The holidays have always been a time of family, food and laughter. However, the state of our world today has transformed our traditions and has allowed us to create new ways to celebrate the most interactive holiday most look forward to; Thanksgiving.
Growing up for many people, Thanksgiving was always the biggest gathering of the year, next to Christmas. Relatives from all over would travel just to be next to the ones they loved the most. It’s the one holiday that my entire family gathered together for, filling the house to capacity and breaking bread with one another. Thanksgiving is the one day where you’re allowed to eat until you’re sick and still go back for more.
The atmosphere radiates with love and laughter, remembering the people we lost and the good times we shared creates an everlasting bond and thankfulness to be allowed to commune together another year. If you’re anything like my family, games and talent shows are a must! A little competition is good for the soul. It’s heartbreaking to know that the time of year we all hold dear will look and feel a lot different.
Smaller gatherings seem to be the best plan for this upcoming holiday. My family is keeping it really small with six people, and we have decided to do a Zoom call during dinner so we can still eat together and feel a sense of normalcy. The challenge with this is the food probably won’t be ready at the same time, so we should probably aim for dessert. We still plan to make special dishes and exchange them with family members who don’t excel in the kitchen. Though they won’t be at our table, they’ll still have a piece of it.
According to the CDC “Gatherings with more people pose more risk than gatherings with fewer people. CDC does not have a limit or recommend a specific number of attendees for gatherings. The size of a holiday gathering should be determined based on the ability to reduce or limit contact between attendees, the risk of spread between attendees, and state, local, territorial, or tribal health and safety laws, rules, and regulations.”
I’ve seen various posts on Facebook and Instagram relating to the impending holiday and many people seem to be staying in. I can’t help but sympathize with the people who have very little family or who lost loved ones because of the pandemic. It must be hard being alone for eight months, but to go through the holidays without an invitation or connection with someone creates a grey area in a socially distant thanksgiving plan.
This holiday season will be hard for us all but stopping the spread is the most important thing we can do as a community. The one thing this virus has taught us is to be creative during inconvenience. Creativity can help sooth some of our new normal, Zoom calls have inundated our lives but keeps us connected. Organize time throughout the day to chat with friends and family near and far.
We’re all in this together, make yourselves available and don’t ever feel like you’re alone.
