Thanksgiving is upon us and it may look a little different this year. Most of us are used to spending this quality time with grandparents, extended family, and friends. We are not going to let this coronavirus stop us though. Right? We can still celebrate with everyone that we normally celebrate with but this time we will do it virtually! Let us make memories in a different way.
Think about thisā¦sometimes you have some people who cannot afford to travel with their family to make it to the Thanksgiving celebration. Sometimes, there may be a feud going on between aunties, uncles, or whoever (hey, I know that is not just in my family). You may have those that say āI donāt want to stay all night, I have to get up early to go shopping for Black Fridayā (Yeah, thatās not happening this yearā¦well physically). Or, how about not wanting to drive in the snow (if that is in your area). Well, with Virtual Thanksgiving, these reasons are null and invalid.
Let us talk about a few ways to have a successful Virtual Thanksgiving!
- Plan a shared experience. Have a conversation about what will be on the menu and what activities you all can do virtually. There are many ways to have a shared experience virtually. Over the past years, a lot of us would normally make a phone call to our loved ones or we would meet at one house and enjoy the festivities. Well, phone calls are good but this year, let us make it more personable by getting on video. Letās talk about a few things you can share with each other during this time.
- Share recipes ahead of time or plan a time to cook some or all of your meals together on Zoom, Skype, or Facebook Portal. Doing it this way, you are still spending time together and creating new special memories. Set the device at the head of the table so that everyone can still be a part of the dinner. You can even have someone make a toast, then everyone takes turns sharing what they are most thankful for this year. This is a tradition we have in our family every Thanksgiving.
- If you have children, let them help with the small recipes (like cranberry sauce, cornbread for the dressing, or desserts), or plan out the background music for dinner or decide on the after-Thanksgiving dinner game. Kids always want to be a part of the celebration and they want to feel included.
- The menu does not have to be elaborate especially if you are not cooking for that many people. Try cutting down to Cornish hens or just the Turkey Breast instead of a full turkey. Cut the side dishes in half so you do not waste any food. Instead of making two cakes, just make one unless you plan to gift one to a neighbor.
- If you are one of the lucky people that live in the same city as your family (we live in different states), each person can pick what dish they want to make, divide it up into containers, and deliver them. Set them on the porch Thanksgiving morning and everyone can still get together virtually and enjoy the meals.
- Worse comes to worst, you can always order your Thanksgiving meal. Hey, no judgment over here. There are plenty of restaurants that will be offering the whole shebang from the turkey down to the cranberry sauce and dinner rolls. You can still set your table and bring your family to the table; everyone can continue to have dinner and enjoy each otherās company.
This is the time for us to create new memories so still get dressed up, still set the table like you normally do, grab the camera, turn on some music, dance, and create new traditions. Coronavirus will not stop Thanksgiving, in fact, it is helping a lot of us realize we can still come together without physically being in the same room. Now, isnāt that joyful and something to be thankful for? I know Iām thankful to get on a zoom call with my family and still see their faces on Thanksgiving.
What will your Thanksgiving look like this year? What have you planned for your family near and far?
Itās one week to Thanksgiving! The countdown has begun. Have you gotten started yet? I want to offer you a free checklist to help you make sure you have everything you need and are well prepared for the big day. You can download that checklist right HERE!
If you are more of a detail kind of person, you can join my email reminder called The Thanksgiving Countdown and receive emails on what things to do as we get closer to Thanksgiving.
See you in a pinch,
Patrice
