Turkey Days From Hell

It's that cherished last Thursday in November -- a time for family, fun and feasting. But for some, Thanksgiving has morphed into holiday hell:

A Char-ming Story
Christina, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, recalls, “When I was in third grade, my mom burned the turkey. There was smoke everywhere, and it was totally inedible. We ended up getting a ton of Chinese food for the whole family instead.” Guess what? “The tradition stuck. We get it every year now.”

Fiery Madness
Maddy, a University of Florida senior, recounts, “The power at our house had gone out all day during Thanksgiving one year, so we lit candles. When my little cousin reached across the table to get a roll, she knocked a candle over and lit the tablecloth on fire! Everyone panicked. But thank God nobody was hurt ... and none of the food was ruined!”

Freak Feather Incident
“My sister was on her way back home from college for Turkey Day,” explains Joey, a junior at Appalachian State University. “Her friend was driving, so she was in the passenger seat. All of the sudden, a wild turkey burst through the passenger seat window and onto my sister’s lap! We had to go pick her up and bring her back home. It was surreal.”

What a Trip
Sean, a junior at University of North Carolina says, “We were headed to Atlanta. It was supposed to only take eight hours. Double that.”

Forgotten Food
“My aunt drove overnight to get to our house for the big day,” says Michele, a junior at the University of Virginia. “It wasn’t until she pulled into our driveway that she realized she left all her homemade pies sitting on her kitchen counter.”

So Sad
“I was abroad last fall semester in Europe,” says Penny, a Vanderbilt University senior. “Skyping my entire family on Thanksgiving Day was one of the saddest things I’ve ever had to go through.”