It is safe to say that the current Covid-19 Pandemic has dramatically altered society, traditions and many holidays. If not paired with personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing, schools and the workplace can both be dangerous places. Once beloved sites such as movie theaters and amusement parks are being vastly avoided. Quick grocery store trips cannot happen without a face mask. Praise for events that occur without a Covid-19 outbreak such as the 2020 NBA Finals is considered headline news. Clearly, face masks, social distancing, quarantine and Zoom have become the new normal. Therefore, it is not hard to believe that Covid-19 would also alter Thanksgiving; the one day where many Americans halt their busy lives, gather with family and speak of gratitude. White House Coronavirus Task Force Member and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Fauci revealed to CNN that the traditional Thanksgiving we are accustomed to may not be safe. Recently, a trend in extended families contracting the virus from interactions has been discovered. Many families have simply gathered together for fun and received devastating results. With these unfortunate cases and new research as evidence, scientists are reminding the public that social distancing should include the reduction of close contact with individuals who do not live in your household. In fact, Dr. Fauci admitted that his family will not be traditionally celebrating Thanksgiving as his children do not want to start an outbreak. Well, it looks like Zoom wins again! Here are five ways to have the best Virtual Thanksgiving:
- Send E-Invitations
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Every year your family designated host would send everyone Thanksgiving invitations weeks before the turkey riddled day. These invitations included important information such as time, place and attire. Now, with the ongoing pandemic, you might think that there is no purpose in an invitation this year. However, just because Thanksgiving is on Zoom it does not mean that class has to be nonexistent. Use e-invitation sites such as Paperless Post or Greetings Island to send your family Thanksgiving e-invitations. On the invitations, include information that is important to the process of a Zoom meeting such as time, a link and instructions for relatives that are not tech-savvy. While these invitations are cute replacements for paper invitations, they also help make the idea of a virtual Thanksgiving more personable.
- Decorate Your Virtual Background
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Since March, you have been sitting in front of a bookcase, using Zoom’s default settings and going outside to gain the perfect background. Sure, this works for remote learning, club meetings and even the remote internship you have. However, sitting in front of a bookcase does not provide the most ideal Thanksgiving. If you would like to have a lively turkey day, make sure to decorate your background. You can find Thanksgiving and Harvest related images on Unsplash, Shutterstock and Pixabay. These websites have a plethora of free images that you can use to spruce up your virtual experience.
- Have an International Thanksgiving Dinner
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Since Thanksgiving is being hosted differently, this might be a great time to alter some of those family traditions. Instead of having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, encourage your family to have an international Thanksgiving dinner. What is an international Thanksgiving dinner? It’s simple. Have each family cook an international dinner that they will most enjoy. That means Aunt Sarah can have a Mexican dinner with her kids, Uncle Jerry can have Chinese food with his wife and Grandma can have Italian. Sure, this probably sounds completely different from what you are accustomed to, but it adds a fun element to the virtual atmosphere.
- Have a Thanksgiving Dinner Contest
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Maybe the smell of oven roasted turkey is exactly what your family needs to bring some normalcy into this rather different and difficult year. If you are still not ready to break from a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, that is definitely okay. Cook the turkey, green beans, dressing, gravy and cranberry sauce. You can even turn a traditional Thanksgiving dinner into an awesome virtual opportunity. Have a contest with your family centered around who has the most golden-brown turkey, eye-catching side dishes and mouthwatering dessert. The cooks in your family will love to participate because this contest will give them an opportunity to show off their kitchen skills and hard work!
- Play Games
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Although you are not sitting directly across from your relatives, you can still have some competitive fun with them. Thankfully, there are plenty of games that you can play during a Virtual Thanksgiving. Uno, Scattergories, Taboo and Scrabble are all great games that can be played through virtual methods. Tired of the virtual game scene? Blow the dust off of your old board games and get ready to move! Pictionary and Charades are classic games that will guarantee an evening of laughs and entertainment.
Great! Now you know how to have a Virtual Thanksgiving. Before you know it, the sound of your family shouting “Happy Thanksgiving!” will be blaring through your computer’s speakers. Please do not forget that while this year has been hard, it is still important to give thanks during your Virtual Thanksgiving. Encourage your family to give thanks for the opportunities they have and cherish this different, yet wonderful experience. Happy Virtual Thanksgiving!