Our 2020 Thanksgiving Plans

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If one thing is for certain it’s that this Thanksgiving is going to look a lot different than other years.

I will be completely honest that up until this week I have avoided even thinking about Thanksgiving.

I feel very lucky that despite the increasing numbers of Covid-19 in our area, my immediate & extended family are both healthy, and given that fact we could technically all get together. But with underlying medical conditions and family members in fragile health, I’m following as many precautions as humanly possible to keep this holiday season safe, and do my part to make sure we stay Covid-free.

Typically during a non-pandemic year, I would host Thanksgiving for my family. My parents, brother and his wife come over and spend the day snacking, drinking mimosas, feasting on all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings, and playing a ton of indie board games.

We have decided that for the health and safety of everyone this year we are skipping the extended family holiday get together, and keeping it small with just the 5 of us celebrating at home.

It is clear Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year, and because we are narrowing the festivities to our immediate household I’ve found myself wondering how to approach our downsized holiday.

And then it occured to me, that if the holidays won’t be ‘normal,’ how do I want them to look — and feel.

One of my biggest hold ups to sitting down and making my Thanksgiving meu and shopping list is the nagging truth that “holiday favorite” foods really aren’t my family’s favorite foods. Our family feels a traditional roast turkey is overrated, and my mother and sister-in-law chip in and help with the plethora of side dishes.

Spending the day preparing and sitting down to a huge assortment of foods we don’t love just doesn’t appeal to me this year. I would rather spend time with the kids, and virtually drop in on friends and family who are also celebrating a low-key social distanced Thanksgiving.

2020 has thrown us so many curveballs, and while they can be frustrating I’ve been trying to see them as an opportunity to try new things, so I proposed a seafood dinner to my family, who surprisingly were excited with a complete change to our holiday meal.

I’m not even buying a turkey this year!

We are going to go with steamed crab legs, our favorite seafood bisque from Applehood and Motherpie, and I am going to attempt clams casino! I think it’ll be a fun change of pace, and seafood usually cooks up faster.

How will you be celebrating Thanksgiving this year?

If you plan to attend a (small) group gathering, you should only show up if you’re 100 percent comfortable. Be sure to read up on your state’s COVID-19 guidelines when making your plans to ensure that you’re celebrating as safely as possible.