All too often, we can forget the true meaning of Thanksgiving and instead become overwhelmed with meal preparation and traveling tribulations, or unbearably annoying relatives (who combined just might break the record for consecutively asked questions about getting married, having kids, or whatever they deem to be missing from your life).

Perhaps you and yours could use some unusual turkey tips and good old family fun to turn dysfunction junction into a happy home.

Gobble It Up
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Turducken! Sometimes a threesome can be a good thing. (Stay with me.) Like when you take a Paula Deen recipe for Turducken also known as turkey, chicken and duck and dish it along with your favorite sides. Or, if you prefer some greasy gobbly goodness in the spirit of the south, opt for the Deep Fried Cajun bird. If you give a cluck and want to skip the turkey this year, The Buffalo Guys have gobs of red meat that make for a yummy alternative.

Game On
Don’t be predictable and turn the tables for Trivial Pursuit when you could engage your kin with a game of Oh Hell! which made for laugh-out-loud memories thanks to my aunt’s initiative last year. As the rules state, it’s best when played between 4-6 people but we played with about ten and it was equally as fun. If you can find a bowling alley open on the holiday, load up the family truckster and spare yourself (tsk, tsk).

Give It Away
The night before Thanksgiving, band together with your neighborhood to host a spaghetti feed and charge each attendee $20 for the all-you-can-eat-a-thon. Then donate the funds to your local food bank. When you’re shopping at the store, get a helium-filled solid color latex balloon for each member of your family (yourself included). Before or after dinner, give one to everyone along with a Sharpie pen. Tell them to write one thing they’re thankful for that happened this year on one side and something that they want to release on the other. Once everyone’s written on their balloon, release them together.

Cue the group hug.