How to Host a Socially Distanced Thanksgiving

Hello dear friends,

I hope your first week of November is treating you well!

I made up this Thanksgiving Dinner Planner / Shopping List that you can print out HERE. =)

I have been giving some thought to our traditional Thanksgiving Day and knowing this year will have to be different, I thought I would share some ideas for alternative ways you can celebrate with your loved ones!

Let’s take a look:

How to Host a Socially Distanced Thanksgiving.jpg

ZOOM: you can set up a free account and host Zoom calls for up to 100 people for up to 45 minutes each time. Golden.* It would be nice to be able to say the blessing all at the same time together, but I know most homes are rushing around to set everything out and keep it hot so if that’s not feasible, then consider holding the ZOOM call during dessert.
FaceTime: same concept if everyone is on iPhones, though my experience with a group FaceTime wasn’t great so I recommend ZOOM.
Host a small gathering outside: Weather permitting and space permitting, this could work well if your headcount is smaller and your peeps keep a decent distance from each other. Definitely have a lot of hand sanitizer available!
Host a drive by Thanksgiving dinner: Whoever normally hosts can have all of the pot-luck dishes dropped off the night before and just be in charge of distributing to-go containers of meals. Buy styrofoam or plastic to-go containers and package a plate to-go for each person. Then as family drives up to get one you can see them briefly and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.
Host a small dessert-only gathering outside: This reduces the amount of food being touched to serve it, reduces the amount of time visiting, and assuming you have enough space it reduces everyone’s risks.
Host a drop off Thanksgiving dinner: Whoever normally hosts can get all of the food together and package it up in individual servings to be dropped off at each family member’s home.

I cannot express to you how disappointed I am to even be writing this post and having to think about socially distancing during the holidays. I grew up seeing my family every Sunday and sometimes more. As an adult I still managed to get back across town to see my family every other weekend or so, knowing that they were always getting together every Sunday still. Factor in the holidays and my heart hurts thinking about not seeing them, laughing with them, and hugging them.

However, I try to focus on the positives and I am grateful my family is healthy and I want to keep it that way.

Last year we hosted over 40 people for Thanksgiving at our house. Family alone is usually upwards of 30+ guests. So, as you can imagine, we do not want to take risks of having a large gathering and it being a “super spreader” event. Nope. Nope. Nope.

What are you planning to do for Thanksgiving this year? Has your family considered alternative plans?

If you found this blog post helpful then please share with your family & friends!

For additional Thanksgiving ideas, take a look at my previous posts:

Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Decor

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

XOXO