Now that the big boxes and national brands have admitted what many of us surmised - that the best bargains aren't really offered on the Friday after Thanksgiving -we can breathe a collective sigh of relief and actually have some fun. Sort of like what this holiday was always supposed to be about: time with family and friends. And, of course, a bit of shopping.

If you want to let the kids romp around while you support mom-and-pop businesses, Stay and Play in Old Saybrook is hosting its first parents' vendor and crafts show, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Expect an eclectic mix of creations and products, from wooden picnic tables to jewelry and gem-like mineral soaps, plus three local authors.

"So many of our parents have home-based businesses, we decided this would be a way for us to give back," says Carol Schneider, head of the play center's after-school programs. Her Waterford neighbor, Kelly Arnold, a single mom, will display her Creative Fantasies jewelry, and there will be a selection of gifts made by adults with disabilities from Community Enterprises in Gales Ferry. The hand-made Anjoul Bliss soaps are the creation of Mariel Nader of New London.

Need a holiday photo of the kids? Stonington-based photographer Kade Braylen Beauchamp will have her camera set up. JAMMS, a local family restaurant, will be offering a decidedly non-turkey-leftovers menu of hamburgers and hotdogs. Regular admission rates apply for kids, but parents are always free at Stay and Play, which serves Bean & Leaf coffee. The coffee is free if you donate to the diaper drive for Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services.

There are more opportunities to keep the kids entertained, get into the season and to buy local from 3 to 7 p.m. on Saturday at the 11th annual Niantic Holiday Stroll, organized by Niantic Main Street. More than 40 area businesses are participating, offering holiday treats, hot chocolate, store specials and assorted festivities. Look for free horse-drawn carriage rides, strolling yuletide carolers, a performance by the East Lyme Middle School Festival Chorus and music with a DJ on Liberty Green. Bring a new, unwrapped toy or donation for the Heritage Properties' Toys for Tots Drive. Strollers also can drop in at the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut to write a letter to Santa and head down the street to deliver it to him after the tree lighting. Kids also can make crafts at the East Lyme Police Station. Don't miss the donut-eating contest at Giuliano's Donut & Bake Shop at 4 p.m. or the S'mores station at Berkshire-Hathaway realtors.

If you're looking for one-of-a-kind creations by Native American, Haitian or Palestinian artists and artisans, stop by the Tribal Crafts store at the Old Lyme Marketplace, next to the Big Y grocery store. The nonprofit organization run by volunteers showcases artwork made by artists in mission partnerships of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. The holiday store is open weekends through mid-December, plus Lakotan Travis Harden, visiting from the Cheyenne River Reservation of South Dakota, will be at the store on Friday. Harden, who paints on animal skins and creates jewelry from buffalo bone and horn, also is a singer and storyteller.

Or, if what you really need to do is work off the turkey dinner, the Common Good Gardens in Old Saybrook is holding a work party at 10 a.m. today to spread compost on its garden paths. Organizer Claudia Van Nes recommends this as a good activity for lounging Thanksgiving guests. The garden volunteers calculate they raised 8,412 pounds of food this year for soup kitchens and food pantries along the shoreline.

If you can get up from the sofa by Sunday, take in the Old Saybrook Land Trust's annual Thanksgiving hike and get an early tour of The Preserve, the soon-to-be-purchased 1,000-acre forest between Old Saybrook, Essex and Westbrook. There's a choice of two trails and difficulty levels, both leaving at 1 p.m. from Town Park on School House Road in Old Saybrook. Light to medium rain or snow will not stop the hike. Survivors get to enjoy light refreshments and a cozy fire back at the town park shelter.

When she's not gardening or kayaking, Suzanne hosts a weekly radio show, "CT Outdoors," on WLIS 1420 AM and WMRD 1150 AM from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and from 7 to 7:30 a.m. Sunday, or listen to archived shows in the On Demand section of www.wliswmrd.net.