Beyond Turkey and Football

No plans for Thanksgiving? Perhaps your family is far away and money is too tight for a visit. Maybe you can't tolerate the thought of another Thanksgiving meal leaving you overfull and facing a trashed kitchen. Breakaway and make a new tradition. Here are ten fun things to do on Thanksgiving weekend instead of or besides turkey and football.

1.  Help out at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. You'll find so much more there than turkey and fixins. All communities sponsor Thanksgiving feeding campaigns and will be delighted to include you in their efforts.

2.  Frolic at an indoor water park. Lots of parks have sprung up in the U.S. from Wisconsin to Texas and most are open on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy some "summer" as the winter starts to set in.

3.  Visit a retirement community, nursing home or hospital.  Take your favorite board games and a deck of cards and while away the hours playing games with new friends.

4.  Take in a good movie. Looking for family fare? Puss In Boots is lively and adorable. Even the adults will leave with a grin. Action flicks more to your taste? Tower Heist fills the bill with justice for the little man and lots of laughs. Buddy film? Try 50/50. A funny look at cancer--yes really. Want to wallow in some other family's misery? The Descendants is your movie. George Clooney stars--We didn't need another reason, but it's also very well done. Just want to have fun? The Footloose remake is guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your heart singing.

5.  Run or walk to earn money for charity. Several cities and towns, including Washington D.C., Cincinnati, Pewaukee, and San Diego - just to name a few -, have turkey trot races of 5K or 10K. Some are timed races, while others are just fun runs.  It's a great way to get some fresh air and help organizations in need.

6.  Catch up on some old favorite TV shows or movies.  Can't get out of the house? Cable channels such as INSP and TV Land are showing several hours of popular family shows such as The Waltons (which starts out with a Waltons reunion special), I Dream of Jeanie, and Bewitched.  Or click on TMC for Meet Me in St. Louis at 10 a.m. or start the Christmas season with Miracle on 34th Street at 6 p.m.  The fun continues over the weekend with showings of Jerry McGuire and My Cousin Vinny, as well as other favorites.

7.  Ride a roller coaster at a nearby theme park.  Disneyland, DisneyWorld and Universal Studios in Orlando aren't the only parks open on Thanksgiving.  Several others are also open for business on the holiday, while others are only open over the weekend.  Be sure to check schedules before driving over there.

8.  Read a book. How often do you have time to sit and read? This could be your chance. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, a young adult novel that charms readers of all ages. Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs published so soon after his death is hauntingly close to home. Learn about Chile and Argentina in time for the GNG trip to South America. Ariel Dorfman's memoir, Desert Memories, instills the reader with a sense of the people and country of Chile. Motorcycle Diaries about Che Guevara's travels through Argentina and Chile is always good and short enough to finish over the long weekend.

9.  Go to a Spa or do your own exercise.  Spend the day pampering yourself.  Spas from California to Florida are open on Thanksgiving. Getting a massage, facial, body scrub might be just what you need before the stress of the holiday season.  Or simply go for a nice walk around the neighborhood, up the mountain or around the lake or take time for gentle yoga and relax.

10.  Shopping.  Thankfully, stores remain closed for the most part on Thanksgiving, but at midnight, you can start roaming the aisle looking for the perfect holiday present for your loved ones. You know, the ones that didn't invite you for Thanksgiving dinner.

Whatever you do, take a minute to remember all that you can be thankful for.