During every Thanksgiving family gathering, there are inevitable periods of downtime between the meals throughout the day. To avoid wasting time with uncomfortable silence, enjoy some fun activities like the ones below!
1. Make hand turkeys.
The first grade art project is back for some nostalgic fun, so whip out the pencils, scissors, glitter glue, construction paper, and laminators. Little cousins and siblings may erupt into tears of jealousy over who has the neater hand turkey, so distract them by turning the masterpieces into Christmas ornaments or gluing them onto cardboard to make a Thanksgiving placemat.
2. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This show has it all—elaborate floats, high school bands, dancers, singers, and cartoon characters. Last year, the fuzzy purple McDonald’s chicken nugget, Grimace, made an appearance, and he was so adorable I made him my phone background. The Macy’s parade is prime entertainment, even though no one else in my family enjoys it.
3. Play board games.
My family loves Phase 10, Monopoly, and Clue, but we’ll play almost any game. We occasionally have a disagreement over the rules, but it’s nothing a simple majority vote can’t fix.
Sophomore Isabella Dedes explains, “My favorite family board game is Codenames [a spy card game]. It’s really fun and the competition is exciting!” Family games get heated; my dad has no mercy in Monopoly.
4. Watch a musical or movie.
My family always watches “The Sound of Music” between Thanksgiving lunch and dinner, but for those who aren’t fans of the classic film, “Singin’ in the Rain” or “Mary Poppins” are great options.
For anyone who believes Christmas starts before Thanksgiving, Alayna Votino ‘26 recommends “Elf” and shares, “I love it because it’s a great Christmas movie my family and I watch every single year. I love the growth from Walter—it’s classic. Buddy’s positivity and kindness is inspiring.”
For those who want a tear-jerker, watch “Inside Out,” “Toy Story,” “Titanic,” or “Frozen 2.” What better time to cry than in a supportive family environment?
5. Watch the NFL Thanksgiving games.
Every year without fail, the NFL rudely interrupts Thanksgiving with football. Three games will air this year between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, and the Washington Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys. While the rest of the family bores themselves with football, sneak some extra dessert or take a nap to be well-rested for Black Friday.
6. Participate in a Turkey Trot.
For outdoorsy families, participating in a Thanksgiving-themed race is the ideal activity. The events are held all over California in Villa Park, Dana Point, Los Angeles, etc. Cross-country athlete Sammy Del Pilar ’26 commented, “It’s really fun to go out and run, especially when you like to to do it, and it makes you feel good about yourself. If I were to do a Turkey Trot, it would be really nice to test myself and see where I was at running compared to others I usually never would run with.” I would never run for fun, but props to those who have the mental and physical strength to do it.
In all seriousness, you butternut forget to enjoy food and quality time with family over break. Happy Thanksgiving, Royals!
