As COVID-19 continues to run rampant, many people are rethinking their big holiday gatherings. Some people will do something virtual. Others are keeping their gathering to just their small bubble and some are finding solace in taking the year off from the holidays. How are you planning on safely celebrating Thanksgiving this year?
My family and I are planning on making the normal Thanksgiving Foods that we normally have and then getting on a zoom call with our extended family while we all eat and become miserable lol. I cant wait.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks! Although 2020 may be the saddest , we can hold on a little longer and keep ourselves healthy, we will truly have a real Thanksgiving of All Thanksgiving when we can get pass Covid! WE must take a look at what we have at this very moment.
Since Florida is not under any kind of restrictions that affect our family we have just planned to be careful and keep in mind that our family's and our own safety is our responsibility and try to give a lot of thought to each situation before venturing out.
My family has planned to have an 'all day dinner' with visits planned at different time intervals and a 'conference' at the end of the day to give thanks for our safety and well being.
We typically have a big family reunion during the holidays (especially Thanksgiving and Christmas).
This year we're all celebrating with just our family. We will cook smaller portions and since our families are too big to zoom will just send photos of what we made/family portraits to each other.
Also plan to drop off some food to some family who is smaller and not doing anything for Thanksgiving at all.
Happy early Thanksgiving!
We have too many family members who are at high risk so we are not having any in person gatherings.
Zoom (for the free version) has waived the 40 minute rule for meetings of 3 or more for the 26th and 27th so we are going to try to take advantage of that window of time to have a family Zoom with the out of state and in state gang. We will do this before those in the family who are working need to be on their shifts.
While we count our blessings daily, and are grateful to have family and friends to cherish, this year has been especially challenging because our extended family and friend circle has seen loved ones succumb to COVID, with another passing this week. It is just heartbreaking.
Be safe everyone and know that those of us who are sacrificing the short term pain of not having in person gatherings to protect those we love, are hopeful that soon our sacrifice will result in a healthier community soon so we will all have the opportunity to be together in the future.
Blessings and all good wishes to each and every one of you!
I have family in the US that is keeping it simple this year. Most of the members of my family that are still living there are spread out in several states. Each one of them has decided to follow the tradition in their own way. some of the members are still gathering at one home and celebrating as usual, where my daughter has just moved recently she is going to a friend's home to have Thanksgiving. My granddaughter will be staying with the family she is living with because she is in College and it is closed for now. Other than this I know other people who do not have so many concerns about the virus and will celebrate as usual.
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With COVID-19 limiting the size of our gatherings - what are some thrifty tips for making smaller size traditional meals and saving money to do so?
Here are a few ways to prepare a scaled-down Thanksgiving meal.
Prepare a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey.
Reduce the number of side dishes you prepare. Just prepare a few of your favorites. Choosing side dishes that are tasty but don't require a lot of ingredients can make the meal less expensive to prepare.
Keep in mind, there's nothing wrong with breaking tradition. Get creative with your menu. Ordering a Thanksgiving dinner that's just the size you need might actually be less expensive and certainly less work for you than preparing a smaller version of your traditional meal. The main purpose of gathering together is to enjoy each other's company. Consider the food a bonus.
I believe 'scaled down' could mean a lot of different things, especially when it comes to a specific number in a gathering.
For very small groups I believe the first order of things would be to make a list of favorite foods of the people in the group so when you're making up your menu you'll know what to purchase and maybe just limit each category to what's on your list.
You could think about making a list of meats, vegetables, desserts, drinks, make copies and let each person check off which items they would like.
Not everybody goes with turkey for small gatherings but opt for ham (so many sizes/types available), roast chicken or Cornish hens. A turkey breast may be sufficient but can turn out dry quickly and some people actually prefer the dark meat.
If traditional is the way you wish to go then you might just want to stick with the same size turkey and either let everyone take some home or box what's left for leftovers.
I just plan to scale everything down and stick with my usual meal.
One great plan I have heard is for families to make regular portions of food and then share it out with friends or family. So one person makes mashed potatoes and another makes green bean casserole and they divide them. This idea would take a little bit of planning but allow everyone to have their favorites.
I've done Thanksgiving dinner for just my family of 4 many times, as our family lives about 3 hours away (including you!!). I just make my normal sized recipes and freeze any leftovers that don't get used up in another meal. I love to make pot pies with leftover turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies and a stuffing crust on top. These can be frozen as well. And I always make turkey frame broth right in the roasting pan, after dinner is finished. Yum, can't wait!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! It might be a different year for many but we all still have so much to be thankful for. Next year, we should be able to enjoy the holiday however we wish!
Smaller turkey or go with a turkey breast roast.
Perhaps if you know a friend/family member who's hosting a traditional meal if you all can spilt the cost of the items or even have them cook some side dishes and you cook some (then social distance exchange)
Our tentative plan is to make smaller batches of our very favorite items (which are stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pie). Personally I can do without the turkey and gravy--but if I lose that battle, we will get turkey cutlets for hubby and I will just enjoy my sides as my meal. By making what we love there will be more meaning and if there are leftovers we will use the them as sides (and dessert) for our regular meals.
We always look for Aldi's $5 off of $30 coupons (which may not be happening this year since I have not seen them yet) but in the past that has helped us get fresh green beans, both kinds of potatoes, bread for stuffing, broth, butter, and apples all for the best prices.
When we did large gatherings, we would gather several coupons (our post office would allow us to take the ones that people tossed in their recycle bin). With it just being us two to be safe this year, that alone will be a cost savings.
You can always buy a turkey breast to cook instead of a full-sized turnkey. This is very good and saves a lot of money when doing this one. Unless turkeys are on sale and cheap to buy. Or just find a small 10-pound turkey to buy. Just cook your meals like you have been cooking them during the lockdown. That means cooking smaller portions of food. You don't need to buy large quantities of food to cook at this time. I just cook for my husband and me and I limit the number of side dishes that I cook for the two of us. Normally I make a turkey, some cooked potatoes, a salad, and a vegetable. I never forget to make the apple pie. This is perfect for the two of us and we can eat off the 10-pound turkey for about 4 days.
