“Don’t Touch My TV”: 30 Thanksgiving Hosts Call Out Behaviors They Can’t Stand From Their Guests

Every family celebrates the holidays differently. While Thanksgiving is primarily about showing gratitude and feasting on delicious food, there are no strict rules about what exactly you have to prepare or what time dinner will be served. The only thing to keep in mind as a guest is respecting and appreciating your host. Otherwise, you might not be invited back next year.

Thanksgiving hosts have recently been sharing their biggest pet peeves on Reddit, so we’ve gathered their rules for being a great guest below. From showing up empty-handed to insisting on discussing politics, make sure you avoid these cardinal sins at your family’s gathering. And be sure to upvote the behaviors that would get someone kicked out of your house too!

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

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#1

The men folk who don’t help do anything to get dinner ready, then sit around afterwards watching the game while all the women clean up.

#2

When people show up.

#3

When people show up too early.

#4

I hate it when no one offers to get off their lazy behinds and help clean up.

#5

I have 2 bathrooms for guests, don’t go in my bedroom and use my personal bathroom.

#6

The height of entitlement and rudeness to bring groceries and expect to use someone’s kitchen on THANKSGIVING!!!!

#7

Criticisms about food, especially when you brought NOTHING (cue my mother..). “The turkey is over cooked.” “The broccoli casserole needs more salt.” “Did you forget salt in EVERY dish?!” 🤦🏻‍♀️.

#8

The “I just need to heat this up” crowd.

The loitering in the kitchen crowd. If you’re not helping, stay out. If you’re “helping” stay out. Just stay out. And please, please don’t make me take my earbuds out.

#9

Y’all, I have thoroughly loved reading every single comment so far!! This will be the 3rd Thanksgiving that my sister and I will be alone..Thanksgiving was always our favorite holiday and we had such a big family..so many wonderful memories!! I miss those times.. and I miss my family..

Please don’t misunderstand, I am so blessed that I still have my sister..we are in our mid 50’s ..divorced.. but we are happy, healthy and grateful!!

Thanks again for sharing all of these stories..made me remember so many wonderful times with my family…and y’all, for me it’s priceless and means the world 🥰.

#10

One year one of my brother’s in-laws made a HUGE deal out of bringing the green bean casserole. She brought the smallest bowl I ever saw for 30 people. She commented, wow, that went so fast, we usually have leftovers (for her family of 2 adults and 2 kids).

#11

Showing up late without the rolls they were supposed to bring. (Parent)
Bratty kids.(sister)
Showing up empty handed except for their to go Tupperware and don’t help serve or cleanup at all. (Sister).

#12

Dang, I never realized how chill my thanksgiving was compared to a lot of other people’s. The host makes a turkey and a ham. Everyone else brings a side dish and/or appetizer and/or dessert. Always plenty of food.

#13

I just tell people to bring drinks. We have an assortment of sodas because unfortunately I drink them like water lol, but I know soda, lemonade, and water aren’t for everyone. I look forward to making the meal every year. This is my Super Bowl. Ain’t no one going to mess this up by bringing something I’m already making lol.

#14

I make it easy for everyone.

I am the host and the chef. This is the menu. Dinner is at T0 and guests are welcome to arrive for cocktails at T-2 hours. Invitations are by individual. RSVP.

I direct contributions to be appetizers, desserts that complement the pumpkin and pecan pies I will have already made (from scratch), and wine of specific menu-appropriate varieties. Individuals’ contributions (if any, and if to be relied upon) should serve eight; couples’ therefore sixteen, etc. Guests are welcome to address any dietary requirements independently.

The kitchen is not available (absent prior arrangement) and off-limits although spectators are more than welcome. Specific individuals may be deputized temporarily as sous or line (crudite, salad, pastry) chefs or sommelier but otherwise refrain from entering or touching anything absent express instruction else risk severe cuts, burns, spills, or delay, and severe reprimand in any case.

Everyone has a great time, no one complains (not that I care), and they all keep coming back.

#15

Last year I set our meal for 1pm, at 11am my Aunt and Uncle show up. I’m still in my pajamas, the food is all still cooking, I’m vacuuming the floors and I’m crying hysterically because my Mom woke up that morning with the stomach flu and couldn’t come help me.

Please don’t arrive any earlier than 15 minutes before the time on the invitation text I send out. Later is fine. Earlier is always a disaster cause I’m a Last Minute Sally.

Now, my aunt is not much of a cook, and my uncle doesn’t have much of a personality. So it took me a bit to figure out what was happening. When my aunt heard my mom was sick and not coming, she got herself ready and in the car and over to my house so she could sit in the kitchen and be there should I need help. We were never close when I was growing up, but to realize that she came early just in case I needed a Mamas advice means the world to me.

#16

Don’t be coming to the kitchen picking and sampling the food before dinner is served!

#17

My sister-in-law’s yearly contribution… a single can of jellied cranberry sauce. After my mom, sister and I have each spent a ton of money and effort each making multiple dishes.

#18

I had a family member bring Mac and Cheese last year as we have some kids (ok they’re actually young adults now) who really enjoy it. They brought gluten free noodles with sauce made from cauliflower. I thought my daughter was going to leave the house in protest. We now refer to it is the “Cauliflower incident of 2022”.

#19

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.

#20

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

#21

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

#22

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.

#23

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

#24

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”.

#25

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.

#26

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.

#27

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

#28

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

#29

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!

#30

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.

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