Families Dish on Favorite Thanksgiving Foods, Budget and Togetherness
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Thanksgiving can be both a great time of year or a stressful time of year. Even Thanksgiving meals can become stressful but if you know everyone’s favorites it can always go a little more smoothly.
Thanksgiving Food Facts
Survey of Cozi families finds 9% prefer their turkey deep-fried,
8% of the non-turkey crowd enjoy lasagna instead
51% of people to check-in on Facebook;
8% to volunteer this Turkey Day
Cozi, the No. 1 online and mobile family calendar and organization service, today released results of a survey that looked at what American families have planned this Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Food
Some Thanksgiving food traditions are not-so traditional: Nine percent of respondents prefer their turkeys deep-fried, and among households that skip the turkey, 8 percent opt for lasagna, and 17 percent feast on prime rib. Conventional or not, Thanksgiving food traditions are strong, with 69 percent of the 681 adults surveyed reporting their dinner remains the same from year to year.
Stuffing is the favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table, with 29 percent choosing it as their top Thanksgiving food. Turkey came in a close second, at 27 percent, followed by potatoes at 11 percent. When it comes to dessert, Cozi users give thanks for pumpkin pie, which was the favorite for 48 percent of respondents. Other popular desserts include pecan pie (17 percent), apple pie (9 percent) and cheesecake (6 percent).
Family, Spending and Travel
Preparing for Thanksgiving is a major undertaking, with nearly half of respondents (49 percent) expecting 10 or more people at their Thanksgiving feast. The majority of those surveyed (80 percent) start planning at least two weeks ahead of time. In 45 percent of households, the whole family pitches in to prepare dinner, though in 18 percent one person does it all. No matter how big the gathering or vast the menu, the brand-new Cozi Meals feature can help make preparing for Thanksgiving dinner a snap, with a recipe box to store favorite recipes, and simple drag-and-drop menu planning.
Most families (77 percent) spend at least $50 on Thanksgiving dinner, and 5 percent shell out more than $250 to feed their loved ones. Travel plans for 2011 are limited, with 69 percent of Cozi families staying in town, and only 9 percent traveling out of state.
Traditions
Despite all the preparation, most families (61 percent) spend an hour or less actually eating, but they’re filling Turkey Day with plenty of other activities. More than half (51 percent) will take time to check-in on Facebook, and some other popular pastimes include watching parades on TV (54 percent), playing board games (40 percent) and watching football (37 percent).
Amidst all the food and fun, many of today’s families are also finding time to give thanks. Seventy percent plan to share what they’re thankful for, and 8 percent plan to volunteer at a food bank or shelter.
Thanksgiving has its downsides (28 percent called it “exhausting,” 18 percent described it as “stressful” and 27 percent said it is “gluttonous,”) but most Cozi users still find it enjoyable. Sixty percent said it makes them feel “happy,” and 49 percent said Turkey Day is “fun.”
“Our Cozi families are giving thanks in many different ways this year, but it’s clear that family togetherness is a top priority,” said Cozi CEO Robbie Cape. “More than 90 percent of the Cozi users we surveyed will spend time with family members this holiday, sharing food, laughter and gratefulness as we move into the holiday season.”
For more on unique Thanksgiving family traditions, visit Cozi’s Live Simply blog at http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/families-share-their-thanksgiving-traditions.
About Cozi
Cozi is a free Web and mobile service that simplifies busy family life. Cozi has over 4 million registered family members, and is available for free at www.cozi.com.
