Our Thanksgiving Pooches have the ultimate survival technique for the day.

If you’re like me, the holidays can often feel like a hectic whirlwind of overindulgence. It’s tough to find peace and give genuine thanks amid the frenetic energy.

Below are a few techniques to try this Thanksgiving to make your day more satisfying and relaxed amid the chaos and the hype:

1. Make the morning yours. Before you jump headlong into holiday mode with your family and friends, take some time out in the early hours to ground yourself. A reflective walk or a hot bath will often do the trick. Consider it mental prep work before the big day ahead.
2. Take some time for gratitude. Sure, sure…we all nod and say, “Of course, we’re thankful…now let’s eat.” Since the name of the holiday has both “thanks” and “giving” in it, couldn’t we kick it up a notch? Giving thanks is a quick and easy way, even for the less spiritual of us, to gain some perspective on our life.
3. Ease up on the overeating. In our “oversize it” world, this seems like a near impossibility. But this isn’t an eating contest; it’s a meal—one of many others you will eat in a lifetime. Drink copious amounts of water that day and remember: it takes 20 minutes for your brain to acknowledge you’re full so slow it down!
4. Walk away. Many people are thrown into complicated social dynamics during the holidays, especially with family members who know just the right button to push. Take some time to check in with yourself throughout the day. Take a break from the crowd. Go for a short walk alone, sit outside on a lawn chair, listen to some music in your car, breathe in the (hopefully) fresh air. The chaos will be much more manageable, guaranteed.
5. Solo holidays are all right! Not everyone has a family to visit. Many are far from loved ones. And some would prefer to be alone than with family. And guess what? That’s all right. Who else knows what you like better than yourself? Tailor make a holiday just the way you like it, even if it’s simple (which are often the best). Remove the stigma and you’ll see just how enjoyable a holiday alone can be.

If you can’t be with a loved one this holiday, send funny ecards this Thanksgiving. Heck, send one to yourself! We have a fun and festive collection of Thanksgiving ecards that are free and easy to share.

We are so delighted that our animator, Amanda, made such a completely CUTE ecard for Thanksgiving, we want to share the fun with you.

Create your own caption for this scene from the card (below). Our Writers, Animation director, and creative team will pick the best caption and we will post the winner on our blog here and on Facebook for all to enjoy!

Here are all our charming Thanksgiving ecards.

So you bought yourself a turkey but the idea of cooking it seems so horribly…passé. Especially when this “wonder bird” offers a range of other fun possibilities.

Consider the following uses:

Ice Skates – just insert blades in a pair of birds and truss your feet in. You’ll be the envy of all of your friends who blindly adhere to the traditional (and ho-hum) ice-skates.

Edible Doghouse for Small Dogs – Kill two birds with one stone with this brilliant habitat for pups. Not only does a large turkey comfortably house your little pooch, it also serves as Spot’s dinner.

Car Wax Mitt – Why use toxic, chemically-laden car wax to polish your car when an organic turkey’s natural fats can add an unmistakable sheen? (Also perfect for buffing your hardwood floors.)

Airplane Pillow – We all know how difficult it is to get comfortable on an airplane. Why twist and turn when a turkey holds all the creature comfort you really need?

Bobbing for Turkey – Your friends will love this out-of-the-box, apple-free game! Just fill up a tub of water, drop the turkeys in, and let the fun begin!

Boxing Gloves – Back in the day, when pugilists couldn’t afford pricey boxing gloves, they often resorted to a pair of common turkeys to deliver their punch…and they still pack a wallop!

Baby Seat – Simply truss your child into the safe and comfortable confines of a large
turkey, buckle up, and off you go!

Lunchbox Pail – Metrosexuals everywhere love the cool, chic and distinctive look of a turkey lunchbox. Everyone will ask, “Where did he get that?” Not Bloomingdales, baby!

A Fashionable Hand Muff – Keep your hands warm this winter by using a turkey as a hand muffler. (For added warmth, cook the turkey first.)

Gift Wrapping – Need a quick wrap for that bottle of wine? Turkey. A diamond ring for the love of your life? Turkey. Don’t have time to get a gift? A turkey with an IOU note.

If you plan on simply cooking and eating your turkey (yawn), then we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, where a fun and festive collection of Thanksgiving ecards awaits your delivery.

We are about to collectively enter the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving and going right through New Years Eve. For some, this creates a sense of excitement. For others, it triggers a feeling of “Oh no…not this again!” Often we become “swept up” in the holidays, instead of appreciating it in a spiritually sound, healthy way.

Here are a few tips to prepare for the ups and downs of the holidays now. (Consider it a pre-holiday “battening down the hatches.”)

Take in the light and keep moving. The holidays are a prime time for weight gain and holiday blues. If you don’t have an exercise regimen in place, the time to start one is now, not after New Year’s, when the pressure to create the perfect ironclad resolution looms high.

Remember, exercise doesn’t have to mean a costly gym membership or a high-impact workout. It can just as easily consist of a solid, ½ hour walk at the end of your workday. (Or better yet, pre-work, so you can take in some sunlight, which has proven to be a spirit lifter.)

Limit television exposure for sanity’s sake. The media bombardment surrounding the holidays can be intense and overwhelming (and seems to start earlier each year). Give you and your family a break by shutting off the television for solid chunks of time. Replace it with music. Or conversation. Or better yet, good, old-fashioned silence. (Remember silence? Back in the day?)

Make room for real nutrition. You know the routine: normally you wouldn’t eat (fill in the blank) but it you were hungry and there it was, taunting you. Suddenly 10 pigs-in-a-blanket seem like a perfectly reasonable meal…and guess what? This isn’t completely bad. Allowing for some indulgences keeps up feeling happy and balanced.

But make sure get-togethers include healthful food, like salad, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, hearty grains and the like. Fill up on those foods first before indulging in that rather strange-looking but delicious ambrosia salad.

A large glass of water is another smart move before you hit the table. Not only is it filling but cleansing.

Rethink gifts. One of the biggest stressors surrounding the holidays is purchasing gifts, where we feel the need to buy something for everyone and stretch our wallets past the breaking point.

Before the holidays get into full gear, talk to friends and family and make a plan. Some are more than happy to forego gift-giving altogether. Others don’t mind pitching in for a gift with you.

(Holiday ecards are a smart and eco-conscious way to reach out to loved ones…and you can’t beat the price! Have a look through our Thanksgiving ecards.)

Rekindle the spirit of the holidays. There is a little child that resides deep within. He or she knows what the holidays are really about. Take away the gifts, the media saturation and the madness of it all. What are you left with? Can you define the feeling you’d like to experience over the holidays? What does it mean to you on a more personal level? What can you do to make it simpler and full of spirit, not more stuff?

Again, the best time to prepare is now. Put a plan in place so you can enter the holidays with open eyes and a healthy mind and body. Create smart boundaries. Take care of your health beforehand. Then…enjoy!