With the continued rise of COVID-19 cases in the nation, people have been adapting and changing their plans to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Regulations in N.Y. and Conn. have advised holiday gatherings to remain in the range of 10 people. The CDC recommends that people only celebrate with their immediate household and family members and wear masks if they’re gathering with others. According to the CDC, college students that are returning home for the holidays should even be labeled as members of an outside household because they “pose levels of high risk.”
In addition, the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is famous nationwide, has been switched to a virtual-only television viewing event.
These changes to Thanksgiving plans have hindered traditions that some families hold and altered a holiday that is usually known for coming together.
“I’ll be spending this Thanksgiving with my immediate family. I cannot see my extended family due to high-risk members and fears of COVID-19,” said junior Joey Kiernan.
Many other students are also keeping their family gatherings small due to the virus.
“For Thanksgiving this year we’re staying home with just my family to be safe,” said sophomore Emma Gilhawley. “We usually spend it with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Connecticut, because they’re the only family we have within driving distance, but this year we’re doing it separately.”
Others are trying to celebrate with family in any way they can, even if it is not in person.
“My family is making the food for Thanksgiving and dropping some off at my grandma’s house so she can enjoy it too,” said junior Kristine Udahl. “Even though we can’t celebrate with her in person, we still want her to enjoy the festivities of Thanksgiving.”
Many students are also virtually seeing their relatives for Thanksgiving.
“We will also call all our extended family to celebrate virtually,” said Kiernan.
Other students say their Thanksgiving plans remain largely unchanged during these times.
“Usually for Thanksgiving, I spend the day with just my immediate family instead of a big group,” said senior Elizabeth Winter. “For me, Thanksgiving hasn’t changed because of COVID-19, but if we wanted to invite a guest over, we are most likely not able to because of the virus.”
Despite the challenges of altering Thanksgiving plans, some students say their families are trying to make the best out of the situation.
“We’re making the best out of it by staying positive,” said junior Cory Hutchison. “The situation is definitely different this year, and there is not much we can do but adapt in order to still have a good time with family, even if the gathering is smaller than usual.”
Many people believe that the changes this year for the holidays do not have to be completely negative and that there are still aspects of Thanksgiving to look forward to.
“This year for Thanksgiving, I really look forward to spending time with family and being grateful that we are all healthy and together during the pandemic,” said Winter.
The smaller group setting for Thanksgiving gatherings have also allowed students to celebrate in different ways.
“My brothers and I are going to be cooking a lot of the meal this year, which we usually don’t get the chance to do,” said Gilhawley.
Although Thanksgiving will look different this year, some students say that celebrations can still bring positive memories despite the pandemic.
“I believe that new traditions can be made for this upcoming Thanksgiving to make it feel somewhat normal,” said Winter. “We will be able to remember this time in our life where we made the best out of a bad situation.”
