by Lily Crager
By now people have graduated via Zoom, said “I do” via Zoom, and attended funerals via Zoom. The sentiment of important occasions has been moved onto a digital canvas as the pandemic limits in-person gatherings. That means that in a few weeks when Thanksgiving rolls around you likely won’t be pulling up a chair to the dinner table, instead you’ll be clicking on a Zoom meeting link to give thanks via a webcam.
The reality is that Thanksgiving is just another meal with the same roster of extended family members who hold the same beliefs in conversation. However, there is a connectedness when you sit around the table on Thanksgiving day. The anticipation of warm food, the backdrop of Fall foliage, and a felt sense of safety blend to create an enchanting feeling.
This year amidst the pandemic it is more important than ever to invoke this feeling of solace despite it being evermore difficult to. Forget holiday traffic, this year you’ll have to navigate buffering web browsers and glitchy videoconferencing as in-person connectedness goes virtual.
Setting up a virtual Thanksgiving will likely be a first for you, but what doesn’t have to go out the window is that special feeling of being together. While you might not be holding hands and passing plates around the table, you can celebrate the company by participating in some entertaining holiday activities.
Put everyone’s cooking skills to the test by hosting a virtual cook-off, which you can score with these ballot cards. Or if you don’t have grace in the kitchen, try your hand at photography. Set up your Thanksgiving table and place your full plate and side dishes according to this guide to take the perfect aesthetic picture. Have some fun and try out these virtual Thanksgiving activities because this Thanksgiving is going to be a little different than normal, but it will surely be a memorable one!
