For all the joys of being with family and friends and taking stock of our blessings, Thanksgiving can be a disaster waiting to happen.

Hazards lurk around every corner — from carving knives and burnt turkey to family feuds and indigestion.

Fear not.

Here is your guide to preventing such problems, and should something arise, there are solutions for that too.

So, go ahead.

Enjoy yourself.

But keep this paper at hand in case you need to find a nearby drug store that’s open today should that extra helping of pumpkin pie get the best of you.

In the kitchen

Hoping celebrity chef Bobby Flay will show up at your door and challenge you to a turkey cook-off for his Food Network show “Throwdown! With Bobby Flay”?

Improve your chances of him coming a-knocking by taking some lessons from the food pros this Thanksgiving.

Home economists and dietitians can be reached from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. today to answer turkey-related questions in both English and Spanish by calling the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372). The hotline will also be staffed most days until Christmas from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 More help is available at www.butterball.com, or by e-mailing talkline@butterball.com; the hotline offers recorded information during the holiday season when it is not staffed.

For desserts and other holiday recipes, visit the Land O’ Lakes Web site at www.landolakes.com, or Kraft’s site at www.kraftfoods.com.

To learn how to teach the old holiday staple cranberry new tricks, check out www.oceanspray.com for recipes.

Food safety questions can be directed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHOTLINE (888-674-6854).

The hotline, which offers assistance in both Spanish and English, will be staffed from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and live help is available by calling the number on other weekdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A 24-hour automated response system can be reached at www.fsis.usda.gov.

On the table

Don’t dilly-dally in getting to the grocery store to pick up any last minute items today — most local stores close earlier than usual.

Spencer’s Fresh Markets on Orcutt Road in Santa Maria and on East Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande are open from 7 a.m. to

4 p.m. today.

Albertsons on South Broadway in Santa Maria, Clark Avenue in Orcutt, North H Street in Lompoc, and West Branch Street in Arroyo Grande  are all open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.

Vons on Main Street in Santa Maria, North H Street in Lompoc and West Tefft Street in Nipomo are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Vons on South Broadway in Santa Maria is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Vons on West Ocean Avenue in Lompoc is open from

7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Vons on West Grand Avenue in Grover Beach is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

On the tube

Mom wants you out of the kitchen and tossing the football around is not your thing.

What to do? Turn on the TV, so you can watch other people throw the pigskin or giant balloons float through Manhattan.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is in its 83rd year, is airing at 9 a.m. on KNBC channel 4, on KSBY channel 6, and on KCOY channel 12.

At 9:30 a.m., KKFX channel 11 will air the NFL Green Bay Packers playing the Detroit Lions.

At 1 p.m., KCOY will air the Oakland Raiders versus the Dallas Cowboys.

Having some family strife? Tune in to watch two families who will make your relatives’ issues seem minor in comparison: the Simpsons and the Griffins on “Family Guy” at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively on KBCW channel 5.

For some kid-friendly entertainment,  watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” at 8 p.m. on KEYT channel 3.

Or, give thanks for those helping the world as you watch “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” at 9 p.m. on CNN.

Still more notable people will be featured on NBC’s People of the Year at 9 p.m. on KNBC and KSBY.

Under the sun

Get up off your rear end and look outside. It’s perfect weather, isn’t at?

At least, National Weather Service forecasters were predicting it would be.

Santa Maria is expected to reach 76 degrees today with a calm breeze.

Patchy fog is forecast for tonight, with a low of 43 degrees.

Lompoc is expected to hit 74 degrees, Santa Ynez 76 and Pismo Beach 73.

On the mend

Plan to visit a hospital emergency room or wait it out today if you get careless with the carving knife, depending on how bad the injury.

Most area urgent-care offices are closed today, with the exception of Marian Urgent Care at 505 E. Plaza Dr. in Santa Maria, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The pharmacy at Walgreens on South Broadway in Santa Maria will remain open 24 hours, as usual.

CVS pharmacy on North Broadway in Santa Maria is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., as is the CVS Pharmacy on Oak Park Boulevard in Pismo Beach.

The Walgreens pharmacy on North H Street in Lompoc is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.

On the run

Those wanting to focus on spending time with loved ones and leave the cooking to someone else have several options today among local restaurants.

