Ideas for Celebrating Thanksgiving During A Pandemic

It’s no secret that 2020 has been tough, and the holidays can sometimes remind us how challenging life can be. In fact, if you are struggling with gratitude, you aren’t alone. Here are some ideas for how to cope when you just aren’t feeling grateful.

But even though things are different with the pandemic, Thanksgiving can still be a special time. It’s all about staying informed and making decisions based on your comfort levels (and respect for others).

Even in 2020, Thanksgiving can still be special

The CDC has some guidelines for celebrations during the pandemic. But read on to see a list of fun ideas for the holiday that fit into the Low to Low-Moderate Risk zones for Covid-19 or flu.

Low to Low-Moderate Risk ideas for Thanksgiving

• Turn tradition on its tails and start celebrations at Sunrise. Go for an early walk or bike ride, watch the gorgeous colors in the skies, and celebrate with a spectacular fall breakfast.
• Have a Fall Foliage photo contest or leaf scavenger hunt
• Paint acorns
• Move your party outdoors
  • Here are some awesome tips from Real Simple
  • Ideas for fall backyard games here
  • Have a backyard bonfire and camp in your backyard as a family (or indoors if it is too cold)
  • Have a leaf raking and jumping contest (who can rake the highest pile and jump the highest)
• Set up a Pie Bakeoff or Pie Exchange. Bake together online and drop off pies on the front porch of friends
• Do a Virtual Turkey Trot with friends (or a socially distanced one, if you have the space)
• Choose a friend/family member and decorate their yard for the holiday. Maybe even include signs that say why you are thankful for this person
• Make a Thanksgiving picture book (with children’s drawings or photos) for a family member
• Tell family stories of Thanksgiving past–and get out the old photo albums. Or ask older adults to dictate stories while you write them down for posterity
• Curl up by the fire together with an audiobook and then discuss it later (or choose a book to read together)
• Play a Thanksgiving Questions game like this one
• Learn to do something cozy like knitting or crafting
• Have a fall movie marathon. Here are some ideas from Good Housekeeping
• Put together a fall playlist like this one from Town and Country Magazine

Remember, above all, that Thanksgiving is a time for love and gratitude

It won’t be the same as Thanksgivings past, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find the fun and hope of the season. Think of hope as a practice, not an emotion, and find tiny ways to inspire yourself and others all day. Finally, remember that some of the traditions, though different, are not cancelled. We can still watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And we can still tell our loved ones how important they are to us.