OK, so it was probably a lot less charming — but certainly less gory — that the prized birds were encased in cardboard boxes. There were no scenes of Scrooge having a boy pull a giant turkey through snowy London. But the preparations for a feast were in full swing Sunday at Melrose Market along with a jazz quartet, wine tasting, and plenty of trimmings for sale.

Rain Shadow Meats and the market’s merchants made an event out of the butcher’s annual turkey order pick-up day as customers stopped by to get their Northern California-raised, “slow growth vegetarian, non-GMO project verified diet” birds — and maybe a Tofurky at QFC on the way home.

Not everybody has a feast planned but there are ways to make sure you’re part of a day of goodwill and community. We’ve posted information on donation drives and volunteer opportunities around Capitol Hill for 2017 — please let us know about any others we should add.