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The turkey isn’t the only thing that’s going to get carved up this Thanksgiving.
More than two out of three women say their families will be pulling the long knives on each other Thursday and firing up family feuds before the holiday bird even hits the table.
The survey of visitors to the iVillage Web site found that 68 percent of women are predicting a drama-stuffed Thanksgiving this year that will come with a side of angst and a second helping of acrimony all around.
The prospects for actually being thankful on the big day are so dim that more than 1 in 10 women told iVillage they are “dreading” the holiday.
“Thanksgiving is a perfect mix for a volatile family holiday,” said Kelly Wallace, iVillage chief correspondent. “When families come together, sometimes feuds are just inevitable.”
The site asked visitors what the major bones of contention have been on Turkey Days past. The top answers included: money; not liking the food; the hostess complaining she’s doing all the work; people who drink too much; and being bored.
The Thanksgiving dread is especially acute for hostesses, 37 percent of whom call the holiday a time of great stress.
“You have the pressure for perfection for the host,” Wallace said.
“The exertion of preparing for Thanksgiving makes it easy for members of your families to get on your nerves.”
Wallace said that despite the dread, the best way to cope with holiday heat is to prepare yourself mentally with the same energy you prepare the meal.
“Number 1, don’t let them get to you,” she said. “We all have those family members. It may be a sister who says how you gained weight or a mother-in-law who says that the Thanksgiving table looks different from last year. So the advice from the iVillage’s experts would be: Prepare in advance. Get your responses [to the negativity] ready early.”
And if things don’t go well, at least there’s a few weeks to recover before the next holiday meal — although that may not be a comfort for everyone.
“A lot of women would probably want to be alone at a spa than at the table with the family,” Wallace said.