Just when we finally got the Thanksgiving week holiday line-up down (the main event followed by Black Friday and Small Business Saturday), we find out there’s a holiday the day BEFORE Thanksgiving—Green Wednesday! This cannabis-centric holiday celebrates the joy of gathering together (and maybe even defray some of the stress associated with everyone gathering together…) Well, Green Lady Dispensary in Newton Centre takes Green Wednesday pretty seriously, and on November 22 is celebrating with FREE trucker hats for the first 20 customers, swag with all purchases, surprise offers only happening on Green Wednesday and two pretty cool pop-ups—Coastal Healings and RiverRun Gardens. The fun begins at 9 AM! Green Lady is located at 740 Beacon Street. Mon - Sat: 9-9; Sun: Noon-6

High-end leather handbag designer Lara B Designs recently opened in Echo Bridge Mall. She’s kicking off the holiday season a little early with a sale starting next week, running through Black Friday and straight into Small Business Saturday! It’s a great time to pick up a handbag for yourself or gifts for others. Her Scarlett Totes and Febe Hobo Bags are discounted by 25% plus all pouches are 50% off their regular prices. Lara B’s bags have graced the pages of British Vogue, Elle and Cosmopolitan—who knew they were right here in Newton? The sale runs 11/14-11/18 and 11/24 - 11/25, The shop is located in the Echo Bridge Mall at the corner of Chestnut and Walnut Streets and is open 12-4 or e-mail lara@larabdesigns.com for an appt. Sale includes in-stock merchandise only.

Feeding a crowd this Thanksgiving? Have kids coming home for the holiday? Celebrating at someone else’s table? It seems like Bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes were created with holidays like Thanksgiving in mind—when there’s little time, waves of family and friends, and great expectations for dessert.

This bakery on Needham Street does one thing—make outstanding bundt cakes in crowd-pleasing flavors—at prices that won’t break the bank. Their perfectly moist cakes are available in a variety of sizes and flavors, all drizzled with their signature, not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting. With flavor options like lemon, carrot, pumpkin spice, red velvet and white chocolate raspberry (just to name a few), it’s easy to find everyone’s favorite. Cakes come in sizes for large groups or small families (there are even mini cupcake-sized “bundtinis”), and leftovers can be stashed in the freezer (YAY)! Oh, and they’re great for hostess gifts, too. All cakes are Kosher Dairy Certified. Open 7 days/week. 170 Needham Street, Newton, with easy and ample parking.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Just Next Door in Auburndale has a holiday special that’s just too good to pass up, and perfect for hostess gifts or to grab for your own kitchen. Geometry Tea Towels, voted by Better Homes & Gardens as “The Best Kitchen Towels in 2023,” are 20% off from November 20-22. These aren’t your typical tea towels; created from recycled water bottles (there are 3.5 water bottles/towel), Geometry Towels are super absorbent and available in stunning designs. Just Next Door has built a reputation for having moderately priced gifts, and for holidays like Thanksgiving it truly shines. From soy candles from Boston Wick Co., Harbor Sweet chocolates, ceramic turkey toothpick holders, sampler boxes of organic teas, and greeting cards— the list goes on and on. 327 Auburn Street, Auburndale. Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri: 10-6; Thurs: 10-7; Sat: 9:30-5; Sun: 11-4.

New medspa, Newton Medical Aesthetics, quietly opened over the summer and is flinging open its doors for a Grand Opening on Thursday, November 30, from 5-8 PM. Meet their team of professionals, see live demos, enter to win $15,000 in Raffle Prizes, and take advantage of 20% off services purchased at the event. This luxury medspa offers a full menu—from facial peels to skin resurfacing, dermal fillers, botox, micro needling, laser hair removal, and body contouring, all in a welcoming, warm environment. Light refreshments. Located at 233 Needham Street, Suite 406, Newton

