When someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” this year, you had better have a great response! Funny and witty is always in season, and we’re about to show you what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”.
Before you decide what to say, start by considering the type of relationship you have. If you’re friends/family, they’re likely to get it right away.
But when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” and you don’t know them, be mindful, or else the person could get the wrong idea. With that in mind, here are 39 examples of what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”.
What to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”: 7 responses about the Thanksgiving meal/food
At the center of Thanksgiving is all the great food we love about the holiday. When someone tells you “Happy Thanksgiving”, a great way to respond is by mentioning how much you liked the food or disliked other aspects of the meal, like having to deal with a big mess afterward.
Here are 7 examples of what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” and your favorite part has been the food:
01“I’d be more thankful if we didn’t have all this cleaning up to do!”
This is good to say when you are left to do a lot of cleaning up afterward. Usually, Thanksgiving dinner involves a lot of dirty dishes and utensils, especially when there are a lot of people over. This response to “Happy Thanksgiving” is sure to get you a few laughs, and hopefully, some helping hands.
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02“I cleaned my plate! You can just put it back in the cupboard.”
When someone “cleans their plate” after eating, it means they have eaten everything on it down to the last morsel. This is a sign that you enjoyed the dinner, and is a great way to respond when you want to compliment the person’s cooking.
03“You did a great job on that turkey! Almost makes me not feel sorry for the turkey!”
Let’s just say that around Thanksgiving, there are a lot fewer turkeys around than there usually are. This is a funny way to say you enjoyed the meal.
04“I’m thankful you are the chef this year! God knows we don’t need a repeat of last year!”
Use this when something happened at the last Thanksgiving dinner that ruined a dish, like leaving the turkey in the oven too long or buying store-bought stuffing.
It’s not meant to be mean, it’s just to poke fun as you’d normally do with friends and family.
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05“And I’m most thankful for that pumpkin pie! Show me you’re thankful for me with another slice!”
This is one way to share that you liked a specific dish. It says you are glad you came to dinner, and want to enjoy more of it.
06“I’m getting you the best Christmas present this year! You blessed my stomach.”
This is a funny way to say you’ve chosen a favorite relative. It says the food was so good, it earned him/her a reward.
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07“I hope you’re still thankful when you have to wash these dishes!”
Use this to poke fun at the person in charge of cleaning up. In many families, some people do the cooking, and others do the cleaning.
What to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”: 7 responses about Thanksgiving activities
Everyone has their own Thanksgiving traditions, but there are several that are common amongst families and friend groups. Some of these traditions include watching the Thanksgiving Day parade, watching sporting events like the Superbowl or playing board games and video games.
Here are some ideas of what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” and you enjoyed the family/friend activities this year:
08“Thankfully they made that last goal eh!”
Use this when your favorite sports team is playing on Thanksgiving. It says this is your highlight of the holiday.
09“I wonder if you’ll still be thankful when you lose!”
This is good to say when you play video games or board games with your family. It says you hope he/she is still a good sport when you win.
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10“It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without me kicking your butt at Madden again!”
You can say this when playing video games is a family/friend tradition for Thanksgiving. It says you’re looking forward to carrying on this tradition for another year.
11“You know what I’m not thankful for? Having to watch the same movies every year.”
This is a sarcastic response you can use when certain members of your family watch the same movies every year and you are forced to watch them too. It is just poking fun and isn’t meant to make them feel bad.
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12“While you were at home stuffing your face, I was handing out turkeys. I hope you realize how much you have to be thankful for.”
Use this when you spent your Thanksgiving volunteering and you would have liked it if other friends and family members came to support and give back. This should whip them into shape and help them remember what’s important.
13“This Thanksgiving is all about the Raptors! I’ll tell you if I’m happy at the end of this game!”
This is something you can say when your favorite team is playing on Thanksgiving. It says you’ll only be happy and thankful if they win.
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14“Thanksgiving can only be happy when I get to spend it with my favorite cousins! My favorite part is when we get nostalgic and promise to see each other more often, but end up being too busy until the same time next year.”
Use this when you only get to see that member of the family once a year, and you wish it would be more often. This is a lighthearted approach that says you miss spending time with them.
What to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”: 6 responses about something you are grateful for
Thanksgiving is a period where we reflect on all the good things in life and feel thankful for our blessings. It’s customary to go around the room and for friends and family to share what they have been thankful for this year.
When it’s your time to share something you are thankful for, use these examples of what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”:
15“I’m super thankful for these days off!”
While many people spend their Thanksgiving with friends and family, others use it as me-time to reflect on themselves and the year. It’s a great time to take a load off, especially if you live a busy life.
Photo by Kristina Holovach on shutterstock
16“Today I am thankful for grandma’s pecan pie, and I’m going to eat lots of it.”
This highlights one type of food from Thanksgiving that you like. It says you are looking forward to enjoying it.
Photo by Lesya Dolyuk on shutterstock
17“You guys are cool and whatever, but I got my little [insert name of pet] to be more thankful for this year.”
This is a funny response a pet parent can use when asked what he/she is thankful for this year. It shows how much you love your pet.
18“I’m grateful for friends that feed me!”
Use this when your Thanksgiving is more of a Friendsgiving because you spend most of that time with your friends. It says you are happy you have the type of friends that make the holiday special.
