.

My brother and his wife are incapable of teaching their kids table manners so I always have to remind them to wash up AFTER dinner or my house and throw pillows will be smeared with food. So gross! I always washed up my kids at other people's houses after eating when they were small.

When I do most of the cooking and hosting and then when the meal is over, they leave me to do the dishes. I feel like I should get a pass on that since I’m hosting, making the food, etc.

Host no accepting your reply of,” No, thank you.” upon being offered a food that you don’t prefer.

Dont waste my food: leaving a heap of food on your plate when you’re done, after YOU served yourself. If you’re unsure whether or not you’ll like it, just get one or two bites’-worth. Go back for seconds if you like it. This doesn’t happen often because my family knows now that they don’t have to plate anything they don’t like. Heck, I will prepare some foods and not put it on my own plate (carrots, for example) because I know most of the others like them.

Basically when people show up late. If I say dinner is at 6, I'm pretty much ready to serve it!!!

Since my parents have passed, and I don't live close to my son, I have made small celebrations for myself. I miss family holidays, but here I am.

Not helping with cleanup