( CNN ) -- Want to make Norman Rockwell roll over in his grave ? This Thanksgiving , take your hand out of the turkey 's body cavity and turn off the football game to make some new traditions with friends and family . A vegetarian yoga retreat or an ethnic food tour of the Lower East Side may seem like an unusual way to spend the Thanksgiving holiday , but making new traditions with those you love can be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season . Here are six ways you can have the best unconventional Thanksgiving ever , whether you 're ready to hop on a jet now or start making alternative plans for next year . Tradition : Arguing with family . Spin : Comedy show . If your extended family shares the same religious , political and sports beliefs , you can disregard this tip . ( You might need to check that you have n't accidentally walked onto the set of `` Leave It to Beaver , '' because we do n't actually believe you . ) Getting a bunch of related , multigenerational people together in close quarters for an extended period of time is more likely to end up looking like something from a slasher film than from a `` Brady Bunch '' episode . The tension quotient rises even more if out-of-towners are staying with you for the holiday weekend . Relieve the tension and get some much-needed laughter by seeing a comedy show Thanksgiving weekend . `` America 's Got Talent '' great Dan Naturman is performing at New York 's Gotham Comedy Club the day after Thanksgiving . Or visit `` Mulaney '' star Seaton Smith at the Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh , North Carolina , for another chance to liven up the mood after Thanksgiving festivities are over . Plenty of other comedy clubs are open across the country . Really , what time of year do we need more stress relief than around the holidays ? If they 're closed , pelt the door with leftover turkey giblets . Tradition : Turkey coma . Spin : Costa Rican yoga retreat . For many people , simply hearing the word `` Thanksgiving '' evokes memories of too-tight waistbands and a four-hour food coma . While a feast can be a wonderful thing at any time of the year , shake things up during the holiday season by tightening your belt instead of loosening it . Explore stunning Costa Rica and bring harmony to your life with a calming yoga retreat . Blue Spirit Costa Rica 's Yoga and Recovery Retreat focuses on healing from any and all addictions ( turkey can certainly count as an addiction ) through morning and afternoon Vinyasa classes and explorations of the surrounding natural landscape . When not meditating or perfecting yoga poses , you can try surfing , swimming , ziplining and whitewater rafting . Give your body a chance to detox from holiday goodies with the program 's gourmet vegetarian cuisine and its Pure Food Option , which offers meals consisting of crisp greens , grains and legumes without oils or seasonings . Tradition : Lying on the couch . Spin : Pushups for charity . Food is supposed to give your body energy . If you 're eating enough turkey ( and stuffing and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and rolls and pumpkin pie ) to send you into a motionless stupor after lunch , that 's probably not healthy . Even if you ca n't imagine Thanksgiving without these delectable dishes , you can counterbalance some of the negative effects with some pre- and post-feast exercise . Turkey Trot marathons take place all over the country on Thursday , November 27 . For an even less-conventional way to get your blood pumping during Thanksgiving week , try participating in Pushups for Charity , in which the North Texas town of Coppell holds an annual Turkey-Busting Workout to not only fend off the effects of rich holiday foods but to benefit those in need . Bring some canned goods and participate in a free trainer-led workout session to start the season off right . Tradition : Black Friday shopping . Spin : Thailand service trip . If you usually spend your Thanksgiving evening ripping items away from other people in the Black Friday department stores , stop for a minute . Do you even remember what you bought last year ? Consider giving to others during a peaceful trip to Thailand to help preserve its natural elephant habitats . When you 're not planting and harvesting sugarcane and grass or constructing shade shelters for Surin province 's endangered animals , take Thai cooking classes and peruse the local outdoor markets . Volunteers become familiar with the elephants by feeding , walking and even bathing them . If the choice is between bathing an elephant and wrenching a 40 % -off scarf out of someone 's hand , is it really a choice ? Tradition : Hours of football . Spin : Soccer match in Scotland . Although Americans traditionally sink back into their couches on Thanksgiving Day to cheer for whichever team has the most players on their fantasy teams , try enjoying a different kind of football with a trip to a Celtic FC match in Scotland . Sure , you 'll miss such classic NFL matchups as the Lions-Bears , 49ers-Seahawks and Cowboys-Eagles . In Scotland , you can actually participate in the uproar of a professional sports game rather than passively watch it in a food coma on your couch . The Glasgow football -- soccer to Americans -- club is playing FC Salzburg on Thanksgiving Day . For 90 minutes of pure action with no pesky stoppages after every down and no padding when the players crash into each other , visit Scotland for a rousing good time in a country that does n't take its alcohol lightly . Tradition : Eating traditional dishes . Spin : Post-Thanksgiving multiethnic tour . It 's almost overwhelming how much time and energy we spend picking out , dressing , cooking and then carefully carving the fattest turkey we can find for Thanksgiving . Not to mention the string of turkey casseroles and sandwiches and soups that follow for weeks afterward . Turkey can be delicious , but how much do you really want to eat ? For an exciting twist , join the post-Thanksgiving multiethnic eating tour on New York 's Lower East Side . Explore the Jewish East Side , Chinatown and Little Italy with other foodies for some spices and flavors that you ca n't stuff inside a turkey cavity . While you stroll the city sampling mouthwatering street foods , be thankful that you are n't eating yet another can of wobbly cranberry sauce .
Make new Thanksgiving traditions this year . Text: I'm not sure if it's a good idea to make any of these, but they're all pretty fun and would be great for the holidays! Find inner peace at a Costa Rican yoga retreat .