Hosting a virtual Thanksgiving gathering can be done. Here are some tips for taking the feast online
Thanksgiving dinner this week may not look anything like it was before the coronavirus pandemic limited large gatherings. But there are ways to take the celebration online and keep some of the fun and family bonding alive.
Spiking cases have led health experts to urge people to refrain from traveling or gathering with people beyond their immediate households. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance last week, saying that celebrating with a large group increases the risk of contracting COVID-19.
Tricia Danieli of Pompano Beach said she is heeding the warnings and trading her dinner table for a computer. Considered high risk for the virus due to lung complications after a battle with the swine flu, Danieli said this year her celebration will be held over FaceTime instead of traveling to see family in Illinois.
She still plans on trying to make the experience as fun as possible by ordering takeout from a local restaurant, decorating the house to look a little bit more festive and eating with her family virtually. She also plans on doing a long walk on the beach with her dog.
She still plans on trying to make the experience as fun as possible by ordering takeout from a local restaurant, decorating the house to look a little bit more festive and eating with her family virtually. She also plans on doing a long walk on the beach with her dog.
It’s the right thing to do, said Rachel Guran, director of epidemiology and infections at Memorial Healthcare Systems. “The first step would be to not mix households,” she said. “Thinking about these holidays that we all love so much, that’s a really good way for us to stay safe.”
Here are some tips for making the most of Thanksgiving in 2020:
Make it fun
Guran recommends getting into the holiday spirit as much as possible with the family you live with. If you have young kids in your house, consider art projects during the Thanksgiving holiday or even decorating your house so it looks festive over a Zoom celebration.
“People are really big into decorating inside their home. It makes them feel good,” Guran said. “And we love to look at people’s backgrounds on Zoom, so at Thanksgiving you could really be showing off your decorations. "
Bake a new dish
This is a good chance to expand your horizons with dishes you may not usually serve on Thanksgiving. Try baking a dish or food that you haven’t made before, Guran recommends. Cooking for a smaller amount of people makes it easier to experiment with different dishes.
“We can get a sense of normalcy back while taking into account that we have to do things safer and adjust by being smart about it,” Guran said.
Share a recipe
If experimenting with new recipes during the holiday season isn’t your style, you can have long-distance family and friends make the same dish and eat it together virtually, suggests Cindy Arco, a spokesperson for Comcast who has provided tips for the best virtual celebration. It’s a good way to bond over the holidays if there is a family recipe to make that’s been passed down in your family for years.
Pick one person to be the host
To eliminate confusion, designate one person to be the virtual host, Arco suggests. The virtual host can organize the event and set a time limit on the online celebration which should ensure that it runs smoothly.
Check your internet connection
Nothing ruins a Zoom celebration like video lagging or poor audio issues. Try setting up in an area besides your kitchen because certain electronics like microwaves and stainless steel appliances can interfere with your network, Arco said. Also, it might be worth investing in an external camera or microphone to be better able to see and hear your family members.
If you do plan on traveling for Thanksgiving, it’s crucial mitigate the risks as much as possible by social distancing and wearing a mask even if at a family gathering, Guran said. Since Florida weather is usually nice this time of year, consider having the celebration outside as well.
“Wear your mask, so if you want to, you can visit before or after dinner,” Guran said. “Make sure to stay six feet away.”
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