Especially if you invite friends from far and wide or your family comes from a variety of backgrounds, asking everyone to bring a dish to pass can create a more diverse, exciting spread. It also lessens the load on the host. Just make sure to coordinate who’s bringing what ahead of time, so you’ve got all the bases covered and don’t end up with duplicates.

Prevention digital director Allie Early’s family serves up fond memories alongside their turkey. “We make a coleslaw recipe that my grandmother always made for my mom and her siblings, and we serve it in a special bowl that she passed down to my mom,” Early says. “It’s a special way to remember my grandma when we’re all together.”

Draw your thanks on the tablecloth for a keepsake that doubles as a fun activity. Cover the table with a white fabric tablecloth and scatter cloth markers along the table. Ask your guests to draw what they’re thankful for, scribble down their favorite Thanksgiving memory or even craft a quirky self-portrait. By the time the meal ends, you’ll have a reusable memento to dress up the Thanksgiving table for years to come.

Ask each guest to bring an ornament to exchange. Some families even ask that the ornaments are homemade or have a special meaning to the giver, so you can hang a little memento of everyone you love on your tree.

If your family sits down to Thanksgiving dinner a little on the later side, starting the day with a big breakfast can help keep the hangries at bay. Some families serve mimosas or Bloody Mary fixins to get the day off to a festive start, others set out bagels and pastries to nosh on while they prep. Or maybe you’re more of a quiche and egg casserole group. Whatever your breakfast personality, there’s a reason it’s the most important meal of the day.

Only drinking champagne on New Year’s Eve? You’re missing out! Champagne and sparkling wine pair wonderfully with Thanksgiving dinner’s rich, indulgent flavors and will make the day feel even more celebratory.

After dinner or while waiting for the bird to rest, pass out thank you cards and pre-stamped envelopes and ask your guests to write a note to someone who made a difference in their lives over the last year. Collect them on the way out the door to send on Black Friday. It’s a lovely opportunity to reflect on what really matters, and will serve as a touching reminder for the recipients too.

RELATED: 25+ Corny Thanksgiving Jokes Kids Will Love To Hear

If you tend to fly solo on Thanksgiving or mark the occasion with a smaller group, try taking a Thanksgiving family vacation instead of cooking dinner at home. You’ll encounter fewer crowds and might even start a fun new tradition. Book a big family dinner at your destination – and let someone else clear the table.

For Good Housekeeping Institute deputy editor Jessica Teich, Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without one dish. “My partner’s family always puts out a giant plate of pickles with dinner. They swear it helps with digestion,” she says. “I used to think it was the weirdest thing and now I think Thanksgiving dinner is incomplete without it!” FYI: There’s some evidence that pickles really do help gut health, plus they’re just delicious.

Lots of people kick off their Thanksgiving by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and often flip the channel to a football game when Santa Claus rolls across the finish line. But if you prefer your athletes on the furry side, there’s always the National Dog Show. It airs after the parade on NBC and will probably result in less yelling than the big game. That is, unless your family has strong opinions on the merits of Corgis vs. Golden Retrievers.

To help them feel integral to the festivities, ask the younger guests to serve dessert. Kids sometimes feel left out of the big day, especially if your family sets up a kids’ table away from the adults. Older children can help slice and plate pies or cakes for the younger ones to serve. Bonus: the grown-ups get to relax around the table a bit longer!

Traditionally, a cornucopia was usually filled with the autumn harvest, plants and flowers, to show off that season’s autumnal bounty. Make it your own by asking guests to bring objects that are meaningful to them, suggests Donelle Crigger of Gluesticks and Gumdrops. Place them in a cornucopia, a basket or other decorative container and use it as a meaningful centerpiece for your table.

Is there a more divisive dish on the table than stuffing? Many families swear by grandma’s stuffing recipe, others gobble up the just-add-broth kind. Good Housekeeping senior parenting and relationships editor Marisa LaScala has found a great middle ground. “A couple days before Thanksgiving, we go to the deli and get sliced turkey and make Stove-Top-and-turkey sandwiches to indulge our guilty pleasure,” she says.

When you first carve the turkey, set aside the wishbone to dry while everyone eats. After you finish the dishes, draw names to determine who gets to break it. Make a wish — legend has it the winner will see theirs come true in the upcoming year. For a fun twist, let the winner serve themselves dessert first!

For a tradition that’s both fun and good for you, get your blood pumping after eating. Bundle up if you live in a cold climate and bring some flashlights if it’s after dusk and go for a lap or two around the block. Taking a stroll gives everyone more time to connect with each other, especially those who might not have been seated nearby during dinner.

In the whirlwind of cleaning the house, preparing and cooking the meal, cleaning it all up and spending time with your guests in between, even the most extroverted among us may feel exhausted after it’s all over. Start the day on solid footing by taking just a few moments of alone time before it all begins. You’ll be able to enjoy the excitement that much more.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, even the most faraway loved ones can participate in the festivities. Take some time out the IRL celebrations to video call those who can’t make it to the table. And while you’ve got the whole fam gathered ’round, take a group photo to commemorate the occasion.

We’ve all faced the frustration of running out of to-go containers when packing up the leftovers. Get in front of that problem by asking each guest to bring their own container for leftovers. You won’t have to spend the rest of the year chasing down yours, and everyone goes home happy.

Every November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Thanksgiving is a great time to pause and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, histories and important contributions of Native American people.

RELATED: 16 Facts to Learn for Native American Heritage Month

After you go around and say what you’re thankful for and right before you dig in, have someone in your family say a prayer that also acknowledges how grateful you are this year. If your family follows a faith tradition, it’s a great way to center yourselves before digging in.

Tell each family member to bring an old coat or sweater that can be donated to those in need during the winter months, to clean out your closets for a good cause.