By Holly Martin
The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a rollercoaster ride. We all know Thanksgiving is going to be a little different this year. There will still be turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes, but we cannot forget to keep our families safe while celebrating. It will still be a time to gather with our quarantined loved ones around the table and give our thanks. Keeping the CDC recommendations in mind for Thanksgiving will ensure a happy and healthy holiday.
The “low risk” activities given by the CDC include most of the normal Thanksgiving happenings. Gather around the table with your family within your household. This may be the year to try your first virtual Thanksgiving with family from out of town. If you do have a small crowd join you for dinner, health experts suggest eating outside or at least with the windows open. Try to maintain a proper social distance with people you have not been quarantined with. Also, experts suggest buffet style dining or passing around the plates should be avoided this year just to keep contact to a minimum.
If you decide cooking isn’t for you, there are many places that can make this year’s dinner a breeze. Shoprite has your Thanksgiving dinner covered. They offer a fully cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, and gravy for pick up as long as you give at least 72 hours notice. Renault Winery is also offering a complete Thanksgiving dinner with different options for your starter, main course, and sides plus a dessert. They ask for all orders to be in by November 23. You can eliminate the stress of planning and cooking.
Once dinner is over, you can plop down on the couch and watch sports, movies, and festivities from the comfort of your living room. This was always my favorite part of the day. Falling asleep to the sound of my family screaming at the football game on TV. This year, you don’t have to rush out to the stores right after dinner. Many stores have chosen to stay closed for the holiday, and they are offering online deals. Avoid the crowds and surf the internet for holiday deals.
Many people seemed to have chosen to celebrate Thanksgiving in completely different ways. From outdoor dining to virtual dinner, you can still give thanks to the ones you love for another crazy year in the books.
Holly Martin has been working in media since 2012. She has worked as a photographer and videographer throughout her high school and college career. Holly is a producer for WOND radio as well as fill in DJ for 103.7 WMGM Rocks. She loves being a concert photographer and working as event staff. She has worked as a reporter for Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods and submitted Editorials to the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has done multiple multimedia articles for Temple as well as Shore Local Newsmagazine. Her portfolio website is hollyamartin.com