In Santa Maria, The Historic Santa Maria Inn and the Radisson Hotel are both offering special Thanksgiving buffets.

A buffet will be served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Garden Room Restaurant at the Santa Maria Inn. Reservations, which will be accepted until 4:30 p.m., can be made by calling 346-7908.

A Thanksgiving buffet will be available at the Radisson from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and reservations are suggested. They can be made by calling 928-8000. Vintner’s Bar & Grill will be open at the hotel from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In Buellton, Pea Soup Andersen’s will be offering a special Thanksgiving menu from 11 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. The restaurant will also have the normal menu from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

In Pismo Beach, Marie Callender’s will be serving turkey or ham dinners from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and will be offering pies for take out depending on availability. Reservations are full, but patrons can walk in.

On the trails

Get rid of all those Turkey Day calories before they even have a chance to think about settling into your thighs by tackling a local hiking trail today.

Nojoqui Falls County Park near Solvang and La Purisima Mission State Historic Park in the Lompoc Valley offer easy hikes and well-maintained trails. The Nojoqui Falls hike is about a half-mile round trip, while La Purisma offers many options, including a five-mile round trip.

For a tougher workout, Paradise via Point Sal is

12.5 miles round trip with a few difficult spots but spectacular ocean views.

The Guadalupe Dunes County Park, at the end of Highway 166, has beach hiking.

Unavailable

Turkey bones and cranberry sauce cans will be sticking around the house for awhile after Thanksgiving is over.

That’s because there’s no trash or recycling collection service or street sweeping today in Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria Regional Landfill is closed for the holiday.

Residents who usually have pickup today will have their garbage collected on Friday, according to the city, and Friday customers will be serviced on Saturday.

In addition, Santa Maria administrative offices are closed today and Friday, as is Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Lompoc city offices are also closed today and Friday.

All post offices are closed today, and the following post offices will be closed for retail services on Friday, and will not have mail pickup, but mail delivery will be unaffected: Station Way in Arroyo Grande, Grand Avenue in Grover Beach, Beach Street in Oceano, Bell Street in Los Alamos and Grand Avenue in Los Olivos.

On the hunt

If wandering the aisles of Walmart all night has always been your dream, here’s your chance.

Walmart stores in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande open at 7 a.m. today and will remain open until 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday, respectively.

The Lompoc Walmart has taken it a step further, and after opening at 6 a.m. today will remain open around the clock until Christmas Eve.

Kmart stores in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. today, and from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday.

Other Santa Maria stores are closed today, but open early Friday.

Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us open at midnight and will stay open until the following midnight.

Macy’s and Target are both open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, Sears is open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., Kohl’s is open from 4 a.m. to midnight and Best Buy is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On the road 

Driving to see Mom and Dad today? You’re not alone in that venture.

The highways and streets are full of travelers, and law enforcement is out in force looking for any rule-breakers.

Starting this past Wednesday and lasting through Sunday, the California Highway Patrol will have all available officers on the road.

“The roadways get crowded during the four-day weekend and on the day after Thanksgiving with holiday shopping traffic congestion,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow in a written statement.

“The message is simple, drive safe, sober and remember to buckle up.”

In addition, the CHP and more than 175 other law enforcement agencies statewide are participating in this year’s “Click It Or Ticket” campaign, running

Nov. 17 through Monday, according to the Lompoc Police Department.

Officers involved in the campaign will be putting a special focus on looking for anyone not properly restrained with a seat belt.

“There are no excuses. Nothing is worth risking the lives of you or your family,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety, in a written statement.

“This should be the season of joy and thanksgiving, not tragedy.”

On the streets

Christmas can’t wait to steal the holiday spotlight from Thanksgiving, as evidenced by the flurry of upcoming local Christmas parades.

The fun kicks off at 5 p.m. Sunday in Arroyo Grande with the city’s Christmas parade.

On Dec. 4, Lompoc will hold its holiday parade at 6 p.m.

Dec. 5 is a big day for parades, with Santa Maria, Solvang and Grover Beach all holding theirs.

Grover Beach’s will kick off at 10 a.m., Solvang’s at 11 a.m. and Santa Maria’s at 5:20 p.m.

Orcutt’s parade will start at noon on Dec. 12, and Guadalupe’s parade will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 12.