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Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued the following advice for families who usually travel long distances to celebrate Thanksgiving together: DON’T DO IT.
“Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household,” is among the high risk activities the CDC warns against in the guidance it issued for the holidays.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with family and friends — just plan on an online Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some tips for prepping and celebrating with loved ones — at a safe distance.
Thinking small for Thanksgiving dinner
“We have decided early to resign ourselves to ‘cancelling’ Thanksgiving and Christmas this year,” Laurie Anderson told Mom.com.
The Beaumont, Texas grandmother is used to hosting huge extended family gatherings at her home — which she describes as “the Party House.” But this year will be different: Aside from Laurie’s son and his wife and kids, “everyone will stay at their own homes with their immediate family,” she said.
“Although this all sounds too sad for words, in typical Cajun fashion, nobody is being maudlin about it,” said Laurie. “We’ve been fortunate to not have anyone seriously ill from the virus, so we’re counting our blessings. Next year, it’s ON! Party, party, party at the ‘Party House!’”
Carly Starr is on the opposite end of the 2020 Thanksgiving dilemma. Her mom is the one who usually hosts the big gathering. But this year, everyone is staying home and connecting via Zoom — including Carly, who is expecting her first child. “I’m not going to my mom’s because we don’t feel safe this year,” Carly told Mom.com. “We’ll probably be at home, sad and lonely,” she joked, as she noted that her large extended family has made plans to connect that night via Zoom.
Carly isn’t sure what she and her husband are doing for their Thanksgiving meal. “Ideas have been to order from a local restaurant, or my mom might be bringing me extras from her dinner,” she said.
How to host Thanksgiving online: Tech tips
One of your first considerations will be to settle on the platform to connect everyone during your celebration.
“Zoom is probably the easiest and most popular videoconferencing tool to set up other than group Facetime, which is exclusive to iPhone users,” personal technology trainer Everette Farmer of GrooveyTek told Mom.com.
When setting your table, you will need to think about what kind of technology equipment you will use and where to place it. A phone or tablet is more portable than a laptop, and will be easier to move around if there will be more than two people at your table — and if you don’t already own some kind of stand, you should think about obtaining one.
Some time before “T-day,” do a dry-run with your equipment to fine-tune its placement. You may need to position a stack of books or some other object to make sure the camera is at the right height to capture everyone at the table.
Scheduling your run-through for the same time of day as your Thanksgiving dinner will also allow you to evaluate whether you’ll need additional lighting. With so many of us depending on virtual conferencing these days, there are lots of inexpensive lighting options available online, so do give yourself enough time in case you need to purchase one.
“Though this is a digital platform, this is still real life,” warns Everette. “Your behavior can go viral, especially if someone is recording the Zoom session.”
Six steps to a great Zoom Thanksgiving
“It’s a strange situation that we find ourselves in at the moment and we all have to make an effort,” said Julia Esteve Boyd of The Etiquette Consultant, one of several party planning experts who spoke with Mom.com in order to create this Zoom Thanksgiving checklist.
1. Select one person to be the host
Perhaps this would be the person who would be hosting the event in real life. And if the same family always hosts, maybe this would be a good, no-pressure time to switch it up.
2. Make a formal plan with all the participants.
Julia suggested some things to consider. “How long will it last? Will you share your cooking skills with everyone? Do you want to have a theme? It may be a virtual event but it’s still an event! Try to think of games or activities that everyone can join in with. The success depends on the preparation.”
3. Decide if everyone will be cooking the same menu.
“By sharing special family recipes in advance you can make sure that everyone is eating the same thing,” Bonnie Tsai of Beyond Etiquette told Mom.com.
“If you miss cooking with your family during Thanksgiving, you can schedule Zoom Thanksgiving prep sessions with family members to prepare for the big dinner so it creates an atmosphere as if you’re all spending it together,” she added.
4. Make it special.
Event planner Lynne Goldberg suggests that the host put together a virtual Thanksgiving box for each of the other participating households, which could include everything from the Thanksgiving recipes, to cocktail ingredients, to games the participants could play around the table.
5. Get dressed up and set a nice table.
“This might sound silly if you’re alone but you should absolutely make the effort,” said Julia. “Arrange your camera so your family and friends can see you and the food that you’ve prepared. Ask them to do the same. Thanksgiving is a celebration, where is the fun if you don’t make an effort?”
6. Be thankful!
“Despite the gloom of 2020, if you’re enjoying Thanksgiving dinner then you already have something to be thankful for,” Julia said. “Say it! That’s what Thanksgiving is about!”
