Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Canadians! This year Thanksgiving will look very different for many of us because of the Covid pandemic and the need for social distance. We won’t be able to safely gather indoors with family and friends as we wish we could. Maybe you will be able to if you can manage it outside, but that’s dependent on ever-changing regulations and the weather. It’s safe to say, most of us will be in our own quarantine pods as per usual. So, we’re sharing 3 Thanksgiving tips that we hope will help you celebrate in 2020.
Just because we won’t physically be together doesn’t mean we can’t connect. I’m sure there will be postings on social media, text chains, telephone calls, and video chats. We may not be around the same table, but thanks to technology we can find ways to keep traditions alive and honour the holiday.
Thanksgiving tips to Keep You Connected for the Holiday
1) Group chat: try to set up a group video chat to share a virtual pre-dinner cocktail or post-dinner piece of pie. Getting everyone’s meal ready at the same time might be difficult to coordinate. Make the day less stressful by planning to virtually connect over drinks or dessert. There are many free group video options like ZOOM, Skype, Microsoft Teams and even UberConference. I mean, considering the heightened emotions around the current political state of the world, having a mute button might not be the worse thing.
Perfect is the enemy of good.
Voltaire
2) Continue with meal/recipe traditions as you normally would: don’t forgo holiday favourites because things look a little different. Ask for the recipes you’ll miss from loved ones and make them yourself. This will allow you to continue traditions just with a bit of a new twist. You can also arrange video conferencing for parts of the cooking time to make sure recipes are followed correctly. It’s all about finding ways to connect and carry on traditions in whatever form possible. Every holiday shared is precious. Don’t sit them out because they can’t perfectly look like what you are used to.
3) Set a pretty table and decorate: even if cooking isn’t your thing, make the day special by setting a beautiful tablescape. This doesn’t have to cost a lot. You can repurpose items you have and even incorporate foliage from outside to help decorate your table. Dried gourds, mini pumpkins, pine cones, cinnamon sticks and whatever nonscented candles you have around the house will help set a beautiful holiday tone for any dinner.
It’s all About Being Thankful and Staying Safe
Whether you cook a full traditional meal, try something new, or just order in, there is one thing that won’t change and that is being thankful. Thankful for the blessings we have and that we are healthy enough to connect with loved ones at all. Thankful for our communities, our resources and the fact that we’re weathering this storm together. Who cares if your Thanksgiving isn’t Pinterest perfect or Instagram worthy? It won’t matter to the people that matter most.
So these 3 Thanksgiving tips should help you celebrate in 2020. What are your plans for the holiday? Do you have any Thanksgiving tips to share? Let us know in the comments below.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving.