We are all looking forward to some holiday cheer in 2020! While our Thanksgiving traditions will need to be re-imagined — don’t get your turkey feathers ruffled. We are here to help with some creative ideas to celebrate and enjoy Thanksgiving during COVID this year and help you adhere to the CDC Guidelines to stay safe.
Virtual Thanksgiving
Have your virtual Thanksgiving meal or dessert together. This is especially important for older family members who can’t attend or families who won’t be traveling. Pick a time for everyone to join and enjoy the Thanksgiving meal together.
Start by creating a fun Thanksgiving invite experience with a company like LYFETYMES. With LYFETYMES, you can celebrate any milestone or holiday by sending invites with any video link, track RSVPs, share recipes, and shopping lists.
You can also use their new 3D Video Templates to make your shareable Thanksgiving Webpage stand out! Check out our Thanksgiving example here.
Hosting Thanksgiving?
Unless you’ve been in a social bubble, it’s good to have families living in the same household sit together, and tables placed at least 6 feet apart.
Rather than passing plates to one another, set up a central serving/buffet style station where people do not remove masks and food is served by one person; ideally, this is the same person who prepared the food to limit exposure. Each table gets up one at a time for food.
Depending where you are located and the weather, an outdoor space makes a wonderful natural canvas to create a bright and beautiful Thanksgiving setting. With a natural background, set up a vibrant Thanksgiving table setting with bold colors, like bright burnt red plates and orange placemats, and white twine knotted napkins on a white table runner.
Create dimension by adding different heights, shapes, and textures to the table. This can include autumn-hued candles, full table-length greenery garland that runs off both sides of the table, and accents like pumpkins or corn husks. Don’t neglect the chairs — a nice touch is to add pillows and a throw on each setting area in case it gets a bit chilly.
Thanksgiving Recipe Swap Challenge
You might not be able to hang out with your favorite aunts and cousins that would normally fly in for the holidays, or even worse you won’t be eating your aunt Linda’s famous Thanksgiving dish that you’ve been looking forward to all year. To help recreate those yummy memories, try a Recipe Swap Thanksgiving Party to make sure you get that famous green bean casserole you’ve been dreaming of since you devoured it last year.
This is a great family activity to share those family recipes that are handed down year after year, catalog them, and have fun at the same time. Share with everyone how the recreation turned out; even bad versions make for a good laugh and a great memory. Plus, make sure whoever contributed the recipe is on standby to answer questions!
Here is an example from LYFETYMES.
Support a Local Small Business
Pie for breakfast? Beautiful cookie boxes? These are trends for 2020 — they’re a great way to support small businesses in your area and take some work off your plate!
Order “Thanksgiving in a Box” dinners from local restaurants for your family or order them for loved ones (like older family members) who aren’t great in the kitchen. It shows you care and includes them in on the Thanksgiving fun. You can also send beautiful treats and sweets to loved ones.
Jane Dough Cakes located in San Antonio, Texas is one example of a local bakery business offering Thanksgiving Cookie Show Boxes for pickup and delivery to spread some joy during the holiday season.
Decorating your home can cheer up the atmosphere.
Coterie, a celebration decor company, offers beautiful local artisan-designed Thanksgiving and holiday boxes that will set the mood. We are loving the “Talk Turkey To Me” set pictured above.
Finally, think about the local businesses you love during normal times and call them to see what they’re offering. Your call may be the perk they need right now.
Thanksgiving Deliveries/Drop Off
Preparing traditional family recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, is a great way to say thanks to your loved ones this year. Have your little ones join in on the fun and decorate some cookies or cupcakes. This is a great activity for the kids and their confection creations can be used as a wonderful surprise to drop off to a grandparent. Have the kids create cute notes or drawings and attach them to the package as well. Be sure to deliver them in a way that doesn’t involve contact with others.
These food containers from Amazon are inexpensive and will do the job with warm or cold food items. Add a ribbon and the note and you are done!
Celebrate Thanksgiving During COVID — Related Stories
COVID-Friendly Thanksgiving — CDC Guidelines for 2020
