Whether it's before or after the meal, that "quick stroll around the block" has become one of Thanksgiving's most popular—and hilarious—new traditions
True story: I was at a Friendsgiving this weekend when I noticed my friend (who shall remain nameless for reasons that are about to become apparent) refusing to sit down while we chatted after the meal. She just stood there, shifting from foot to foot like she was auditioning for Lord of the Dance. When our host announced that dessert would be ready in 30 minutes, my friend’s eyes went wide with panic.
“I need to go for a walk. Right now.”
“Oh, I’ll come with you!” I said, reaching for my jacket.
She grabbed my arm and whispered urgently in my ear: “Look. I ate a lot of dairy, and things down there are … explosive. I can’t even sit down. You can come, but be warned, it’s about to get nuclear out there.”
Reader, you better believe I went with her! It was as entertaining as advertised. By the time we returned, she could actually sit at the table, and I had a new appreciation for her honesty, the power of a cheese board and the benefits of a post-dinner walk.
These types of holiday “walks” aren’t unique to my friend or the lactose-intolerant. Perhaps you’ve noticed certain family members who seem to suddenly develop an urgent need for fresh air right before Thanksgiving dinner or after Christmas brunch? One minute they’re dodging Aunt Carol’s questions about why they’re still single, the next they’re speed-walking toward their coats, muttering something about “walking the dog” (you don’t have a dog), “getting some air” (there’s air inside too, Brad) or “checking on the car” (it’s parked, it’s fine). When they return 15 minutes later, either they’re visibly more comfortable or suspiciously suddenly finding Uncle Jerry’s crypto investment advice absolutely fascinating.
(Pro tip: If someone who has never voluntarily touched a dirty dish in their life is suddenly elbow-deep in soapy water while scrubbing the turkey pan, they 100% went on a “cousin walk”—more on that in a sec.)
Welcome to the era of the Thanksgiving walk—a phenomenon that’s become as much a part of the holiday as arguing over whether sweet potatoes need marshmallows. (They definitely do, IMO.) It’s not just about gas, however. It turns out there are multiple types of Thanksgiving walks happening, each with its own devoted following, unspoken rules and plausible deniability. One in particular is getting a lot of buzz (pun absolutely, unapologetically intended) …
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What are pre-dinner walks all about?
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The most buzzed-about pre-meal tradition is the “cousin walk,” which has become so popular that the Wall Street Journal did a whole investigative piece on it. The cousin walk goes by many names: “Thanksgiving walk,” “pre-dinner safety meeting” or simply no name at all, with family members exchanging knowing glances before grabbing their jackets. But while some folks really are just out there for the quiet contemplation and fresh autumn air, the emerging trend is smoking pot.
Yep, herb isn’t just for stuffing the turkey.
But why? First, it’s so much easier than trying to hit the vape you hid in your jacket pocket while not making eye contact with Grandma, who has the nose of a bloodhound and thinks “only hippies smoke marijuana.” Second, it does help the festivities run a little more smoothly when you’re legally required to hear about your cousin’s keto journey for the 17th time.
“I love gabbing, and it’s so much easier and comfortable walking and talking,” says Parker B., 24, of North Carolina, who partakes in a few cousin walks during the holidays. “Plus, the weed breaks down the barriers of embarrassment or judgment and encourages more creative and adventurous conversations.”
This “cousin walk” has become so popular that marijuana dispensaries now celebrate “Green Wednesday”—the day before Thanksgiving—as their second-biggest sales day of the year, right behind April 20 (aka 420 Day).
The tradition has gone so mainstream that major brands are getting in on the action. Jif Peanut Butter featured an Instagram post showing someone with a squeeze pouch of peanut butter tucked inside his jacket, captioned “Pre-Thanksgiving-Dinner Cousin Walk.” Meanwhile, Hidden Valley Ranch did a collaboration with Taco Bell that referenced the tradition, showing a picture of a purple Taco Bell box and Fire Ranch dipping sauce. Because nothing says “I’m definitely not stoned” like showing up with Fire Ranch dipping sauce and pouring it on the mashed potatoes.
It goes beyond just getting high, though. There are several very good non-drug-related reasons that any of your relations might want a cousin walk. It’s a chance to decompress before the family circus begins, bond with like-minded relatives and make Aunt Linda’s stories about her timeshare slightly more bearable. (She will trap you. She always traps someone.) Either way, the walk’s best purpose is bonding time where you can say whatever is really on your mind—the stuff that’s too real, too honest or too hilarious to say at the dinner table while Grandpa is carving the turkey, according to Parker. “I feel like it balances out my brain,” he says.
