TURKEY DAY, NOV. 28 2013 >>>

1. With the family Ultimate Frisbee season behind us, you may have thought your opportunity to bond with your family on the basis of poor athleticism and a bad team name was over. Not so. The annual Norpoint Turkey Trot takes flight Thursday morning. Jog, trot - hell, even go on stilts - to the Center at Norpoint and run your tail feathers off. The event is stuffed with holiday activities and features a 5k chip-timed run, a 2-mile non-timed run/walk and a Kids' Trot for ages 3 to 10. The sponsoring body, Metro Parks Tacoma, asks you bring your entire family, turkey costumes and $45 on the day of race. Better run, turkeys.

2. Homelessness, hunger and despair are a daily and painful reality for thousands of men, women and children in Pierce County. The Rescue Mission, in operation now for more than 100 years, has been serving the Tacoma-area homeless community by providing meals, shelter, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, education and job-training skills and other programs. Help this long-standing organization give folks in need a hand up at Thanksgiving. Check rescue-mission.org and The Rescue Mission's Facebook page for the latest updates on what's needed for the holiday meal. As of this mid-November, kitchen staffers are looking for turkeys, hams and roast beef as well as these extras: flats of mushrooms, any fresh produce, canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, fruit pies and stuffing mix. Looking to lend a hand? Check out the volunteer information on the site. Help is needed year round.

3. Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a grimy, shady, homophobic, substance-abusing horndog in 1985 Texas who learns he's HIV-positive and procures unapproved means of treatment in the film Dallas Buyers Club, which screens at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. McConaughey's masterful job of portraying one of the more deeply flawed anti-heroes in recent screen history reminds us why he became a movie star in the first place. We start out loathing this guy and learn to love him. Jared Leto disappears into the role of a transgender drug addict and Jennifer Garner is Ron's empathetic doctor.

4. Holiday lights from the comfort and warmth of your own car? Need to keep the kiddos in awe of holiday wonder while not lugging out the stroller? Put away the umbrellas and rain boots, because here's an easy-peasy way to see some stunning light and holiday wonderland displays right in our own backyard. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and whimsical and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake. The light turn on from 5:30-9 p.m. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

5. It's not Thanksgiving without a trip to a casino. Wally & The Beaves will rock the Muckleshoot Casino at 5:30 p.m., and the Emerald Queen Casino hosts Asia Fest featuring Ho Le Thu, Don Ho, Huong Thuy, Trinh Lam, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, Mai Tien Dung, Bao Thy at 7 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area