This year, like every year, there are so many things to be thankful for — family, friends, loaded stomachs, and, of course, painfully funny Thanksgiving fails people have shared online that make you immensely grateful aren’t yours. Because let’s face it, as much as this holiday is supposed to be a time of gratitude and enjoyment, it can swiftly turn into a wild cooking show where at least six things are bound to go terribly wrong.

Whether we like it or not, the pressure to whip up Michelin-worthy meals is high. But there’s no amount of preparation, education, or meditation that can ensure the feast goes off without a hitch. From doomed turkeys to scorched casseroles and completely sabotaged ovens, many households across the country recently found out just how quickly things can go south.

So in honor of Turkey Day, we at Bored Panda have compiled some of the most unfortunate, embarrassing, and downright tragic fails from this Thanksgiving people have shared online to get some sympathy. And let me tell you, after seeing this list, you’ll definitely want to say thanks that your own celebration was, in fact, not that bad. So continue scrolling and upvote the most painfully funny mishaps. Then don’t miss the chat we had about planning elaborate dinners with food blogger and journalist Ellen Manning, and let us know how your Thanksgiving went in the comments!

#1 My Lonely Thanksgiving Dinner At Work. At Least I Got Turkey And Potatoes…

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#2 Y’all Gon Be Battling Food Poisoning Up To New Years

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#3 Cats Decided My Pumpkin Pies Were Too Blasé

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For some, the idea of getting the whole family together during Thanksgiving brings incredible joy. For others, the seemingly bottomless to-do list coupled with coping with relatives carries an onslaught of anxiety. So yeah, Thanksgiving is kind of a weird holiday. With so many responsibilities, tasks, family reunions, elaborate dinners, first-time introductions, and many other tiny little details that demand your attention at once, it’s easy to feel worried. And as we can see from the examples in this list, not everyone can handle the pressure.

Surprisingly, a 2022 TODAY survey found that the most stressful part of the holiday is the mess and all of the cleaning that follows. However, cooking ranked as the number two stress point for poll participants. It’s easy to see why, as stuffing yourself and your loved ones up until the point you cannot move anymore definitely requires a ton of effort.

While 21% of Thanksgiving merrymakers said that nothing about the holiday was stressful, others mentioned that additional anxiety-inducing situations include political conversations, kids’ behavior, travel, and the expectations of relatives.

#4 My Oven Decided Thanksgiving Had Gone Too Smoothly. So It Spontaneously Did This While We Ate

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#5 Anddd Just Like That Thanksgiving Is Cancelled… Hand Foot Mouth Disease

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#6 Happy Thanksgiving

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Moreover, the high expectations from friends and family about dinner can make everything even more overwhelming. Interestingly, a survey conducted by OnePoll found that when it comes to cooking, preparing, and serving the Thanksgiving Day meal, the average American says six things don’t go exactly as planned.

The meal that’s most likely to go wrong? You guessed it — turkey, the centerpiece of the celebration. It is the hardest part about hosting the feast for more than half (56%) of the respondents surveyed.

#7 Friends Ordered A Precooked Turkey From A Local Restaurant

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#8 My Wife’s Cousin’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffed With A Loose Handful Of Plain Celery

She has high-functioning autism and is discovering her love of cooking. She has her own unique sense of aesthetics. If you guys like this one I have several more that are great.

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#9 He Had To Prepare A Thanksgiving Gift

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So how can we avoid unfortunate blunders during the holiday? And how can we ensure we have a great, stress-free time while hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner? To gain more insight on the topic from an expert, we reached out to food lover, writer, and journalist Ellen Manning. Being the author of the acclaimed Eat With Ellen blog, she was more than happy to share her thoughts on the matter.

#10 This Is What I Always Look Forward Too For Thanksgiving

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#11 Fil Thought Temp Gauge Was A Timer

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#12 Happy Thanksgiving Y’all

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When asked why big feasts are notorious for not going as planned, she told Bored Panda, “If you think about it, it’s very rare that most of us cook for a big group so we basically never practice then try to pull it out of the bag on big occasions.”

“Cooking for large numbers takes practice — it’s daunting, timings might be different, and things might need approaching in a different way. If the last time you did it was a year ago, the chances are it’s going to be a challenge, hence it often goes wrong,” Ellen added.

#13 I Picked Up Some Last Minute Thanksgiving Items On Lunch Break And Left Them Tied Up In A Bag In The Break Room Fridge. This Is How I Found My Pie

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#14 My Brother Made The Most Upsetting Pie I’ve Ever Had In My Life

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#15 Thanksgiving, A Tragic Story

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Some of the most common reasons things go wildly wrong when cooking and preparing food are bad timing and not starting early enough. “Prep is important at the best of times but when it’s large volumes for lots of people, it’s even more so,” the food blogger warned.

#16 Day Before Thanksgiving And My Oven Element Burned And Snapped In Half. Yay

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#17 Ordered Chinese Food For My Family For Thanksgiving, To Be Untraditional

I showed up when they told me to, and they were closed. I’m sure I’ll get the money back… but now I’m driving around town. I’ve gotta figure out something for thanksgiving dinner… And literally nothing is open.

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#18 This Salad A Family Member Brought For Thanksgiving

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So what can you do to ease the stress and avoid screw-ups in the kitchen? Well, according to Ellen, it’s quite simple: “Plan plan plan.”

“Work out what you need, what order you’re doing things in, and do as much ahead of time as you can. Literally working backward from when you plan to serve and writing yourself out a step-by-step timeline, down to the minute maybe, will make you feel in control and ensure things don’t get forgotten or left or cooked for too long,” Ellen concluded.