In a recent survey, SheKnows asked readers to share their most memorable Thanksgiving fails, and the responses were simply awesome. As one friend to another, we hope these stories of holidays-gone-wrong can save you from a Thanksgiving disaster.
1. She who almost died of mercury poisoning
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“I broke a meat thermometer in my very first turkey I ever made. Collectively my family decided it was safe to cut the turkey in half and eat the half that the thermometer was not in. We survived, but it wasn’t a very relaxing Thanksgiving dinner.”
2. She who fed only one
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“I cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving, and my dog ate the whole thing. UGH!!!”
3. She who broke the kitchen
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“Last year my sister put the turkey into her sink, and the sink collapsed into the cupboard, breaking the water pipes and causing a flood in her kitchen and basement. We got the call at 6:30 a.m. to help her. Everything was put back together and cleaned up, and we had Thanksgiving as usual.”
4. She who couldn’t brine with grace
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“Last year, the night before Thanksgiving, we decided to brine the turkey for the first time ever. We had a large turkey, so I put it in a tub of water that wasn’t really big enough. So I decided to move the turkey and water/brine mix into a large Rubbermaid tub. Instead of waiting for my husband to finish in the bathroom and help me out with the turkey transfer, I decided to go ahead and do it myself. Well, the smaller tub wasn’t very sturdy, so when I went to pour it into the large tub, the handles gave way, and I lost my grip. The turkey and water went pouring onto the floor in a tidal wave. It drenched everything in sight, including my purse and the hardwood floor. It took every towel we had in the house to mop up the turkey water. The incident is now known as the Turkey Tidal Wave of 2014. This year, I have a large tub ready for the turkey brining.”
5. She who needs a new oven
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“My oven door fell off while cooking the Thanksgiving turkey!”
6. She who has an odd taste in seasonings
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“My sister had shrimp chilling in a pot of ice water and then emptied it. It was washed, but wasn’t enough. My father then made the mashed potatoes in it. Mashed potatoes that taste like shrimp are not a very good side for Thanksgiving dinner!”
7. She who forgot the whole point of the holiday
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“Ate Thanksgiving dinner before guests arrived because we forgot they were coming.”
8. She who needed a bigger oven
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“Thanksgiving following hurricane Sandy, we were living in a rented apartment with no working oven. We purchased a countertop microwave/convection oven. A friend heard we were planning to just order in Thanksgiving dinner, so he ran out and bought us a turkey. Guess we should have explained the oven situation… so we ended up cutting up the bird and cooking it in batches. Lol.”
9. She who believes a cooked turkey looks like this
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“The first year I cooked for Thanksgiving, I did not know that my oven wasn’t working properly. I cooked that turkey for 12 hours and still ended up serving it raw. I can’t believe that nobody got sick!”
10. She who burns everything she touches
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“Yes, our daughter-in-law cooked her first Thanksgiving turkey. She forgot to take off the plastic or remove the giblets from inside the turkey and also burnt it to a crisp!!!!”
More Thanksgiving stories you’ll love
8 Practical reasons to never make Thanksgiving dinner again
12 Holiday craft fails that prove Pinterest parenting isn’t realistic
A Thanksgiving ‘Recovery Bucket’ that will get you invited back next year
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