Which is why it’s more important than EVER to consider whom you plan to invite over for Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes we get so close to the people we work with we feel compelled to socialize with them during time off. That’s fine for happy hours and weekly softball games, but Thanksgiving is a time you should spend with people you truly like (weird family members aside, whom you’re stuck with by birth, unfortunately).

So if you’re thinking about inviting a gaggle of co-workers over for Thanksgiving, ask yourself these four questions before you commit to setting a place for them.

1. Is Your Job Political?

And I don’t mean just in terms of liberal vs. conservative (although that can also be a total buzz kill at dinner, IF you happen to host two really outspoken political opposites who can’t keep their opinions to themselves).

Office politics are just as important to consider if you want a tranquil holiday. For example, are you up for a promotion against someone in your department? Have you recently filed a grievance? Do you have trouble getting along with your boss even though other co-workers find him fairly benign? These and other similar situations could make it uncomfortable for your co-workers to share Thanksgiving with you, even though at the office everything appears to be fine. Consider your current political situation at work before you throw open your front door and invite everyone in.

2. Are You a Different Person at Home?

No matter how easygoing you consider yourself to be at work, chances are you’re more yourself at home. That’s not to say you’re trying to hide the real you from everyone at work, but even the smallest nuance could make a difference.

For example, I don’t eat red meat, but I do eat poultry and fish. So one year when I invited a co-worker over for Thanksgiving dinner, she accepted because she’s vegetarian and thought I was too (because she knew I didn’t eat red meat – I didn’t think she’d accept the invitation if she was vegetarian, so I didn’t ask when I invited her). But unfortunately, I’d put chicken broth in EVERYTHING, so she left early to go home and eat.

Same thing can happen with alcohol. If you like to imbibe in spirits, but your co-workers are more of the non-drinking types (or vice versa), then you may want to rethink your office guest list when it comes to your holiday parties.

3. Is “Come One, Come All” the General Rule?

In other words, if you invited one or two people from work, will you have to invite the whole crew? This can be awkward in small businesses or satellite sales offices where there are only a few employees. Even though people say it doesn’t matter, sometimes it really does, especially around the holidays. If you don’t mind feeding a large cast of co-workers, then the more the merrier. If, however, you don’t want to invite everyone from your office, but you’re worried they might feel left out, then think about how you’re going to handle this before you invite anyone. You don’t want to have to endure any weirdness when you get back to work.

4. Will Your Co-workers Like Your Family?

This is the million-dollar question. Do you really want to expose the people you work with to your crazy relatives? That’s not to say you’re ashamed of them, but as Dave Barry once said “Thanksgiving is that very special holiday when we take a break from our hectic everyday lives to spend quality time with our loved ones, rediscovering all the reasons why we don’t actually live with them.” So, for example, if you have an 80-year-old uncle who likes to get drunk and pass out by 4:00 p.m. or a scary-looking punk sister who dresses like a witch and has more ink on her body than road map, you might ask yourself, “How hard to I really want to work on Thanksgiving to make this eclectic group blend?”

Really, it all comes down to this: You deserve to have a peaceful, happy Thanksgiving just as much as the next person. And if you can make that happen AND include some of your co-workers, great! If not, don’t worry. You can always make up for it at your New Year’s Eve party, where everyone is expected to get wild and act like goons.

If you’re currently in this career purgatory now is the perfect time to try something completely wild and crazy (in terms of employment) to hold you over until you find a real job. We’re not talking about anything elaborate, just something simple that doesn’t take any start-up equity and that you can do yourself so you don’t have to pay anyone.

What’s that you say? You don’t have any marketable talents? (Outside the corporate world, that is.) We think you do, because talent isn’t necessarily what you’re capable of doing, but rather it’s being smart enough to think up unique, simple jobs that people are willing to pay for on the spot in cash.

So to help jumpstart your brain in a creative direction, we give you five temporary jobs you could do to hold you over until your ship comes in.

1. Resume Writer

How many resumes have you written since you’ve made job-hunting your new career? More importantly, how many resume websites have you visited or blogs have you read in an effort to educate yourself on the art of writing a resume? So why not share some of your newfound knowledge? For a small fee. Oh sure, there are professional resume-writers out there, but the irony is no one can afford the big bucks to have someone write their resume once they’re unemployed. However, they can usually fork over a few small bucks to someone who’s a little further along in the process of finding a job. You’d be surprised at how many people are paralyzed by the thought of writing their resume, especially if it’s been years since they’ve been unemployed.

2. The Five-minute Foot Massage

Find private property where people have to wait, like a doctor’s office, a coffee shop, a movie theatre, etc. Ask the owner if you can set up a small, comfortable chair and give five-minute foot massages at $1 per minute. If it’s an extremely high traffic area you can even offer to give the business-owner a cut, if you make over a certain amount. You’ll be shocked how many people will line up for a mini-foot rub. Don’t, however, set up shop in a public area without checking with the local Chamber of Commerce first. You could be arrested for panhandling in some cities if you don’t get a street vendor permit first.

And yes, you do have to get over the fact that you’re touching people’s feet (wearing surgical gloves helps), but I know an unemployed bank teller who did this and she made so much money she decided to go to massage therapy school. Eventually she ended up with a more lucrative and stable career as a massage therapist.

3. Dinner To Go

With everyone in such a hurry these days reasonably priced take-out food is on the rise. Obviously, you can’t afford to buy an In-and-Out Burger franchise, nor can you start your own restaurant. However, you can make it easier for people get their food by bringing it to them. Start your own food delivery service where you charge 10% of the total cost of the food order, or a minimum flat fee, which ever is greater. Hey, pizza parlors have been doing it for years, why not give Mexican food lovers the same great service?

4. Private Party Bartender

Now we admit, you have to know a little something about mixing drinks for this one, but honestly, it’s knowledge that’s easily gleaned from cocktail websites. With the holiday season starting (beginning with Halloween) many families and businesses are planning their neighborhood and office parties. Now is the perfect time to start marketing yourself an independent bartender. And if you do get an office job in mean time, you can still keep your bartending commitments, as parties are typically in the evenings and on weekends. It’s good extra money even after you finally reconnect with your regular career.

5. Pooper Scooper

Don’t laugh, I know someone who ended up making six figures a year scooping dog dooty. He started out doing private home backyards and eventually graduated to parks, where he landed lucrative seasonal contracts that were paid in advance by the city. It’s not necessarily pretty work, but the pay is good, you make your own hours, you’re outside, and all you need to start is some sort of utensil to scoop poop (check Petco for the different types).

These are just a few ideas to earn some extra cash while considering your future career options (which is how you spin the fact you’re unemployed). Even if none of these suggestions are right for you, feel free to use them as creative kindling to fire up your imagination. After all, if you’re going to be unemployed, you might as well be productive about it.

Over the past few years, America has become enamored with The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. This might be giving us some unrealistic expectations. Personally, I can’t afford to take someone on an extreme activity every single date, and sadly I don’t have 20 single people waiting for me when I come down the stairs. That kind of fairy tale beginning can’t be good for a healthy long term relationship.