Politics are always brought up around the holidays, whether people plan to stay quiet or not. Politics can be dealt with correctly as long as views are the same and/ or no one means harm. However, usually when politics are brought up, it is because people know views aren’t the same and want drama.
Know an easy way to avoid this drama? Stay home. By staying home, you are not putting yourself at risk of an argument or family hatred. With the election being only a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, it is going to be a fresh and a hot topic. No matter the outcome, people will have comments opposing either side. This may not be as drastic if your family isn’t political or is not different parties, but if you are these things, things can go bad. You do not want to have an awkward dinner because Uncle Joe is being racist while passing the potatoes.
With everything going on, your mental health may not be the best. Between the seasons changing and the current state of our nation, it’s a very strange time. To avoid making your mental health worse, I recommend staying home. It does not matter if you have a mental illness, everyone has mental health whether it is good or bad. To make sure it does not get worse, take the correct precautions. You do want to mentally wear yourself down/any more just to visit family.
Now, onto the problem that has been here for nine months: the pandemic. People can believe what they want but COVID-19 is still here and is still spreading. People did not follow social distance guidelines and traveled then, so don’t make it a habit now. I promise traveling to see family and friends sounds great but it can wait. You don’t want to expose yourself or anyone else. If you do travel, please follow your states guidelines and social distance, but not traveling is the way to go.
Most of Ohio is a stage 3 right now, so leaving or people coming is not the safest thing. With this, certain jobs are making those who leave quarantine for two weeks. Do you really want to be home alone just so you can see your relatives? You may and that is okay, but just remember to be safe.
Also, if you stay at home, you don’t have to even change. You can stay in the comfort of your own home. Especially with the weather changing so often, you don’t have to worry about Ohio’s questionable and ever-changing weather.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as The CDC, recommends having a smaller gathering/low-risk activity with only the people you live with. This way, you are not exposing yourself to people you have not been around and vise versa. If you still want to see your family, you can always host a Zoom call. This way you can all eat together but in the comfort of your own home. The CDC recommends avoiding high-risk activities/ gatherings such as an indoor large gathering with people who don’t live in your house. For more information, visit the CDC holiday guidelines site.
If you really want a normal Thanksgiving meal, you can always make it at home. There are thousands of recipes on the internet. You can make what you like to eat and how you like it. This is also very helpful for people with allergies. This way, you don’t have to worry so much since you made it at home.
If cooking isn’t your thing or you just don’t want to cook, don’t worry. There are certain restaurants offering Thanksgiving meals. These restaurants include Denny’s, Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel and Boston Market. Stores such as Walmart and Costco also sell ready-made meals. This year, especially the holidays, is something we have never seen before. Some adaptation is needed because of the current state of everything.
No matter how you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, make sure you’re staying healthy and safe.