Dan J Kroll (Soap Central founder and troublemaker)
I have always liked the idea of everyone coming together at the dinner table particularly when one of the "outcasts" is invited to join a family or character that they might not always get along with. On the less wholesome side, it's gotta be the Quartermaines and their never-ending quest to actually eat some turkey on Thanksgiving.
Chanel Garner (B&B Two Scoops columnist and recapper)
It used to be Beth and Phillip with their New York Santa on Guiding Light. Now, Eric Forrester at his piano.
Kambra Clifford (Features editor)
I've always loved the Quartermaine Thanksgiving pizza tradition -- mostly because I can keep it in my back pocket as a viable option for the inevitable moment that I *really* don't feel like going through the faff of cooking an entire Thanksgiving feast!
Liz Murrison (GH Two Scoops columnist and recapper)
Hands down, the annual hijinx at the Quartermaine mansion that inevitably leads to pizza dinners. Bonus point: My favorite episode in recent history was the one when the ghostly apparitions of Edward and Lila stood in the doorway as their family sang the Thanksgiving song. I still get teary-eyed thinking about it.
Steve Holley (GH recapper and character profiler)
Presently? The Quartermaines' tradition of Thanksgiving plans going terribly awry in a new way and settling for pizza.
Vance Viña (Y&R Two Scoops columnist)
The GH Quartermaine dinner disaster is always good for a laugh, but I always love whenever any of the big families on each of the soaps get together for a heartfelt meal together. Sure, it's fun when some drama is thrown in every now and again but I always appreciate when we just get a nice episode of the families hanging out together and enjoying each other's company -- sometimes even putting aside any differences they may have any other time of the year. I am not incredibly close with my own family, so the families on the soaps I watch were often my "comfort food" and it was always nice to be welcomed into their homes and feel apart of the togetherness and love that I was lacking from my own family. I usually end up crying during the soap opera holiday episodes!
Jenny Smith (Y&R recapper)
Quartermaine pizza! While sometimes contrived, it's quirky and fun and a nod to history every year.
Laurisa (DAYS Two Scoops columnist)
DAYS hasn’t done Thanksgiving episodes in a while (we’re more of a Horton Christmas ornament hanging group) but there are two traditions soap-related that I love! 1. Seeing if any DAYS stars get to be part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! (Kristian Alfonso and James Scott were in it a few years back.) 2. Day of DAYS is a few weeks before Thanksgiving and that’s a dream trip -- not to mention a wealth of great videos and Instagram posts to enjoy when I’m off for the holiday break.
Cheryl PD (GH Recapper)
Always the inevitable pizza for dinner at the Quartermaines'
Nel Higginson (Y&R Two Scoops columnist and recapper)
I always loved the Abbotts' Thanksgiving. It was always a fun ride, listening to them talking about their dysfunctional family.
Adam-Michael James (B&B Two Scoops columnist and character profiler)
B&B's really only ever done the "say something nice about the person on your right" tradition, and that's only been sporadic since it started in 2014. But the one thing I really like about it are the combinations of characters you usually don't see in scenes together. It's refreshing to see them interact, and I'm sure it's refreshing for the actors, too.
Mike B (DAYS recapper)
DAYS doesn't really have any memorable Thanksgiving traditions. I don't watch GH regularly, but I'm aware of the Quartermaine family's tradition of having to settle for pizza each year due to one disaster or another. Thanksgiving has never been a big thing for me -- I, too, just order pizza -- so I guess that would be my "favorite" tradition from a soap opera because it's relatable (though my reasons for going that route are less dramatic).
Sue Mclean (Y&R charactrer profiler)
Feeding the homeless at Crimson Lights (Y&R).
Spalding (DAYS recapper)
Days of our Lives doesn’t have a Thanksgiving tradition per se, but it a great reminder that Horton tree is going to get decorated soon! And that is great enough for me. Pass me an ornament!
Anne Carpenter (Y&R recapper)
The Abbotts gathered in their dining room, reminiscing about their dysfunctional family interactions during years gone by (flashbacks make me smile and feel old).
Katrina Walker (Social media assistant)
Can't go wrong with the Quartermaines' pizza and Thanksgiving song! Every year you wonder if they are actually going to eat the food cooked in their kitchen!
Dan J Kroll
I am thankful for every one of the amazing people whose responses you are reading. I am also thankful for everyone reading this special Thanksgiving feature. You've helped make Soap Central a place to celebrate the soaps for nearly 30 years.
Chanel Garner
Being alive after a car accident and another near accident a week later.
Kambra Clifford
I'm thankful for Soap Central's list of best soap opera names because, after a bit of bumpy journey, my husband and I are expecting our first child this spring!
