10 Things To Do The Day After Thanksgiving Other Than Shopping | The Odyssey Online
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10 Things To Do The Day After Thanksgiving Other Than Shopping

Because let's face it, Black Friday is pretty miuch holiday hell.

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10 Things To Do The Day After Thanksgiving Other Than Shopping
aponderingmind.org

Every year, millions of people wake up at an egregiously early hour on the day after Thanksgiving to stand in line and risk getting trampled by a horde of complete strangers for the sake of sales. I am not one of these people. If you absolutely love Black Friday, please don't be offended. I know people who make it a yearly tradition to camp out at their favorite retail store in order to hunt down the best deals. That's totally okay, you do you.

If you're like me, however, and don't necessary enjoy battling your way through a sea of tired, angry people to get the last discounted toaster, here are some suggestions of what to do on Black Friday instead.

1. Sleep in.

Thanksgiving dinner is usually the biggest meal of the year. We stuff our faces with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and all the pie on the face of the Earth. With our bellies this full, you don't want to be jostled around too much. Rather than wake up at 3 a.m. to fight your way through Walmart, why not just sleep in and let that feast digest? You don't have to get up early for class, so take full advantage of the sleep opportunities you get over this break before you go back to face finals week.

2. Go get your Christmas tree.

While many people have already decorated their houses for Christmas, I prefer to wait until after Turkey Day to let Thanksgiving have all of its glory. The day after is the official start of Christmas time in our house. We are serious about Christmas trees in my family. We even name them. We will spend the day searching for The One. The Only. The most glorious of all trees to ever exist. We head to the tree farm and search for the tree that is prophesied by Clark Griswold in "Christmas Vacation," cut it down and take it home. Just remember to check for squirrels. And bring a saw.

3. Watch Christmas movies.

One of the rules in my family is that we are not allowed to watch Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. We want to make sure we cherish Thanksgiving just as much as Christmas. Plus you get pretty sick of all things Christmas if you spend two months gearing up for it. But after the fourth Thursday of November, it's game time for Christmas movie season. The day after Thanksgiving is a great day to binge watch your favorite holiday titles like "Elf," "Christmas Vacation," "The Santa Clause," and many, many more. Why fight the crowds when you can experience way more seasonal joy from your couch?

4. Clean.

I know this isn't the most enjoyable option, but if you host Thanksgiving at your home this year, your house will probably need a good cleaning afterward. Even if you didn't have your family at your house, it would still be a nice gesture to offer to clean the house of whoever did host your family's feast. Think of it this way: the quicker you clean up from Thanksgiving, the sooner you can decorate for Christmas.

5. Put up Christmas decorations.

Once Thanksgiving has passed, I officially stop judging people for having their Christmas decorations up too early. Again, no offense to those who do put them up right after Halloween, but I like to take things one holiday at a time. It helps to savor the season. And the turkey.

6. Eat Leftovers

The feeding frenzy doesn't have to end just because it isn't Thursday anymore. One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is that the leftovers of the feast usually last several days after the actual holiday. Turkey sandwiches with leftover stuffing and mac 'n cheese is a personal favorite Black Friday lunch for me. And I don't even have to wait in line for it.


7. Make a list. Check it twice.

Unless you've accomplished a miracle by getting all of your holiday shopping done before Thanksgiving, it's a good idea to spend the day after making a list of gifts that you are planning on getting for your friends and family. You can plan out your budget, along with what locations you need to hit and when in order to shop in the most efficient way possible. You can also see if any of the gifts you're planning on giving are available to buy online (spoiler: they all are) so you don't have to brave the storm of holiday shoppers any day of the season. Make sure to remember to make out a list of gifts you'd like to receive as well and distribute it to your family as well. They can't read your mind.


8. Spend time with family members.

They probably already saw you the day before, but chances are they may not have gotten a chance to speak with you one-on-one with a house full of people feeding their faces. Take time to spend some quality time with the people in your family that you haven't gotten to talk to in a while, especially if you've been away at college. I'm sure your mom would love to go get coffee with you. Your dad would enjoy sitting back and watching the game together. And for the love of all that is holy, let your grandma bake you something. It's the little things that make holiday breaks special.


9. Work out.

Once the food has settled, it's a good idea to try to exercise off some of those calories you demolished the day before. It could be as simple as a walk around your block or some jumping jacks. Go prancercise. Just try to move in some way to get back on a somewhat healthy track, even though we all know how hard that is to do around the holidays.


10. Study.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Thanksgiving break doesn't mean you're done with schoolwork. For me, it actually means the opposite. With finals just a few weeks away, those end of the semester projects I've procrastinated on for three months are now due. Work hard now so you can relax later. It'll be worth it when you come home with a nice, healthy GPA when the semester is over.


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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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