“I think I have Black Friday FOMO,” I told my husband as I flipped through the thin paper ads he’d brought in from the mailbox. He gave me a look and asked, “Why, when we just shop online?” He didn’t get it. It wasn’t the shopping I craved— it was the event. When I was a kid, my mom and I used to wake up at 4 a.m. and climb into the car in the dark, me armed with a hot cocoa and her, a Diet Coke. It wasn’t about the VCR she had her eye on or the toy I coveted that year; it was tradition.
I’m not interested in fighting the crowds or sitting in traffic, but I love the idea of extending the Thanksgiving togetherness one more day. If you’re looking for Black Friday alternatives that will give you the warm-fuzzies (including some you can do in your fuzzy slippers), here are 15 that will help your family come together in a special way.
Black Friday Alternatives to Get You Out of the House
1. Fuel up the fun. Start a new tradition of driving in the opposite direction of shopper traffic. Take a one-tank trip to somewhere quiet or off the beaten path.
2. Venture to the great outdoors. A day of hiking, biking, or exploring a local park or nature reserve will help you digest that third helping of stuffing. Whoever spots the rarest critter gets to pick where you grab lunch.
Black Friday Alternatives When You Just Want to Relax
3. Hibernate with a movie marathon. Pick a theme—Christmas, Disney classics, Tom Hanks—grab your softest blankets, and prepare for a cinematic adventure, living room style!
4. Piece together the fun. Gather ’round the coffee table, and tackle a jigsaw puzzle. Just don’t lose any pieces in the couch cushions!
And a Few Ideas for When You Need to Be Productive
5. Deck(orate) the halls. Turn Black Friday into Red and Green Friday. Pull down your fall decorations to make room for stockings, and head out to find your family Christmas tree.
6. Whip up a wonderland of treats. If you love giving homemade treats as gifts, Black Friday is a great day to get a jump on things. Make your dough and freeze it. Just preheat the oven and unleash the creativity.
7. Give preloved items a second life. When other folks are spending cash on Black Friday shopping, your family can make it. Check closets, toy chests, and garage nooks for things to sell online. Sell that Playskool kitchen set that sits unused. You’ll add to your holiday fund, and another mom will have a gift that will start her toddler on a culinary adventure.
8. Bring Black Friday shoppers to you. This idea takes a little more advanced preparation, but why not have a garage sale to capture shoppers who want a really good deal? No one says garage sales are for spring weather only. Have the kids sell hot cocoa instead of lemonade and transform your driveway into Santa’s workshop with red tablecloths. Give a free candy cane with every purchase!
Ideas if You Still Have Guests in Town
9. May the best man (or kid or second cousin) win. Organize a family game tournament—classic board games, card games, video games, the choice is yours! If the weather is nice, print a March Madness-style bracket and get everyone outside for cornhole or bocce ball.
10. Show off your favorite local attraction. Your kids might be able to walk through your city’s zoo blindfolded, but that makes them great tour guides to out of towners. Load everyone up to spend a few hours exploring a museum, zoo, or aquarium. Take our Zoo Scavenger Hunt, and split into teams. You might even knock out some Christmas shopping in the gift shop. 
11. Get out the glitter and glue guns. Hopefully, you took photos of everyone gathered together, but don’t stop there. Create a crafty keepsake for everyone to take home, like an ornament on which all the kids collaborate. Or create a memorable gift for Grandma and Grandpa by gathering everyone’s prints on a fingerprint tree.
12. Liven up leftovers with a cooking challenge. Create teams made up of both adults and kids and see who can whip up the most delicious dish with yesterday’s food.
Black Friday Alternatives That Focus on Gratitude
13. Be the change. If you felt blessed to have food and family at your table on Thursday, give back on Friday by volunteering together. Older kids can volunteer alongside you, and little ones can pick out toys to clean and donate. Talk about why it’s important to share and give to people in need.
14. Get pumped about giving. Do you participate in Giving Tuesday? It’s a global initiative to support nonprofits and harness the power of collective generosity. It’s held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Gather for a family meeting, and decide what organization you want to support on Giving Tuesday. iMOM’s parent organization, Family First, is a non-profit. Please consider supporting us so we can keep giving you content to help you love your family well!
15. Start a holiday gratitude jar. Thanksgiving Day shouldn’t be the peak of thankfulness; it can be just the beginning. Decorate a jar and ask everyone to write down something they’re grateful for on a piece of paper. Keep adding to the jar throughout December. On Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and throughout Christmas day, take turns reading the papers aloud, reminding yourselves of the abundance you already have.
What’s your favorite way to spend Black Friday?