Bettina's Bakery has a full dessert menu for Thanksgiving, so you can spend less time in the kitchen leading up to the holiday, and know your desserts will be off-the-chart crowd pleasers. This sweet little bakery, owned and operated by two professional pastry chefs, is already taking Thanksgiving orders for its Apple Crumb, Blueberry Crumb, and Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin Cheesecake with Dulce de Leche, and brioche dinner rolls. And if you want to sample Bettina’s pies, head to Greentail Table in Nonantum on Friday, November 10th, from 2-5 PM. In addition to samples there will be a limited quantity of small pies for sale, and a Thanksgiving sign up sheet. The last day to order for Thanksgiving is Saturday, Nov 18th, but earlier orders are always appreciated! 295 Elliot St., Newton Upper Falls. Mon-Sat: 7-3

Kick off Thanksgiving with a morning exercise class? Why Not! Head into the holiday with a clear head and strong body by signing up for a holiday class at Motion Study, a welcoming Barre studio in Newton Highlands. Never tried Barre? No problem--there are students across the experience spectrum and Motion Study instructors meet students where they are, helping them along their fitness journey.

Beginning Thursday, November 23 and running through December 31st, Motion Study is offering 40% off the purchase of Studio 5 Packs. Limit of two 5-packs per customer

Folklorica is a favorite jewelry destination in the greater Newton area—from classic looks to avant-garde statement pieces from Italian designers—you can find it at Folklorica. And while this little Newton Centre shop made its name in jewelry, its collection also includes fashion accessories like warm and stylish gloves, mittens, scarves and hats, as well as home accents. It’s the perfect spot for holiday shopping, and if you mention “ALL Over Newton” you’ll receive a free deluxe canvas tote bag to fill with all of your Folklorica 🎁🎁🎁for everyone on your list!

While you can certainly order flowers from Derby Farm Flowers online and have them delivered for the holiday, you may want to place and/or pick up your order in person so you have a chance to peruse hostess gifts and home and table décor for the holiday. (We went in for flowers and left with earrings!) Derby Farm Flowers is a one-stop home resource for Thanksgiving, with all of the just-right touches for creating warm, welcoming homes. Their flower arrangements--which recently made it onto the pages of Vogue—are stunning. Make sure to place orders early for the best selection—since opening, Derby Farm has quickly gained a steadfast following! Mon: 10-2; Tues-Sat: 10-5. Closed Sunday. Location: 1280 Centre Street

Go for it—grab a second helping of turkey and an extra large slice of pecan pie. You can burn off the extra calories at Cardio High—either before your feast, after, or both! Cardio High is the only exercise studio we know of in Newton that’s devoted to “HIIT,” which is short for “High Intensity Interval Training.” HIIT may sound intimidating, but it isn’t—especially at a supportive studio like Cardio High. A HIIT class incorporates several rounds of short cardio bursts followed by brief periods of rest. The New York Times named HIIT the form of exercise with the “greatest bang for the buck,” boosting one’s overall fitness and increasing calorie burn rate.

Located in Auburndale, Cardio High specializes in low impact HIIT, taking the stress off knees and other joints. The studio offers personal heart rate monitors to easily track one’s level of exertion, calories burned, and fitness progress over time. Try a class for free--it'll definitely be the "high" point of your day, and may be the key to staying fit all winter.

Well you could prepare your Thanksgiving meal from scratch but why not leave ALL of the heavy lifting to Newton caterer, Better Life Food? Pick up a complete, stellar Thanksgiving meal, ready to heat and eat, at an astonishingly reasonable price ($50 per person with a minimum of two people.) The made-to-order dinners include roast turkey, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, real mashed potatoes, peas and pearl onions, honey-glazed carrots, butternut squash, rolls and butter. You can add one of their scratch-made pies, too.

This small Nonantum kitchen has a HUGE following of local families. Their mainstay is event and corporate catering--it’s not well known that they also sell out of their kitchen on Adams Street. Their value-priced meals are great for stashing in your freezer and pulling out on busy days when cooking a meal isn’t in the cards and you don’t want to spend money on take out (again…) Place Thanksgiving orders by Friday, November 17 for pick up Wednesday, November 22.

