{"id":11887,"date":"2012-11-20T22:00:12","date_gmt":"2012-11-21T06:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=11887"},"modified":"2015-11-25T22:54:13","modified_gmt":"2015-11-26T06:54:13","slug":"5-alternative-ways-to-celebrate-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-alternative-ways-to-celebrate-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Alternative Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a fun and festive time to celebrate all the good things in life, and eat way too much food with your extended family. But if the traditional approach to Thanksgiving has worn thin or otherwise doesn\u2019t appeal to you, here are 5 ways to mix up your holiday celebration!<\/p>\n

A Celebration Of Food<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Thanksgiving is a holiday that, more than any other, starts and ends with food. Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, corn, and dozens of other dishes are all synonymous with this day\u2014so is the time-honored tradition of overeating.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019d like to broaden your horizons a little, there are many ways to expand your palate\u2014and your cultural palate, as well! If you\u2019d like to keep with the harvest theme, there are many cultures that have harvest celebrations of their own. Whether you decide to serve Chinese food, Hawaiian food, or even British food (blech!), nearly every culture has its own harvest celebration.<\/p>\n

Show Appreciation by Helping Others <\/strong><\/h1>\n

It\u2019s easy to get wrapped up in the joy of spending a nice, relaxing day with relatives, or to obsess over the feast you just ate, but at its heart, Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the good in your life. Because of that, I always try to show appreciation for my own good fortune by reaching out and helping families that might not have as much, or be quite as fortunate, as you.<\/p>\n

When I was a boy scout, we\u2019d have canned food drives early in November, and by the second week, we\u2019d portion out the food to low-income families. It\u2019s really heartwarming and encouraging to see all the people in the community contribute to programs such as these, but that\u2019s nothing compared to the feeling you get from delivering these goods to the families.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily\u201d Means Friends, Too<\/strong><\/h1>\n

When I first moved away from home, I couldn\u2019t afford to fly back for Thanksgiving dinner with my family. But although it saddened me, I didn\u2019t let it stop me from celebrating! I reached out to my close friends who lived nearby, and learned that many of them were experiencing the same thing.<\/p>\n

I quickly amassed a group of ten friends who otherwise had nowhere else to go on Thanksgiving, and organized a modest potluck at my tiny apartment. It\u2019s important to recognize that, while holidays are a time to be with your family, the word \u201cfamily\u201d can easily apply to the people you care about. And ever since that potluck Thanksgiving, I\u2019ve had ten new family members.<\/p>\n

Run For It!<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Most people wouldn\u2019t normally think about exercise on Thanksgiving, especially not after three plates of turkey and gravy and stuffing. But many cities and towns have annual Turkey Day races, of varying lengths, to raise money for charities. These \u201cTurkey Trots\u201d are a great way to add exercise to the day\u2014and to help rationalize eating your body weight in mashed potatoes!<\/p>\n

Several years ago, I was dragged along to a 5k run, and although I protested the whole way, I felt great afterwards. To this day, it was the most memorable Thanksgiving I\u2019ve ever had, and since then, I\u2019ve spent every thanksgiving doing a different charity run.<\/p>\n

Time Travel<\/strong><\/h1>\n

If you really want to flip the script, go the super traditional route. Take your 2012 celebration back to the year 1621, and recreate the very first Thanksgiving. The few Pilgrims that had survived their first New England winter had spent the previous months learning how to plant, grow, and harvest food from the Native Americans.<\/p>\n

Their overabundance of food\u2014and the knowledge that they wouldn\u2019t starve that coming winter\u2014made them so grateful that they threw a feast. Of course, there were no ovens back then, and no pies, and no sweet potato casserole\u2026.<\/p>\n

For some, Thanksgiving is a time of tradition. But if tradition has become dull, don\u2019t be afraid to try out a new one\u2014or even start your own!<\/p>\n

Brady Kingsly is a freelance writer living in San Diego, California. You can see more of Brady\u2019s work here<\/strong><\/a> or find him on Twitter <\/a>here<\/strong>. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a fun and festive time to celebrate all the good things in life, and eat way too much food with your extended family. But if the traditional approach to Thanksgiving has worn thin or otherwise doesn\u2019t appeal to you, here are 5 ways to mix up your holiday celebration! 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