In addition to planning your Thanksgiving meal, don't forget to prepare activities for the rest of the day. You won't be at a loss for engaging ways to share the day!
Obviously, Thanksgiving in America is a huge holiday. People scour cookbooks for weeks to plan the perfect meal, Butterball offers a 24 hour emergency turkey hotline for nervous cooks, and weight conscious diners will actually flock to the gym before the meal, just to burn enough calories to justify pigging out! However, once the major Thanksgiving Activity (the meal) is concluded, many people are at a loss for festive things to do. If I've just described you, keep reading to learn about fun and creative ways to make the most of your post-meal time with these engaging Thanksgiving activities.
Productive Activities
- Help the host clean the dishes
- Tidy up the dining room, in preparation for enjoying dessert at a later time
- Create scrapbook pages from family photos taken during the autumn
- Take a photography walk --- burn off the extra calories from your feast, yet pause long enough to capture the beauty of late autumn on film
- Create winter clothing packages in a variety of sizes, to donate to your local charity or homeless shelter
Holiday Activities
- Decorate your home for the holidays
- Write your holiday cards --- you can even ask your guests to help address the envelopes
- Set up your Christmas Tree
- Set up a nativity scene or Hanukah display
- Plan your upcoming Christmas shopping
- Create holiday gifts such as tree ornaments, jars of bath scrub, or stationery
- Create unique note cards using the prints from your photography walk
- Enjoy toasted marshmallows and some good conversation around a bonfire
Games & Physical Activities
- Play a traditional board game like Life, Clue, or Monopoly
- Play a trivia game like Trivial Pursuit or Scene It
- Put together a jigsaw puzzle - this is a great activity for people who like to converse
- Turn on the TV and catch up on the football games
- Have a family football game (think of the Geller Family Football Game on "Friends"), softball game, street hockey game or half court basketball game, depending on your tastes and climates
Couch Potato-Like Activities
- Enjoy a cup of hot cider, hot chocolate or coffee
- Teach the youngsters a traditional craft that the Pilgrims practiced, such as darning, knitting or crocheting
- Take a nap
- Start planning your Christmas Dinner!
Use these guidelines to maximize your entire Thanksgiving Day. If you have additional Thanksgiving ideas, please click on the discussion icon below to share them with your fellow readers!
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© Text by Janice Benoit, photo by Superstock. [October 2006]. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright.
