It’s Thanksgiving time in America. I really only understand what that means from films that I’ve seen, so I’m sure all you Americans are up to hijinks and shenanigans with turkeys and footballs.

But Thanksgiving also means sales! Cheap things! Games that don’t cost quite as much as they did a few days ago! Black Friday! Cyber Monday! All of those things are essentially anathema to me though.

So instead of making a list of the ways you could save yourself a few quid this Thanksgiving weekend, here’s a list of the things you could do with your money instead that might actually benefit the world.

Support a charity

So you’ve got some money to spend, but rather than throwing it away on digital ephemera that you’re not going to remember in a few day’s time, why not use it to support one of the many fine charities that are working to make a difference in the world?

I don’t want to tell you what to do with your cash, but I’m pretty sure giving it to a place that supports the homeless will see it put to good use. After all it’s really cold outside and you definitely don’t need another 4 games.

Help a friend

These are hard times. We’re all poorer than we used to be thanks to a combination of global financial collapses, bankers, and bankers. And also people deciding that leaving the EU was a good idea. Maybe rather than spending that money on yourself you could spend it on a friend.

It’s little moments of human kindness that make the hideous darkness of our brief spin on this dead rock worth it. So get your friend a game. Get them a cake. Get them something awesome and give them a lovely hug.

Call someone you’ve not seen for ages

The world is pretty big to us tiny humans, and sometimes we get spread out from the people we love. So rather than spending money on another match-stuff puzzler with a twist, why don’t you pick up the phone and give someone on another continent a call.

I’ll guarantee they’ll be delighted to hear your voice. And then you can talk about all that cool stuff you’ve done since you last saw them. Basically toss some love over to the other side of the world rather than buying more games you’ll only end up disappointed in.

Give it to someone in a shop

We’ve all looked at the videos of Black Friday on the Youtubes and had a good laugh at all the chaos. But have you ever stopped to think about how truly, abysmally bad it must be to have to work during that madness?

So the next time you’re in one of those shops, take the people behind the counter a card. You probably can’t tip them because it’s against company policy or some nonsense, but tell them you’re really grateful for what they do, and you know they’re only doing their best.