But, he adds, “It also soothes me and helps with nausea, depression and arthritis symptoms.” See? It’s practically a vegetable at this point, it’s so healthy—and legal to some degree in 39 states, plus the District of Columbia.
Of course, not everyone in the family is on board—and hiding the activity from disapproving relatives is part of the fun. As one participant noted on social media, “The first rule of the cousin walk is that we do not discuss the cousin walk.” Although when someone comes back smelling like a Dave Matthews concert, suddenly fascinated by the pattern on the wallpaper and insisting that “time is, like, totally a construct, man,” the secret’s probably out. The jig is up. The cat’s out of the bag. The turkey’s out of the oven. You get it.
What are after-dinner walks about?
If the pre-dinner walk is about getting high, the post-dinner walk is about getting relief—specifically, from all that gas that built up after you inhaled your body weight in stuffing, three types of potatoes and enough pie to feed a small nation. Enter the “fart walk,” a delightfully blunt term for the age-old practice of taking a stroll after a big meal. Finally, a tradition where we just say what it is!
Trisha Pasricha, MD, explained the science in an utterly delightful Washington Post column that should win awards for both medical accuracy and comedic timing. Researchers in Barcelona had volunteers pedal adapted bicycles while scientists infused gas into their small intestines. (Pause here to appreciate that someone’s doctoral dissertation was literally about measuring farts.)
The findings? After short bursts of mild physical activity, people expelled more gas than was added. “After a fart walk, you’ll be better off than you started,” Dr. Pasricha writes, which is possibly the most optimistic thing ever written about flatulence.
The key is staying upright—research shows that intestinal gas passes about 33% more efficiently when you’re sitting or standing than when you’re lying down or horizontal. So resist the sofa’s siren song, no matter how loudly it calls your name or how much your food-drunk brain insists that lying down is absolutely necessary for survival. It’s not. Walk it off. Literally.
Bonus: That post-meal walk does more than relieve gas. A 15-minute walk after eating helps blunt your blood sugar spike more effectively than walking before meals, and over time, it may even improve markers for prediabetes and diabetes. So you’re basically getting healthier and more comfortable. Win-win. As Dr. Pasricha so eloquently puts it: “Grab your favorite cousin and the family dog. Break bread and then (politely) break wind.”
Other types of holiday walks
These aren’t official walks (yet), but based on extensive field research (i.e., my own family and friends), they absolutely should be:
- The “I Can’t with This Anymore” Walk: When you feel your eye starting to twitch during Uncle Brad’s rant about politics, and you leave before saying something you’ll regret at Christmas.
- The Gossip Walk: When you sneak outside specifically to discuss everyone still inside. Bonus points if you’re literally talking about the person who just went on the cousin walk.
- The “Settling a Bet” Walk: When two family members need to argue about whether it was 2019 or 2020 when that thing happened, whose fault it really was and whether it even matters anymore (it does, apparently), and they’re taking it outside to settle it once and for all. May the most stubborn person win.
- The “I Volunteered to Help with Someone Else’s Dog” Walk: The hero’s journey of offering to walk a relative’s dog you’ve never met and whose name you don’t know, just to get 15 minutes of peace. The dog appreciates you. You appreciate the dog. It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship based entirely on mutual avoidance of small talk.
- The “Mall Opens at 5 p.m.” Walk: The Black Friday shopping escape route, deployed increasingly early each year.
Whether you’re sneaking out for a pre-dinner cousin walk, taking a post-feast constitutional to ease the pressure (and save your pants) or deploying one of our helpful made-up additions, these Thanksgiving strolls can genuinely transform your holiday experience. The best part? You get some quality one-on-one time with your favorite relatives away from the chaos, whether you’re dishing about other guests, solving the world’s problems or just enjoying the crisp November air together in blessed, blessed silence.
Just maybe don’t tell Grandma which type of walk you’re really taking. Some family secrets are meant to stay outside—along with the evidence. (And remember to “properly dispose of your cannabis by sealing it in an empty jar or otherwise secure container. Put that in a bag like you would regular trash, so it doesn’t stand out. Then throw it all in a large dumpster. Dispose of any packaging separately before you cross state lines.” This helpful tip is from, I’m not even kidding you, the official Colorado website. Happy holidays!)
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Sources:
- Parker B., marijuana enthusiast and taker of cousin walks; phone interview, Nov. 24, 2025
- Colorado State: “How to Dispose of Cannabis on Your Way Out of Colorado”
