How to Host Thanksgiving During Coronavirus?

Everyone’s favorite feasting holiday may look a little different this year.

The good news: Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie haven’t been canceled. The bad news? You may not be squeezing yourself around a table with 10 of your nieces and nephews to celebrate Thanksgiving 2020. Because coronavirus still makes indoor celebrations a little dicey—and the new Thanksgiving guidelines recommend celebrating indoors only with friends and family who live in your household—you have two safe options for planning your Thanksgiving celebration: an outdoor feast or a virtual one.

• 

Keep Thanksgiving celebrations as small as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic

No matter which way you go, there’s plenty of fun to be had—here’s how.

• 

Weather may be a factor in whether your Thanksgiving plans are a go this year. But unless the day is absolutely terrible, you might still be able to gather for a short time to enjoy a little turkey and stuffing with your friends and family. (And if the weather is terrible, consider penciling in a rain date a day or two later so you can still enjoy your time together.) Just note: In its guidelines on holiday celebrations during the coronavirus pandemic, a small outdoor dinner with friends or family who live close by as a moderate-risk activity, so plan carefully to limit risk for everyone involved. Travel is also a high-risk activity, so holiday travel may not be the best idea—with that in mind, know that your Thanksgiving gathering (even if it is outdoors) will be smaller than usual.

Dress Your Backyard

Dress your backyard with DSW Eames Style Set of 4 Dining Chair rather than one big, long table, break up seating into smaller parties by household, to make mealtime safer. Invest in outdoor heaters and put out cozy throws to help keep the chill off.

Little Creative With the Menu

Give your oven the day off and find ways to keep your cooking outdoors, too. (That’ll also help warm up the backyard!) You can fire up the grill for the turkey and sides like sweet potatoes and corn. Slow cookers are great for a number of Thanksgiving sides, including potato gratin and corn spoon bread. Whenever possible, aim to offer individual portions, so no one’s reaching into shared dishes.

Offer Hot Beverages

A hot drink can help everyone stay warm. Use slow cookers or thermoses to serve cocoa and hot water for tea. (You can also put out rum or bourbon so guests can craft their own hot cocktails, and extra add-ins like cinnamon sticks, marshmallows, and whipped cream to let guests get creative.)

Coordinate Your Menus

Work with the hosts of each household to plan at least a few similar dishes on each family’s menu, so you can all enjoy the same appetizers, your family’s secret stuffing recipe, or a slice of apple pie for dessert. Try to coordinate the same dinnertime, so you can “sit down” to dinner together

Perfect Virtual Thanksgiving

If you want to make it seem like you’re all eating together, set a place for the computer, so you can all video chat during the meal.