Families are divided about planning Thanksgiving in a pandemic climate. While a lot of households crave normality after an eventful year, we have to be cautious. Vulnerable individuals and elderly relatives may prefer spending the national holiday in self-isolation to avoid risks of contagion. Additionally, those who typically travel to see their relatives are choosing to stay at home to avoid putting the people they love at risk. As a result, Thanksgiving is going to look very different from what we are used to. But celebrating at home in a small community – the members of your household – can be a lot of fun too.
Can you make Thanksgiving count even if you’re not able to plan a get-together party with friends and family? The truth is that this may be the closest we’ll ever get to the original celebrations of gratefulness. Historically, Days of Thanksgiving occurred after hardships, such as being grateful for overcoming plagues, drought, and floods. Perhaps, this year, it is more meaningful than ever to celebrate.
Set the scene
The typical Thanksgiving party decorations include seasonal fall elements, such as harvested pumpkins and gourds, for instance. It isn’t uncommon to add a playful twist with Turkey-related window decorations or banners that can put a smile on your face. But when you are not receiving guests for the party, you can keep things low-key. Focusing on making your home feel cozy and warm will still freshen up your interior without going over the top. Fresh flowers in a vase can already create a party mood. Simple touches go a long way. You can add a few seasonal spiced candles, such as pumpkin spice candles or apple and cinnamon scents. If you’ve got autumnal colors, give your interior a fresh upgrade. But if you don’t, you’d be amazed to see how much candles and some bright pumpkins can transform the room.
Look out for simple but festive turkey hacks
Are you going to roast a whole turkey this year? It entirely depends on how much time you’ll get to prepare and how much turkey you are ready to eat. For small families, it’s fair to say that roasting a whole bird may be a little much! You want to bring some essentials to the table, such as a pumpkin pie and warm and buttery mashed potatoes. As for your turkey… You can make things as casual as you want to. You can opt for a few cuts to be served in gravy, for instance. But if you prefer a simple approach, you can take inspiration from this super easy recipe for ham and cheese sliders You only need to replace the ham with turkey slices, and ta-da, you’ve got yourself cheesy turkey bite food.
Make it online
You can’t meet face-to-face, but have you considered hosting a virtual Thanksgiving? It’s the perfect occasion to see distant relatives and friends. You can even seize the opportunity to ask your aunt Julia for her baked potatoes recipes and your friend Elijah for his superb winter spiced mocktail.
In conclusion, Thanksgiving 2020 is not canceled. On the contrary, it is the best way to create a unique celebration that keeps everyone safe and included at the same time. Join the virtual sphere to reach out to distant relatives and share your staged living room with them!
We’re having our own little Thanksgiving at home with the three of us.
This is awesome. So far I think that we have been pretty good, considering, with making lemonade from lemons throughout this year. I definitely think that we can all put a creative spin on Thanksgiving as well and have a wonderful holiday.
I’m saddened this year to not have our traditional Thanksgiving. We have to look out for my mom though who is recovering from open heart surgery. It’s just not worth the risk!
Such a great idea (though our weather here lately is far from a winter wonderland!). We usually travel to another state to spend the holidays w/my inlaws, but bc we can’t do that this year, we’ll definitely be celebrating with them over Zoom instead 🙂
We are keeping our Thanksgiving low key this year. I love that it will be far less stressfull!
These are quite interesting ways to celebrate the Thanksgiving. Appreciate your efforts for listing them out.
We are having our own Thanksgiving this year and without inviting other family. It’s hard as the holidays come but its so necessary.