Liz Murrison
I'm thankful that I live in the 21st century. I would not have lived long as a Pilgrim. If childbirth didn't kill me, the lack of air conditioning on hot summer days would have.
Steve Holley
I'm thankful for a new place to live in a new city, a fresh start. And I'm thankful to have joined the team at Soap Central and for all the friends I've made since I started.
Nel Higginson
I'm thankful I'm still breathing in and out and so is my family. It's been a rough two years, not being able to get together for holidays, because we are a very close family, but we are really looking forward to celebrating Christmas together this year.
Jenny Smith
So much! My life has been like a soap opera this past year as I've been dealing with a rare, sight-threatening parasitic eye infection that left me in extreme pain and unable to live a normal life for months -- although my own storyline arc has been way longer than it ever would be presented on TV! The road has been filled with many twists and turns, but I am SO grateful to the doctors who helped me and the employers, co-workers, family, and friends who patiently stood by me while I recover. A year ago, I was facing possibly losing an eye. While my journey is not yet over, the hope is that most of my vision will be restored by early next year. I have a lot to give thanks for this year!
Adam-Michael James
Mostly that I'm still here and that I remain in decent health. Both of which rather amazes me. Live to tell!
Mike B
I'm thankful that DAYS moved to Peacock, if only because it makes recapping the show easier for me.
Spalding
I’m thankful for my health, dogs, friends, and family. And the less boring, but almost as true answer, a movie theater on Thanksgiving day.
Sue Mclean
Considering COVID, just to be alive!
Vance Viña
What I'm most thankful for this year, and every year, is the family I have built on my own with my husband and close friends. Most of my family lives in a different state so it's nice to just spend time with my husband, our pets, and our friends. We have a few "Freiends-giving" get togethers around the holiday that always are the highlight of the year.
Laurisa
Resilience. The world went through a lot these past two years. The very fact that we’re still moving is exciting and we should all feel a sense of accomplishment.
Cheryl PD
I am always thankful and grateful for the health and well-being of my family. Some scary stuff this year.
Anne Carpenter
I am striving to let go of my disappointment over situations I cannot control. I'm thankful I'm making strides because it's quite a struggle. (Can a wannabe grandmother switch her daughter-in-law's birth control pills with Pez candies? Asking for friend, of course). Maybe I'm not doing as well as I think I am.
Katrina Walker
I am thankful for everything!
Dan J Kroll
You really think I am going to answer this? Nope! People know how to find me on social media!
Chanel Garner
Dressing.
Kambra Clifford
Stuffing, because dressing is the stuff you put on salads, and life is already hard enough without the added confusion!
Liz Murrison
It's called stuffing. Type anything else, and Lisa will edit it out of existence
Vance Viña
The breaded food item inside of the turkey is stuffing, of course. No idea what other people are calling it! haha
Laurisa
I’m pretty sure it’s called salmonella. That’s what you call something cooked inside poultry!
Steve Holley
It's called STUFFING!! I've never heard of another word for it.
Nel Higginson
It's stuffing, and it's shoved up the turkey's keister to take on the turkey flavor. How can that be called dressing? Nope its stuffing!!
Jenny Smith
Stuffing, of course! The same breaded item can also be prepared on the side, cooking outside the turkey, but then it is called dressing. My grandma made both while I was growing up in the Midwest, and the term was always a point of controversy. I can see it being called stuffing either way (after all, it's what it says if you're using the pre-prepared boxes like Stove Top), but if it's actually stuffed inside the turkey, it's definitely stuffing.
Cheryl PD
Stuffing. Plain and simple.
Spalding
The last is an easy one. If you stuffed the bird, it is stuffing. If you dressed the outside with a scarf of bread goodness, the you’ve got dressing, pal.
Mike B
As a lifelong vegetarian, I call it a waste of perfectly good bread.
Adam-Michael James
Stove Top, not that I've made or had a proper Thanksgiving dinner in years. (I'm an American living in Canada so I do celebrate both, but I live alone so I usually just get some boil-in-bag turkey, do up some potatoes and veggies, and call it a day.) Cook it separately, please, in a pot. Cooking it *inside* the turkey? Grody to the max!
Sue Mclean
Stuffing. Plain and simple.
Anne Carpenter
I'm a native Arkansan. My family always called our cornbread concoction "dressing," though the "g" is dropped. We smother dressin' with giblet gravy, which always has sliced boiled eggs added. Dressin' is baked in a casserole dish, not forced into a hollow cavity through the south end of a gobbler.
Katrina Walker
Well, this has turned into a fun debate. I totally agree with Anne! I grew up on cornbread dressin', too! Yes, I am an Ohioan, but my family is from down south, and that is the way we have always had it.
Okay, Soap Central readers, it's your turn! We would love to see your answers to the questions above! Also, we want to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for all of you! We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
