Thanksgiving is coming up soon… Do you already have plans for the season?

Are you going home to celebrate with family? Or perhaps you’re planning to get your Christmas shopping done on Black Friday?

Just about everyone has something going on during Thanksgiving. But if you have no idea what to do, here are some ideas:

If your pockets aren’t tight, you might consider traveling for Thanksgiving this year. Thanksgiving is one of the best times of the year to go on vacation, because touristy destinations are not flocking with tourists.

How about spending Thanksgiving far away from the family reunions, and the awkward questions from your aunts – instead dipping your feet in the sand, and sipping on a frozen margarita at the beach in Mexico.

While any time of the year is a great time to go to Hawaii, Thanksgiving is particularly good as it tends to be less overrun with tourists, much more quiet, and you can always have a turkey dinner at the resorts, as most of them offer Thanksgiving dinners.

While Hawaii and Mexico sound nice, how about something closer to home? Celebrate Thanksgiving where the first historic gathering happened by heading to Plymouth, Mass.

Plymouth is about a two-hour drive from Springfield, and there you can truly experience history brought to life.

At Plymouth Plantation, explore outdoor living exhibits, including a 17th-century English village, and the Mayflower II. You can even enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner there, complete with roast turkey and all of the traditional New England trimmings.

The Springfield area is also having some local events that are great to check out during Thanksgiving this year.

The Parade of Big Balloons in downtown Springfield is one of them. If you cannot make the NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon parade, then the Springfield parade is a must-see on the morning after Thanksgiving.

It may be a couple of balloons shy of the Macy’s parade in Manhattan, but the Springfield balloon parade is still great to see.

Come and see the variety of balloons. Main Street in downtown Springfield will be filled with huge colorful balloon characters, people, bands, motorized contingents, and much more the day after Thanksgiving.

“I’m not going to have time to attend, but I would like to,” said AIC senior Zachary Bednarczyk, saying that he will not have an opportunity to attend the Springfield balloon parade this year.

Around our area, there are also plenty of places for people that have nowhere to go to come and have a Thanksgiving meal.

One of them is the Springfield Rescue Mission in Springfield. This year they are expecting to give out 3,000 meals for Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, November 22 at 10 Mill Street in Springfield.

Open Pantry Community Services is another one. They have a Holiday Meals program, which provides a traditional holiday meal for anyone in need of a meal or for those who wish to spend Thanksgiving with others.

The Holiday Meals are served at the High School of Commerce, 415 State Street in Springfield.

AIC student Allison Gavin shared her Thanksgiving plans for this year.

“Every year we go to my aunt’s house. It is one of the few times throughout the year that we all get together at once so it’s always nice to see everyone,” said Gavin.

One of the most popular events around Thanksgiving takes place the next day – Black Friday, of course. Some people cannot wait to go get all of their Christmas shopping done, or just get some great deals.

Gavin is one of them.

“I always go Black Friday shopping and we always have the same schedule each time. First we go to Old Navy at midnight and then head to the mall around 6:00 a.m.. Old Navy always has the best deals on everything, especially their $1 sock deals!” she said.

No matter the Thanksgiving plans, do not forget that Thanksgiving is about being thankful.

So take some time during your Thanksgiving break and think about everything you are grateful for in your life.