Holy tryptophan, Betsteroids! Has Thanksgiving crept up on us already? Why, just the other day it seemed like the last of the Winnebagos faded up the Sterling Highway and tourist season ended. Yeah, yeah, Halloween was like an early warning, but can it be the last week of November so soon?

Unless you're a kid. Forget all those sociological theories about the dawning of adulthood. Pfaw. Childhood ends when Christmas comes too soon. Remember when December crawled along like a bunch of banana slugs drag racing? Then something happened and if you blinked around Thanksgiving, next thing you knew, it was Mardi Gras.

So slow down. Relax. Keep it simple. Holidays should not be a manic rush of consumer frenzy, but a time to enjoy the company of family, friends and neighbors. You're getting this week's paper a day early. Take some time to check out the new! improved! easy to read! one-page Homer News Calendar on page 27, and try out some of these Best Bets:

BEST ALL TOGETHER NOW BET: You've heard them at their annual Pier One readings. You've read them in the Kachemak Bay Writers Contest winners. You've seen them on the streets. Now, the gang of 23 scribes known as "Invisible Ink" have collected 50 works in one big book. From 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, they'll be reading from and signing their book at the Homer Bookstore.

BEST FOREIGN QUAGMIRE BET: A Western country gets bogged down in a conflict in an Islamic nation. That is like so French, you know? It's also the story of "The Battle of Algiers," the classic 1965 Algerian-Italian film about France's colonial adventures in North Africa. This week's Kachemak Bay Campus foreign film, it shows at 7 p.m. only Friday night at the West Campus.

BEST BIG RED SOX BET: Ah, what a World Series. After 86 years, the Boston Red Sox finally win. Oh, wait this has nothing to do with Reversing the Curse. We're talking the annual Pratt Museum Stocking Stuffer Party from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the museum. There's holiday shopping, cookie decorating, children's art activities, graham cracker houses and, of course, a visit from Santa himself.

BEST GET IN THE SPIRIT BET: Want to tune out all that chatter in the rumpus room over a bunch of big guys pummeling each other? Slap on the headphones and tune in to KBBI public radio on Thanksgiving. From 9 to 10 a.m. it's "Giving Thanks," from 10 a.m. to noon "A Feast for the Ears" and from 7 to 9 p.m. "Creators at Carnegie."

BEST LOCAL TALENT BET: From Pioneer Avenue to Bishop's Beach, Homer's best and most cosmic bands and musicians play at our cafes and bars. Check out the big calendar for who's playin' where. From mellow acoustic guitars to foot-stompin' dance music, Homer has it all.