The turkey is basically synonymous with Thanksgiving at this point, which carries some tragic irony, as we mostly think of it in terms of food. But like any larger family gathering, there is always the struggle of keeping everyone civil and nice long enough to give thanks.
A woman shared the tragic tale of a ruined Thanksgiving dinner after her daughter’s boyfriend stole the turkey. A year later, she shared an update to the whole story that was unfortunately just as sad. Netizens did their best to show support and leave some kind words for OP who had to deal with a downright horrible family gathering.
The holidays are meant to be a time of joy, togetherness, and gratitude. But for my family, one Thanksgiving was ruined when a guest betrayed our trust and stole our entire turkey – the crown jewel of our holiday meal. Looking back now, the whole incident seems almost comical. But at the time we were shocked that someone could be so callous.
It started out just like any other Thanksgiving morning My parents were up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey in the oven My dad had spent time the night before meticulously preparing his famous maple glaze to coat the turkey. The savory aroma of roast turkey had already begun wafting through the kitchen. Our guests weren’t set to arrive until late morning, so my parents busied themselves with last minute preparations.
About an hour before mealtime, the doorbell rang. It was one of our family friends, Joan, who had arrived ridiculously early. Caught off guard, my mom graciously invited her in, offered her a pre-dinner drink, and went back to her cooking. Joan mingled a bit while we waited for the other guests.
When my mom went to pull the turkey from the oven, she was stunned to find the roasting pan completely empty. Our magnificent, golden brown turkey was gone without a trace. Confused, she called to my dad – had he taken the turkey out already? No, he said. They questioned all of us kids – had we snuck a snack? Of course not, we were as baffled as they were.
It wasn’t until they found Joan frantically trying to sneak out the back door, giant turkey in hand, that it finally dawned on them what had happened. Joan had brazenly swiped the turkey right out from under our noses.
To say the mood soured would be an understatement. My parents were livid. The rest of us kids were just stunned. All that work, ruined by one selfish act! My dad angrily confronted Joan. Red-handed with the evidence, she broke down and confessed. She claimed her family was struggling financially and she didn’t know how they would afford a turkey. She knew it was wrong, but the temptation had been too great.
At my parents’ insistence Joan shamefacedly returned our slightly worse-for-wear turkey. The glaze was already half eaten and it was cold but we were able to salvage parts of it for our meal. My dad begrudgingly agreed not to press charges against Joan. But needless to say, she was no longer welcome in our home after that betrayal.
The whole debacle taught me an important lesson at a young age – that even people you think you know and trust are capable of disappointing you. Joan’s behavior showed a shocking lack of morals and regard for our family’s hard work and generosity. While the experience didn’t ruin Thanksgiving for me forever, it did make me see that the holidays bring out both the best and worst in human nature.
But most of all, I’ll always remember my parents’ grace and aplomb in handling the whole turkey theft. Though clearly upset, they took care not to admonish Joan too harshly. They focused on salvaging what we could of the meal. And most importantly, they didn’t let the actions of one thoughtless woman ruin the warm festivities with the rest of our family.
The tale of the stolen turkey has now become humorous family lore. And I’ll certainly never host Thanksgiving without keeping both eyes firmly on that bird! Joan’s behavior was inexcusable, but my parents taught me that maintaining the Thanksgiving spirit of family, forgiveness, and resilience is more important than any pilfered poultry.
Key Takeaways:
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A family friend named Joan arrived early for Thanksgiving and stole the turkey while the hosts were occupied
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The hosts were shocked when they found the empty roasting pan and realized what Joan had done
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Joan shamefully returned the half-eaten turkey after being caught red-handed trying to sneak away
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The incident taught an important lesson about how even trusted people can disappoint you
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The hosts focused on graciously salvaging the meal rather than admonishing Joan too harshly
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This experience showed both the best (the hosts’ grace) and the worst (Joan’s theft) of human nature during the holidays
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The story became humorous family lore but also made the hosts more vigilant about watching that Thanksgiving turkey!
People mess up their turkey every year, the breach of trust was the main tragedy
This is all to say that a Thanksgiving table without a turkey might definitely seem wrong for most folks. Some readers might look at OP’s story and ask why it was so vital, given that Thanksgiving tends to produce enough food for weeks of leftovers. It’s the centerpiece of the table, and by and large, the only time of year when people will actually make the effort to roast and prepare the giant bird.
Of course, the actual tragedy is the breaking of trust and the fact that OP’s daughter seems to be going along with this young man’s frankly criminal ideas. A child breaking your trust is always very, very hard since the parent is often the first person they ever trusted. Even worse, “Mary” does not seem to understand that this fellow is, by and large, bad news. As OP shared in a later update (which can be found below) not much had improved even a year later.
Chris exhibited some indicators of being antisocial
While we don’t have all the evidence, it would appear that “Chris” exhibits many signs of truly antisocial behavior. Theft is a pretty clear one, exacerbated by the fact that he would later taunt other family members about it. However, stealing an entire turkey out of the oven is almost impressive, as it’s not exactly a small dish. It’s a multi-pound bird that is no doubt very hot to the touch, difficult to carry, and harder to maneuver.
Ultimately, while we don’t have any concrete evidence for his later actions, “Chris” seems to have a bone to pick with the world and has repeatedly gone out of his way to make someone’s day worse. If we wanted food, there were multiple dishes he could have no doubt stolen, instead, he made an effort to take the hardest to transport items just to ruin the event for everyone else.
Guest stole our Thanksgiving turkey (Full Post)
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