Thanksgiving break is great - we get to sit around, watch TV, and eat all day without judgement. But why not shake the holiday up a little bit? Try adding some of these activities to your holiday plans this year!

1. Thanksgiving-themed Dessert

As a kid, making Oreo turkeys was serious business. We started in the morning while dinner was cooking, and by afternoon, we would have about a dozen messy, frosting-caked Oreos that ended up falling apart on the tray by the end of the day. Making them is so fun, even though we're not kids anymore. We keep the tradition up just for the excuse of buying candy.

Here's how to make them: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/oreo-cookie-tu...

2. Make your own table decor!

Some years, mom used to send us outside to find some nicely colored leaves for her to use as a centerpiece. There’s so much you can do with them! Substitute real for fabric leaves and spend time with family making leaf bowls, vases, and glittery ornaments to get festive.

Here's how: https://typicallysimple.com/glittered-fall-leaves-...

3. Happy Pupsgiving!

How many times during each meal do you shame your dog for begging? Because its a special holiday, make them their own mini-dinner for Thanksgiving so they don’t feel left out. Toss some turkey, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal together to make a healthy and tasty Thanksgiving treat for your best friend.

Make it here: https://thebark.com/content/thanksgiving-dinner-do...

4. Decorate the Christmas tree (after dinner of course)

If your family usually uses an artificial tree, or just likes to get the holidays started ASAP like my mine, what better time to get the tree out and decorate it than Thanksgiving! The whole family is there and it’s a great way to (officially) kick off the Christmas season.

5. Start a "thankful" jar

Decorate a jar and start keeping track of things that you are thankful for throughout the year. Next Thanksgiving, you can open it and relive all the good in your life. Get down to the essence of the holiday – being thankful.