The Hunger Games notoriously laments a lack of food whereas Thanksgiving celebrates a vast plenitude of grub. Why not mash these two disparate concepts together like a steaming pot of buttery potatoes Katniss Everdeen never enjoyed on the third Thursday of any month?
Here are 8 ways to throw your own Hunger Games Thanksgiving!
1. Tributes and Districts
Call all your friends and family “Tributes” and assign everyone a “District.” Your favorite uncle Jimmy is now The Tribute from District 2. “Pass the cream corn, and tell me all about your new obsession with collecting vintage belt buckles, Tribute from District 2.”
2. The Cornucopia
Craft a fine cornucopia centerpiece, place it gingerly in the center of your piping hot spread, and make all of your relatives run to the table from the starting line drawn in day-glo spray-paint on your next door neighbor’s lawn. Last one to tag the cornucopia has to eat at the kid’s table. Yep, it’s a huge bummer that Tribute from District 2’s third grade stepdaughter is a biter.
3. Icing, Icing, Baby
Cover things that shouldn’t be covered in icing…in lots of icing. Ice that pumpkin pie. Ice that turducken. Ice it real good to make Peeta proud.
4. Drink Like a Haymitch
Encourage Haymitch-like buffoonery. Celebrate Tribute from District’s 2’s eight-year sobriety with surreptitiously spiked cider.
5. Greasy Sae’s Entree
Instead of cranberry sauce, serve Greasy Sae’s goopy soup. No one will miss the cranberries anyway, though the stew won’t impress much either.
6. Arm Yourself
Arm yourself with a bow and carrots. This will come in handy in case anyone questions about your choice of theme for dinner. Also, you might need this to take down the Tribute from District 2 about the time the pie and digestifs are served.
7. Training Center
At the end of the meal, force the Tributes to show off their skills in the “Training Center.” Give anyone who pukes a lower training score. It’s basically the Hunger Games version of the common post-meal touch-football game. But with more spew and judgement. If the Tribute from District 2 is still conscious at this point, he automatically wins.
8. Quarter-Quell
Just when everyone is slowing down and ready for the day to be over, announce a quarter-quell in the form of hot dog eating contest. Arm you bow and carrots and be prepared for an uprising.
