When Is Thanksgiving 2013? 5 Ways To Prepare For The Holidays This Year

Before Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 28 in 2013, you'll need to prepare for the holiday in some way or another. Everyone knows that aside from NFL games, turkey and gravy and stuffing and all the other traditional foods, and a collective forgetting of the reasons why the holiday is even celebrated at all as we slouch into the couch before the flickering of the television screen, perhaps the most quintessential of American holidays means hustle and bustle, as people try to make last-minute preparations. Here's five ways to avoid all that and take it easy on Thanksgiving this year.

1. If you're going out of town, buy your tickets in advance.

According to Kayak.com, the best time to book your Thanksgiving Day travel is anywhere from the middle of September to the middle of October, about five to six weeks before the holiday. Airlines, of course, take advantage of sudden leaps in traffic during the summer as well as in weeks leading up to a holiday, and Thanksgiving's no exception. In fact, it's one of the busiest weekends of the year. After mid-October, airfares rise by as much as 20 percent. It's a little late, yes - but not too late for you to get a move on and save yourself a few bucks.

2. Go shopping at Macy's - or don't, in solidarity with its employees.

Macy's announced recently that it would break its 155-year-old tradition of remaining closed on Thanksgiving, opening some stores in response to a shopping war in which its competitors have been opening earlier and earlier on Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving. It's trying to accommodate those loonies who are trying to get a jump on shopping by, apparently, leaving turkey eating for some other, better time. That, of course, means employees have to come in, too, which some have denounced as heralding the "death of Thanksgiving".

3. Buy bread.

Turkeys are large birds. You might have some left over. Get yourself some bread so you can have sandwiches later in the week.

4. Don't screw up Thanksgiving dinner.

WikiHow has some simple but wise advice: do some of the work in the days prior, like baking cookies and pumpkin pies, and other things on Thanksgiving, like roasting the turkey. Also, defrost the bird with plenty of time - which might be days in advance depending on its size and weight.

5. Wear your appropriate NFL jersey.

There's three NFL games on this Thanksgiving. The Packers and Lions face off at 12:30am EST, the Raiders and Cowboys at 4:30pm EST, and the Steelers and Ravens at 8:30pm EST.