Thanksgiving is about tradition. Our family sits down to a huge meal that my mother-in-law cooks while the rest of us try to stay out of her way. She is an amazing force to be reckoned with. We overeat. We rest. We eat more. We attempt a family-against family touch football game to prepare us for leftovers. It all comes down to spending time with each other. We are extremely fortunate.

Every family has their own customs so for those looking for a time-honored ritual; North Country Ballet Ensemble continues a Thanksgiving tradition with performances of The Nutcracker in Plattsburgh on Friday and Saturday (November 25-26) at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with a 2:00 matinee on Sunday. All performances will be held at the Hartman Theatre, Myers Fine Arts Building at SUNY Plattsburgh. Subsequent performances will be held at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on December 3 at 7:30 p.m. and December 4 at 1:00 p.m.

Just as family-friendly and with a different type of magic, the Adirondack Center for the Arts will open with Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic musical rendition of “Cinderella” in Indian Lake (November 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Indian Lake Theatre) as part of the annual Country Christmas Tour. (Don’t forget about all the events going on in Inlet and Old Forge

Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts Director Stephen Svodboda says, “Our presentation of Cinderella is a classic ‘underdog’ holiday show filled with dancing, singing, and a little bit of magic. This timeless fairy tale is one that is close to the hearts of everyone and, illustrating a true sense of community, the actors in our show come from all over the Adirondacks ranging in age from 4 to 80 years old. The resulting production is an amazing performance that is sure to inspire. We hope you will join us this holiday season!”

To make the “slipper fit” with everyone’s busy schedule, performances of Cinderella run through mid December at various locations around the Central Adirondacks. Admission is $15/$10 members, children 12 and under/$5 accompanied by a parent.

Another substitution for Black Friday madness is the Wild Center Family Day on November 25. Packed with activities from book signings to live music, The Wild Center staff has made sure that you can work off your meal with nature walks and museum activities.

“We are going to have art and nature projects geared toward children but a lot of other activities such as a book signing with Carl Heilman. Children are going to love the maple syrup on snow demonstration, seeing it made and then being able to eat it right here at the Wild Center,” says Josh Pratt, Wild Center Store/Admissions Manager.

I know this barely covers all that is going on for Black Friday. I hope it offers a few choices for some Adirondack fun. Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo: Cinderella (Colleen Pine) surrounded Stepsister (Kierstyn Natter), and Prince Charming (Lucas Greer) of the cast from the Adirondack Lakes Center for Arts production of Cinderella. Photo provided.

Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities Guidebook Series including the recently released Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks Your Guide to Over 300 Activities for Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Keene, Jay and Wilmington areas (with GPS coordinates).