How to Cure Post-Holiday Entertaining Blues

The holiday turkey has been reduced to leftovers, the televised parades are long over, but your visiting relatives are still in town – perhaps with multiple generations and several days' worth of time to fill.

Whether you have visitors for a holiday feast or for a gathering in the weeks before or after, finding activities that the entire group will enjoy together can be a challenge. But there are a lot of options in the Triangle and beyond with activities perfect for a chilly afternoon indoors or for enjoying a beautiful winter day outside. Whether you want to stay home or take a quick trip, we offer a number of ways to enjoy family time throughout the holiday season.

Start with the basics like an afternoon of movies in the comfort of your home and without concession prices. Finding a movie to suit a generation-spanning range of ages might sound impossible, but Ty Burr, author of "The Best Old Movies For Families: A Parent’s Guide to Watching Together," would assure you it’s not. A film critic for The Boston Globe and father of two "tween-age" daughters, Burr knows a bit about cinema and about what’s available for kids and teens today.

When one of his daughters requested a screening of the Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant classic “Bringing up Baby,” for her ninth birthday, Burr and his wife weren’t so sure. Neither were the parents of her guests. The 9-year-old girls proved all the parents wrong, prompting Burr to write in the introduction to his book, “Great film-making trumps all other considerations. This is even more true if you’re 9 and every movie still feels like the first you’ve ever seen.”

For each movie suggestion, Burr writes a bit about the movie, explains why he chose it, notes any special parts about the home DVD versions, offers “pause-button explanations” – bits that you might need to clarify for your kids or that might open up broader discussions – and suggests other classics to follow up with. Good movies, he notes, “usually open the door to larger conversations about behavior and meaning and the world’s possibilities.”

If it’s too chilly to wander, try a board game. And keep in mind, that doesn’t have to translate to bored game. Pull out the classics, not just for fun, but to share stories about how sweet Uncle Bob goes psycho-competitive when it comes to winning at Scrabble. Or the time the family dog ate the Monopoly dog, which is why you’ve resorted to a Lego pirate to replace that particular piece in the game.

For less competitive fun, take advantage of those who have gathered to create an heirloom. Start that genealogy while some of the very experts you need are visiting. Or work on a family cookbook while the master pound cake-maker is there to describe how to replicate her recipe or even to demonstrate.

Depending on the weather forecast, a drive to Asheboro for a taste of the tropics could be in order. The North Carolina Zoo recently opened two exhibits featuring frogs native to Central and South America. These small, colorful critters include three species of poison dart frogs and Panama golden frogs, which are believed to be extinct in the wild.

Whether your family wants to look for fun in the den, down the street or a drive away, the options for out-of-town guests this holiday season are appropriate for all ages and interests. So finish up those leftovers and enjoy.