Some may say that this time of year is the awkward lull between Halloween and Christmas. I like to think otherwise...

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

Thanksgiving brings so much to the plate (quite literally) and yet there is such a lack of dedication to making it as artsy as possible. Sure, you could find hundreds upon hundreds of decoration, food, music, and event ideas for Halloween and Christmas.

But what about Thanksgiving? We're going to change that. I give you, the

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THANKSGIVING.

Let's get stuffed.

EVENT IDEAS

By Yourself

-Carve a couple pumpkins (who says pumpkin carving has to be Halloween-themed?! Here are some great and super cute ideas: http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pumpkin-carving-pattern...)

-Bake pumpkin pie. Or pumpkin cookies. Or pumpkin muffins. Basically bake something with a pumpkin in it. (click on the picture for a link to the recipe for these adorable mini pumpkin pies)

-DECORATE!!! The Dollar Store has some awesome options.

-Go volunteer at a food shelter and help give food to those that don't have the luxury we do.

-Take a day to cozy up with some hot cocoa and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

With Friends

-Get dressed all cute and have a photo shoot at the local pumpkin patch. Grab some apple cider while you're at it.

-Make caramel apples and binge watch all of the Friends Thanksgiving Day themed episodes. They get funnier every year.

-Go to some sort of fall festival or carnival. Every town has one this time of year and they're always packed full of fun activities!

-Hit up a concert.

-Host Friendsgiving!! Sure, it may be corny (pun intended), but gather your closest friends a few days before Turkey Day and have a mini feast and celebrate your friendship.

-Don't forget to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade!!

On a Date

-Spend a day indoors and marathon scary movies- who cares if Halloween already passed? If you want more autumn-mood movies, check these out: https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/why-are-all-o...)

-The pumpkin patch idea works here, too.

-Go on a hayride or find your way out of a corn maze together.

-Go apple picking.

You could also do this one solo...

-Party it up in a couple costume (and win the contest).

PARTY IDEAS

Decoration

These are some links to Pinterest-inspired boards for your convenience and for you to see multiple ideas in one post.

-For some simply adorable decorations: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/64950419603550129/

-For the oh-so-important table: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/195273333823881233/

-For some more intricate DIY projects that are super fun to make: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/253890497723002809/

-For those that need some inexpensive (but still cute!) options: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258394097350568233/

Music

Yes, believe it or not, they actually do make Thanksgiving playlists. Here are a few for some different moods.

-For the music you'll play on actual Thanksgiving Day- all really calming but upbeat songs that the whole fam will appreciate: https://open.spotify.com/user/legacysweden/playlis...

-For an older sound: https://open.spotify.com/user/aholidaygirl/playlis...

-This is an entire album dedicated to the holiday with a variety of songs: https://open.spotify.com/album/269dTkksMkeg4Jkr5Lk...

Food

This category can encompass A LOT.

You're going to need this one:

-For some tasty appetizers: http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/thanksgivi...

-Here is the ULTIMATE THANKSGIVING MENU. Appropriate for the nature of this article, right? Plus, it's Martha Stewart. http://www.marthastewart.com/274808/marthas-ultima...

-For those that want a faster and easier yet equally delicious Thanksgiving feast: http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/ho...

Drinks

-For the adults at the party: http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/thanksgivi...

-And some for the youngsters (because you simply don't forget your first taste of sparkling apple cider out of a fake plastic wine glass): http://www.myrecipes.com/holidays/drinks/non-alcho...

Desserts

-We have the very obvious pumpkin pie. This is a recipe with excellent reviews that really gets the most crucial part of the pie: "the ideal formula for a rich pumpkin pie that's also much less likely to crack on top." Find it here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/230132/chef-johns-pum...

-We also have the classic apple pie, in which you can't go wrong: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/traditional-app...

And also, here's a guide that goes into EXTRAORDINARY detail about how to make the best apple pie out there: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/everything...

-Some small and fun desserts that kids would love: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/272538214931074161/ and https://www.pinterest.com/pin/108719778484360770/

-Traditional Thanksgiving desserts (even more pies!!!): http://www.foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving/thanksgivi...

-Mini-Desserts, because who doesn't love cramming in as much as you can!?: http://www.delish.com/holiday-recipes/thanksgiving/g1183/mini-thanksgiving-desserts/?

RANDOM FUN FACTS

You can throw these at people and they will think you are a Turkey Day genius.

-No turkey was on the menu at the first Thanksgiving!

-Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners!

-Thanksgiving was almost a fast — not a feast!

-Ben Franklin wanted the United States' national bird to be a turkey.

-More than 40 million green bean casseroles are served on Thanksgiving.

-The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.

COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING!!

Finally, I will say goodbye with the thing we're all waiting for: the countdown to the big day itself. Go ahead and set it as your internet homepage. You know you want to.

http://thanksgivingclock.com