Thanksgiving is all about gathering to consume good food and express gratitude alongside family, friends and, in my uncle’s case, fellow condo residents who set up in communal spaces to serve their neighbors.

According to National Public Radio, “The TSA expects this to be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record as millions of Americans will journey back home looking for someone to fight with.”

OK, the NPR program was “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” the humorous news quiz, but they do make a good point about combustible family get togethers. After the meal, you might have a day or two or even a full three-day weekend to kill with your family. After the meal is eaten and the dishes are put away, one key to avoiding the airing of dirty laundry is to get out and do something. Here are a few ideas for a weekend of outings and escape in Central Oregon.

Watch ‘Winter Wonderettes’

As your neighbors who hung up Christmas lights as soon as Halloween was over will attest, people are eager for Christmas this year. So are the folks behind Christmas musical “Winter Wonderettes,” opening Friday evening at Cascades Theatre, 148 NW Greenwood Ave. in Bend.

The musical is set in the 1960s, and girl group The Marvelous Wonderettes are here to save Christmas during the annual Harper’s Hardware Holiday Party, and sing plenty of holiday songs — “Winter Wonderland,” “Run Rudolph, Run,” “Santa Baby” — in this show directed by Karen Sipes.

When Santa goes missing, the Wonderettes, “through song and dance and hilarity, save the day,” Sipes said, describing it as unique in the genre.

“It’s not the sassy Hallmark kind of Christmas story. It’s not heavy Charles Dickens or anything like that. It’s really fun.”

“Winter Wonderettes” performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, and runs through Dec. 22. Tickets are $39-$43, plus fees. Contact: cascadestheatrical.org or 541-389-0803.

Hike up a butte

Maybe you want to work off some holiday calories, take in our epic views or simply want to exhaust relatives. Whatever your motivation, Bend has a number of nearby and in-town buttes to hike. If you want to keep it small, there’s Overturf Butte on the west side, where the elevation gain is 223 feet. Cascade Highlands Trail is accessible at Overturf Park, 475 NW 17th St., Bend.

For something a little more challenging on the east side, Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint will have them gushing about the views of the Cascades and Bend itself (elevation gain about 500 feet). There are a few options for ascending the butte, including trails and the paved road up, the latter of which is closed in winter. On the whole, each is nearly a mile in distance one way.

And down to the southeast a bit, there’s Bessie Butte, a solid .7 miles up and down on the smooth and freshly paved China Hat Road.

Up north near Redmond and Eagle Crest, Cline Butte Loop will really give the legs and lungs a workout with an 1,100-foot elevation gain. And over by Prineville, there’s conveniently located Barnes Butte (elevation gain 565 feet).

Slide on ice

The conveniently located public ice-skating rink in Bend is The Pavilion, 1001 SW Bradbury Drive. Drop-ins welcome during public skate sessions. On Friday, there are public skate sessions from 1 to 4 p.m., and 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and again 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday features a family skate session where skating is $7 per person, including skate rental, from 12:3 to 2:30 p.m. Contact: bendparksandrec.org/facility/the-pavilion or 541-389-7588.

Slide on snow

This is typically the time of year that Mt. Bachelor, the ski and snowboard resort just 22 miles from Bend, opens for business, but given the early onset of winter conditions, Bachelor opened for early season riding a couple of weeks ago. On Friday and beyond, the mountain will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for alpine and Nordic skiing. Didn’t bring the right gear? You know there are places that can help with rentals, both at the mountain and in Bend at places such as Skjersaa’s, Tactics and Powder House. For lift prices, visit mtbachelor.com.

Skate on concrete

Believe it or not, thanks to the weather patterns and elevation in Central Oregon, it’s possible to ride snow in the mountains and still ride a skateboard in town. As of this writing, the weekend forecast looks promising, with plenty of sunshine and highs in the low 40s, which means the skateboarders and scooter riders in your party may find one of Central Oregon’s skateparks to their liking. Virtually every town, including Madras, Redmond and Prineville, has a concrete skatepark.

In Bend’s case, there are four of them, if you count the original ‘90s skatepark at the north end of Ponderosa Park (225 SE 15th St.,), and the newer on at the south end of the park. Rockridge Park is a sprawling moonscape of transitions and pump bumps, and just a short drive away, Northpointe Park (63856 Hunters Circle) has a small skate dot with a ledge, quarter pipe and rail.

Sway to live music

If your visitors erroneously believe we don’t get worthwhile artists in Central Oregon, tell ‘em to check this out: Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Thunderstorm Artis playing at 7 p.m. Saturday (6:30 doors) at The Belfry (302 E. Main Ave., Sisters). Artis is a soulful vocalist, a storyteller and a season 18 semifinalist on “The Voice” whose voice John Legend described as “magical.” Oh yeah, and he’s from the North Shore of Oahu and has played alongside Jack Johnson. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Head to belfryevents.com for tickets and more information.