With regard to meat served as the main course at a holiday meal, most men rank prime rib >>> ham > turkey.

Most women rank it the exact opposite. This, IMO, is largely due to women often preferring red meat to be on the more well done side (which as Gollum would say, "it ruins it").

FWIW, I actually think turkey has a higher ceiling than ham. But it also has a substantially lower floor (typically due to being too dry as a result of overcooking, etc.). Because of this, the turkey served at a holiday meal is often worse than ham.

Ham, while having the lowest ceiling of the three, has the highest floor (due to being, by far, the easiest to not screw up).

Homemade stuffing has a much higher ceiling than Stove Top and a dramatically lower floor (homemade stuffing, if done wrong, tends to be a gloopy, flavorless mess). Because of this, the homemade stuffing served at holiday meals is often way worse than Stove Top.

When making sweet potatoes/yams, I like to make a sweet sauce that people can self-serve (much like gravy on mashed potatoes). That way, my guests can control the sweetness of the dish (some people prefer this dish much sweeter than others). I also put chopped pecans on the side (as some people like these in this dish and others don't). And I've never liked this dish with marshmallows.

When I was a kid, I used to like canned, jellied cranberry sauce. But as an adult, I really notice the metallic taste of the can. A good homemade cranberry sauce is much better.

Finally, anyone who doesn't serve at least some kind (and preferably multiple kinds) of pie for dessert a Thanksgiving should be "boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart."