by Sheri McGregor, M.A.

In October, I posted about some different ways to think of Thanksgiving (to help Canadians who celebrated their Thanksgiving at that time). Readers from all over the world frequent the blog–and my aim is always to help with healing for the hurting parents of  estranged adult children.

Now that the U.S. holiday is near, give that post a read. Maybe you’ll agree that even as hurting parents of estranged adult children, Thanksgiving can be a time of harvest.

Below are a few other ideas and some more past articles for hurting parents of estranged adult children who might be spending the holiday alone or feeling isolated.

Time on your hands? Three ways to use those hours wisely.

Beat the crowds. Get a little holiday shopping completed early. Online deals abound even on Thanksgiving Day. Amazon.com has everything from gourmet food to health and beauty items, toys to tools, furniture to vitamins to gifts of every sort. Shop at Amazon

Take a nature walk at a state park. Many of the state parks host free admission on “green Friday” the day after Thanksgiving. Check out your area’s parks to see if they’re participating, and spend Thanksgiving planning a take-along lunch. Wouldn’t it be fun to take a friend on a picnic on Friday, and get in a little nature time too?

Finish your holiday cards early–or just write letters. In these days of electronic cards and email, old fashioned paper greetings are getting rare. If you have time on your hands, turn on a TV marathon and write out some friendly notes. Your recipients will appreciate the extra care, and who knows? Maybe you’ll restart a tradition!

This year will be the first time I ever celebrated Thanksgiving at a restaurant. It’ll be a small party, and I am looking so forward to the varied buffet! Usually, I don’t mind cooking, but this year I felt the need to make a change. Do you? It’s okay to do things differently. Changing up does not mean you’ll never cook the meal again or you’re letting yourself or others down. There’s a saying I’ve come to believe: Change is good!

What ideas do you have for spending quiet time (Thanksgiving Day or any holiday) well? I hope you’ll help other hurting parents of estranged adult children by leaving a comment.

Also, don’t miss these past articles to help hurting parents of estranged adult children on Thanksgiving:

Giving Thanks–It’s the real reason for the holiday. And gratitude can help hurting parents of estranged adult children any day.

Help for hurting parents of estranged adult children for the holidays—How to manage them.

Hugs to everyone on Thanksgiving Day and every day.

Full disclosure, the Amazon.com link above is an affiliate link–that means if you use the link to shop, a small portion is earned to help fund this site.