Newton Centre’s new women’s boutique, Dear Duchess, is celebrating both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday with free gifts and discounts. While supplies last, reach into the “Duchess Stocking” (no peeking) and pull out your gift with purchase. How fun is that? And, just in time for gift-giving, Dear Duchess has added winter fashion accessories to its clothing collection. There are hats, gloves, and scarves in cheerful prints and colors, and holiday jewelry and bags for pulling winter looks together. Racks are filled with warm sweaters, and classic yet on-trend tops and pants that can be dressed up or down, all at moderate prices. It’s a fun place to shop and such a welcome addition to Newton Centre!

49 Union St., Newton Centre. Tues-Fr: 10-5; Sat: 10-4. Closed Sun & Mon.

When Newton Centre’s Italian grocer Market-Tiamo opened last year, it elevated our home entertaining to a whole new level. Artistically created charcuterie boards with cured meats, cheeses, olives, spreads, crackers and more, all imported from Italy, flew out the door. And suddenly lovers of great food all over Newton had a new, favorite place to shop.

Market-Tiamo is a must-visit for Thanksgiving. Beyond their crowd-pleasing charcuterie boards, they’ll help you select just the right wine for your meal, Italian cookies, chocolates, and panettoni that’s so good it’ll be the star of any dessert table. You can try before you buy, too—head to the grocery between 12-3 PM on Saturday, November 18th for an Italian food and wine tasting, pick out your favorites, and place your order for the holiday. 36 Langley Road, Newton Centre. Mon-Sat: 10-7:30; Sun: 10-4

As a Best of Boston Winner for Entertaining Essentials, Greentail Table is ground zero for holidays like Thanksgiving. With a vast selection of hostess gifts, table linens, candles and holders, place cards, cocktail napkins, vases, charcuterie boards, serving bowls, cheese boards—well, you name it—Greentail Table is greater Boston’s one-stop shop for the holiday, and located in Nonantum! If you shop quickly (online or in-person), you can take advantage of their Annual 20% off Glassware Sale which runs through Saturday, November 11. Happen to be in the neighborhood on Friday, November 10? Pop in to sample Thanksgiving pies from Bettina’s Bakery, and maybe even pick up a small one for the weekend. 343 Watertown Street, Nonatum. Mon-Fri: 10-6 and Sat 10-5

There’s no other Pilates studio like Kink Pilates. Glow-in-the-dark classes. A Barbie-themed class. The Kinky Awards. Clearly this community knows how to blend exercise and fun. It’s no wonder Kink is so popular that it has already expanded its original space.

Kink is a reformer Pilates studio, providing targeted workouts. With only six machines in the main room, and six in the new Pilates Tower annex, classes are small and personalized. Whether you’re new to Pilates or a seasoned pro, Kink’s no judgment studio helps you set and reach your fitness goals, providing a needed respite for stressful days. While not technically in Newton, Kink is right down the road in next-door Waltham, and is such a welcoming environment and soul-cleansing experience that it’s worth crossing town lines.

For Black Friday, Kink has two promotions: 10% off all group classes —including their 3-pack newbie special (promo code is KINKTHANKS10) and 3-packs of private classes are reduced to $279 with promo code PRIVATESALE.

Sometimes an event comes along that makes you go “Whoa,” and this is definitely one of those. On Wednesday, November 15, Upper Falls fave Dunn-Gaherins is teaming up with local small businesses Redi Dispensary and Better Life Food for a free demonstration and tasting of infused gravy. Yes, cannabis-infused gravy. And what would this one-of-a-kind event be without local beer and music? Joining the outdoor tasting, beneath Dunn-Gaherin’s lofty heated tent, is Harpoon Brewery with a specialty ale created for Redi. Harpoon owner and musician Greg Moon will be there too, playing live music.

This 21+ event is 100% free (including the beer), and each attendee will go home with a mason jar of infused gravy which can be frozen and pulled out for Thanksgiving. Oh, and there’s a s’mores firepit, raffles, Redi discount cards, and plenty of Redi staff on hand to answer questions from those who are curious about cannabis. The event runs from 5-8 PM, but you can always stay later and grab dinner. Thanksgiving may never, ever, be the same…