19“I’m thankful I have a place to come back to every year to get free food!”
This is a funny response you can use when your parents or another relative asks about what you’re grateful for. A lot of college students and young professionals are unable to make it for the holidays and you are just thankful you can.
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20“I’m just thankful you aren’t too embarrassed to be seen with this gobble monster!”
This is good to use when someone you like asks about your Thanksgiving. It is good to say when you’re spending Thanksgiving together and you waited for the time to empty your plate!
What to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”: 6 responses when someone you don’t know well wishes you: “Happy Thanksgiving”
Thanksgiving is also a time when people are more polite and want to share the good tidings with everyone, even people they don’t know. You may hear it from people you’ve never seen before or people you see around every once in a while.
This is what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” and you don’t even know them:
21“Thanks, stranger! I’m thankful you didn’t kidnap me!”
You know the saying “stranger danger”, which basically means to stay away from strangers because they might be serial killers and kidnap you? This plays on that idea but in a joking way.
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22“That’s a lot of turkeys. Would you mind adopting an adult male/female this Thanksgiving?”
This is good to say when you see a stranger shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. It says you would love to be at that household!
23“I’d be even more thankful if I didn’t have to do all this cooking!”
This is another one you can use when shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. It says you have a lot of work to do once you get home.
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24“You too! Aren’t you thankful that last-minute shoppers like us get a chance to redeem ourselves?”
During the holidays, many places close since most people are at home with their families. There are always the few who are last minute and can relate to others doing things at the last second.
25“Happy Thanksgiving! I won’t tell if you won’t!”
This is good to say when you see someone buying something in a store that is traditionally homemade, like turkey or pumpkin pie.
26“Happy Thanksgiving friend! Save some of the stuffing and pie for the next time we meet!”
Use this to tell the stranger you look forward to seeing them again. It jokes that you’ll be wanting some of their Thanksgiving dinner.
What to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving”: 6 responses for when you don’t celebrate the holiday
Not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, and that’s fine. We all have our own beliefs.
What’s important is that we’re tolerant of each other’s beliefs and give everyone the respect they deserve. These are some examples of what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” and you don’t celebrate the holiday:
27“I’m thankful Thanksgiving only comes around once a year!”
A lot of people don’t like Thanksgiving with all of the excitement, and sometimes drama, that comes with it. This says you can’t wait for it to be over.
28“I don’t really believe in Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in good food!”
This says that despite your beliefs, you won’t turn down a plate of good food. Eating the food doesn’t mean you necessarily value the holiday.
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29“Yeah, let’s all celebrate the mass death of turkeys!”
This is a sort of dark reality, but the truth is, a lot of turkeys are killed to supply Thanksgiving demands. This says you find the celebration morbid.
30“Is that your excuse for stuffing your face every year?”
This is a good way to make fun of your friend because a lot of excessive eating takes place during Thanksgiving.
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31“Thanksgiving isn’t for me, but I’ll take a plate!”
Use this to say you’re not above stuffing your face with delicious Thanksgiving meals.
32“I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I celebrate your cooking.”
This is good to say when you want to make it clear you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Instead, you’re just happy with the food and are grateful for being invited despite your beliefs.
Photo by Yuganov Konstantin on shutterstock
Bonus: 7 responses when someone asks: “How was your Thanksgiving holiday?”
After Thanksgiving when you return to work, school or whatever dominates your everyday life, it’s common courtesy to ask each other about their Thanksgiving holiday experience. So, prepare to answer this question quite a few times.
To avoid sounding like a tape recording, we’ve compiled 7 examples of what to say when someone asks about your Thanksgiving holiday
33“Well, it was great for me. Not so much for the turkeys!”
This is a humorous way to make fun of how you ate your turkey, say greedily, or how much turkey you ate this year.
34“Good, good. I spent half my time napping, and half my time eating.”
This says you had a more relaxed Thanksgiving, and were content with doing pretty much nothing.
Photo by Olena Yakobchuk on shutterstock
35“Well, it would’ve been better if my team won, but my grandma’s pumpkin pie made up for it.”
Use this to say you watched a sporting event and were disappointed in the result, but you had good food that made it all better.
36“I’m thankful for most parts. 99% of it. The 1% is doing dishes, and man there were many!”
Use this to share that you dreaded doing all the dishes, but you enjoy Thanksgiving and plan to keep on the tradition.
37“I spent Thanksgiving with my wife’s family. How do you think it went?”
Use this when you spend the holidays with in-laws you don’t really get along with. It’s a better way to say you didn’t have a good time.
38“It was something. What’s Thanksgiving without a bit of family drama?”
This is one way to say your Thanksgiving was full of family drama that either made it memorable or miserable.
Photo by Andrey Armyagov on shutterstock
39“If I could redo it, I wouldn’t have taken that 3rd plate. My toilet hates me for it.”
This says you ate a lot of food and stuffed your stomach. It makes fun of the consequences of our actions, i.e. upset stomach.
Conclusion
Thanksgiving is a holiday of gratitude, spending time with family and enjoying great food together. It’s also a time for self-reflection and growth.
As you focus on these aspects of the season, leave figuring out what to say when someone says “Happy Thanksgiving” to us. Use one of these 39 examples to get your way out of awkward situations and hard questions, and back to enjoying your holiday!
