A very peaceful family Thanksgiving
This year, Thanksgiving was a cousins affair. One of my wife's cousins on her mothers side of the family hosted the gathering. All of the cousins' parents are gone, and their children have all moved away and have families of their own. So, it was an all-adult celebration, with me being the eldest at 72. The youngest was a 25-year-old daughter of one of the cousins.
The meal was traditional, but nobody had to slave all day in the kitchen. Our host's husband made the turkey. I made the dressing and the mandatory green been casserole. The only male actual cousin in the group made the mashed potatoes and gravy. Someone brought a couple of pies and the drinks were brought by everyone. The men did all the cooking, serving, etc.
Dinner was buffet-style, and we all ate from paper plates on our laps in the downstairs family room. There was no table grace. Nobody spilled anything on the carpeting. Politics was not mentioned, but it could have been, because everyone there is a Democrat. Instead, the talk was of family and times past. The food was great. Nobody was drunk. Hugs were general around the room.
The Minnesota Vikings/Detroit Lions game was on a TV, but with muted sound. Nobody noticed the end of the game. We were all talking. When someone announced the final score, we all said, "Skoal Vikings!" Then we had a piece of the 25-year-old's birthday cake and sang the birthday song.
And so it went. No drama. No stress. After everyone had eaten their fill, the men gathered up the evidence, filled the dishwasher and put the leftovers away. I took the full trash bag out to the garbage can. Then, we all exchanged a final set of warm hugs and went on our ways.
A nice, pleasant, stress-free Thanksgiving.
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Just guessing, of course, and even if there were a couple at most, they were told to leave politics out.
And BTW, SCREW THE VIKINGS! 
friends of friends. There was quite a crowd of over 20 people there- four generations including a very elderly couple who were both in WWII (she was a WAC) along with their great-grandchildren. The ages ranged from 3 months up to 97 years old (and everything in-between). I'm on business in TX (helping a friend) so the crowd was politically mixed but NO ONE even started to bring up politics, current events, etc. I was surprised that they didn't even have the Cowboy game on in the background since we are in Dallas. All in all, a very nice day.
I had a nuclear Thanksgiving for the first time in years. Just my husband and three boys (two high schoolers and a college kid). We ordered most of the traditional turkey dinner from a local barbecue restaurant and my husband added on by making some gluten-free stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. He cooked and the boys and I washed up.
My sister did the same with her husband and son, then they came by later for the eight of us to play board games. All democrats as well, no political talk, and the only arguments were over who controlled Alexa next. Lots of hugs and laughter. My heart swelled to see four six-foot plus boys entwined and draped across one another on the sofa. Couldn't tell where one boy ended and another began.
It was a nice, pleasant, stress-free Thanksgiving.
ETA: Especially grateful this year as my eldest, youngest, and I were in a car accident the day before. Consider it a miracle none of us woke up stiff and sore.
