Want to help me solve a Thanksgiving challenge?

I have to figure out how to solve Thanksgiving. I’ve been worrying about this since last March. Now it’s less than three weeks away.

It’s the first one without my husband, although the last several have been cut way back from our earlier full-scale traditions to make it easier on both him and me. I’m not planning on a big stuffed turkey and all the customary extras, but I’d like to give a nod to them somehow.

The problem is that I need real flexibility. My two grown sons are or can be completely unpredictable. Any plan I make even the night before could fall through on the day, if it depends on either of them. But I’m not up to fixing a major dinner by myself, especially when I don’t know how the day will go.

And I am working consciously on not trying to manage or orchestrate anyone else’s behavior.

So here’s what I need: a meal plan that
• is adaptable to one, two, or three on short notice
• doesn’t depend on three pairs of hands or long hours of preps
• pays some respect to the turkey dinner traditions without involving the whole rigmarole
• feels a little bit festive
• isn’t just three Swanson’s frozen turkey dinners
• won’t make us feel worse.

I’ve considered doing something completely different and going out to eat, but the prospect of no-shows or a scene in that setting is worse than any drama at home.

Thoughts?

Thank you for any workable suggestions.
 
Tags as I wrote them: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, dinner plan, adaptability, meals, food, menus, holiday dining, family drama