The Halloween decorations are coming down and it is nearly time for turkeys to take center stage! Thanksgiving is often a highly anticipated time of great food, family togetherness, and lots of football on TV. Due to both the health crisis and lingering tension over the recent presidential election, many families are planning for a different kind of Thanksgiving for 2020. Big family gatherings aren’t safe for many folks, so people are having to think creatively about new ways to celebrate the season of gratefulness.
We spoke to 15 moms who are trying something new this year and finding inspiration in the freedom to take a break from Thanksgiving traditions. In both big and small ways, there are new things to be thankful for this year and new ways to spend time with the people closest to us, so read on for creative Thanksgiving ideas that might be worth a try.
New Helpers
“I usually take on the burden of most of the cooking for our big family gathering, which is almost always 30 people or more. This year, I’m home with just my family of five, so I’m using this year to start teaching my kids how to plan and cook a big meal. It’s usually too stressful to have them in the kitchen on Thanksgiving, so this will be a fun change!” — Mallory Y., Lincoln, Nebraska
Special Mail
“Starting on November 1, we are doing a round robin kind of Thanksgiving letter. I started it by sending a letter about what I’m thankful for to my sister. She adds to it and sends it to someone else, etc. By the end of the month we are hoping it ends up with our mom so she has a keepsake, since she won’t see all of us this year.” — Olivia D., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Giving Back in New Ways
“I’m volunteering to package bags for an LGBT youth center this Thanksgiving, instead of spending the day with my Trump supporting in-laws. I’m glad for the break from politics and I’m still mad at them, so this is a good way to live out my values instead.” — Maria G., San Jose, California
All Day Pie
“So, I don’t actually like Thanksgiving food. Can we talk about the fact that turkey is actually terrible? The only thing I like is pie, so we are doing only pie for our meal! I’m making a chicken pot pie as the main and then everyone in the family gets to pick a dessert pie, so we’ll have six sweet pie options. I’m excited!” — Jennifer S., Cary, North Carolina
Staycation
“We rented a house for the week! We’ll stay in our own town, but the house we are renting has a hot tub, a game room, and an amazing backyard space for the kids to run. We live in a condo, so it will be a treat to celebrate in a bigger space.” — Suzie K., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Grandparent Pod
“Our family pod includes my parents, who really want a traditional Thanksgiving, so we’ll do all the usual foods, but we’re going to set up a big screen for the family meal Zoom meeting, so it will be easy for them to see everyone who isn’t there.” – Amy H., Albany, New York
Mom Time
“This is my first Thanksgiving since I got divorced and my kids will be with their dad for the day, so I’m spending Thanksgiving alone and I CAN’T WAIT. I’ve been with the kids nonstop thanks to distance learning and I’m so ready for a day of quiet by myself. I’m getting takeout, have a big stack of books, and big plans for a bubble bath. It’s going to be weird but good.” – Erin E., Roseville, Minnesota
Socially Distant Dinner
“We are going to have Thanksgiving in our backyard and so are our neighbors who are part of our pod. They’ll stay in their yard and we’ll still be able to hang out talk and eat and enjoy some nice weather." — Jessica F., Tucson, Arizona
Hot Dogs for Thanksgiving
“We’re going camping! Everyone in our family needs to have some time off from screens and devices and the kids are finally old enough that we can do some real hiking, so it will be lots of fresh air and hot dogs this Thanksgiving.” — Danni R., Des Moines, Iowa
All New Dishes
“I love to cook, so I still want to make a big meal, even for a smaller crowd. My only rule this year is that I can’t make anything we’ve ever had before. Everything on the Thanksgiving menu has to be something new and different.” — Bethany L., Colby, Kansas
Time Alone
“Between distance learning and my husband working from home, I haven’t been alone in like eight months. I’m spending Thanksgiving with my family but I’m going to a hotel by myself for Friday and Saturday because I need a break or I won’t make it to Christmas.” — Rachael A., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Care Package
“My dad lives in an assisted living facility, so we can’t see him for Thanksgiving, which is pretty heartbreaking (WEAR A MASK, PEOPLE). I’m going to pre-make a mini dinner for him and drop it off the day before so he can FaceTime us on the day and share our meal.” — Rochelle K., Lawrence, Kansas
Honoring the Roots
“We’re trying to be more thoughtful about the real roots of Thanksgiving, especially about the fact that we are celebrating on land that used to belong to Native Americans. So we’re going to spend part of our day planting native grasses in a local park that is trying to restore some of the land. I think it will be meaningful.” – Shanti G., Austin, Texas
Movie Marathon
“I just finished reading Harry Potter to my 9-year-old twins, so we are going to do a movie marathon that weekend. All eight movies, so bring on the butter beer and chocolate frogs in addition to the turkey and mashed potatoes!” — Jillian D., Branson, Missouri
Letters of Gratitude
“Everyone in our family has to write a letter or do art about why they are thankful for someone else and we’re going to share those with each other over dinner. We’ve had a rough year because we all caught COVID and my husband was in the hospital for over a week, so I’m just glad we’re all still here and together.” — Lisa C., St. Paul, Minnesota
