Post Pandemic Thanksgiving Party Tips

With the year (and hopefully, the coronavirus pandemic) coming to an end, you might be wondering how to safely attend a Thanksgiving party in 2021.

Social distancing is still a good idea to prevent the spread of this disease - but does that mean that you need to hold off on the festivities altogether?

Here’s what you need to know about gathering with friends and family this holiday season.

How Many People Will Be There

There’s technically no safe number when it comes to gatherings this holiday season. However, the fewer people the better.

If you can, keep your guest list limited to just people you live with. If you plan to expand to people outside the household, keep it to those who have been vaccinated and/or people with whom you interact with regularly anyway - your “circle.”

This is not the year to invite your cousin’s boyfriend’s sister - you should try to keep the groups small to limit your COVID-19 pod. Remember, the more people you interact with, the greater your risk of contracting the virus. It’s not just about who you’re coming into contact with but who the people you’re coming into contact with are coming into contact with, too.

Not only that, but keeping the celebration small will reduce exposure while also making it easier to contact trace if someone does get sick.

Keep maskless interaction to a minimum - ideally, less than 10 people including children and adults and no more than three families.

With those recommendations in mind, heed this guidance - if anybody is sick, even just the a case of the sniffles, stay home. That’s especially true if anyone is high-risk or lives with someone who is at high-risk of contracting or becoming severely ill with COVID-19.

Celebrate Outdoors

In many parts of the country, Thanksgiving is a chilly, frigid affair - and we’re not just talking about when politics come up at the dinner table!

Thanksgiving weather can be unpredictable in certain areas, so it’s not always possible to celebrate outdoors. However, when it is, consider celebrating outdoors.

COVID-19 transmission is virtually nonexistent (not totally nonexistent, but less present, for sure) when celebrations occur outside.

If you can, gather outside to lower your risk of transmission.

If you can’t, open as many doors and windows as possible to improve air circulation. Again, this might be tricky if it’s cold outside, but it might let some of that hot air that’s built up from body heat and cooking out of the house, at least!

You can install a patio heater if you want to celebrate outdoors in cooler weather - or invest in a HEPA filter for indoor celebrations.

How Will Food Be Served

Something else you should research before hosting or attending a Thanksgiving gathering is how food will be served. There’s no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about multiple people helping themselves to the same bowl of sweet potatoes. 

What you do need to worry about, however, is a pot-luck style meal in which multiple people are gathering mask-less around the same area at the same period of time.

Instead, you might consider a socially distanced meal. You can make this fancy and elegant to help dress up the occasion - consider having a plated dinner in which the food is served only by the host (or another designated person). The key here is to limit the interactions between guests, so getting rid of food lines and buffets is a good idea.

If you go up for seconds, get a clean plate. While disposable plates aren’t the most eco-friendly, this might be the year to give them a try, if you ever do.

Socially Distance As Much As Possible

COVID-19 can spread through basic activities like talking and breathing, so keeping a safe distance from anyone who is not wearing a mask is essential. Can you stay at least six feet away from other people?

If you don’t have space indoors, take the celebration outside. If that won’t work, you need to pare down the guest lists.

If you’ve eaten at a restaurant lately, you can look to them for inspiration on how to space out your guests. You might have a large Thanksgiving table in which every few seats are left empty, or you can set up several smaller tables that are spaced out.

Wear Your Mask

Masks are controversial  - we get it. However, when you’re trying to figure out ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 during the holidays, wearing a mask is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others.

It can be difficult to convince everyone to wear a mask - and ultimately, you may find that the burden falls to you. However, even if you wear a mask and others don’t, you’re still taking an important step toward keeping yourself safe.

Naturally, however, you won't be able to drink or eat with your mask on - so there will be portions of the holiday spent without a mask on. Therefore, you’ll need to follow the commendations we’ve already given you in this article to make sure you’re continuing to minimize your risk.

Review CDC Guidelines For A Safe Celebration

Thanksgiving has long been one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. Many people head home to celebrate Turkey Day - after all, “there’s no place like home for the holidays!”

Before you head out, be sure to review CDC guidelines. No travel is the safest bet, but if you’re vaccinated and feel comfortable getting on a plane, be sure to check transmission rates and safety guidelines in the destination you’re headed to.

As of writing this article, most international travel is still limited - so flying out of the country to visit your loved ones may still prove to be a logistical challenge. If you’re flying domestically, be sure to check with the airline and the Transportation Security Administration prior to leaving for your flight to make sure you’re apprised of all safety guidelines.

Otherwise, know that the CDC assesses various Thanksgiving activities with different levels of risk. Taking a look at these valuations may give you a better idea - and some peace of mind - about whether you’re celebrating safely this year.

The Center for Disease Control deems a small dinner with your household only and a virtual dinner with friends and family to be the safest, lowest-risk option. However, you can also prepare and deliver food for neighbors and friends (particularly those who might not be able to travel or leave their homes due to the high risk of COVID-19 illness or death) without having to worry too much about transmission.

Don’t forget about the day after Thanksgiving, either. Heading to the crowded big box stores on Black Friday probably isn't a great idea if you want to reduce your risk of COVID-19. Instead, stick to cyber shopping - there are great deals both on Black Friday as well as the ubiquitous Cyber Monday.

The same goes for any sporting events, holiday movie showings, and parades you may have liked to participate in during previous years. Watch these at home if you can.

You’ll find a higher level of risk if you choose to host a small outdoor dinner with local friends and family. Other moderate-risk activities include attending small outdoor sporting events or visiting places like orchards or pumpkin patches. As long as you use hand sanitizer, wear your mask, and maintain a social distance, these activities are moderately safe, too.

Now, for a few things that the CDC recommends you avoid. Most will likely be obvious!

For one, you should avoid shopping in crowded stores around the holiday. Skip the crowded races and parades as well as large indoor gatherings with people outside of your close circle.

Something else the CDC cautions against? Going crazy with the booze. The Center for Disease Control Recommends avoiding alcohol and drugs - especially to excess - as these not only weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight COVID-19 if you happen to contract it but can also lower your inhibitions and make COVID-19 spread more likely.

Find Middle Ground

While it’s easy to let your guard down and relax a bit over the holidays, you do still need to stay vigilant this holiday season. COVID-19 cases are on the downswing, but that’s only due to our hard work to combat the disease.

Hosting an indoor, multi-generational gathering is far riskier than a backyard barbeque you might have hosted over the summer months. Thanksgiving often involves overnight or week-long visits from family across the country - again, these can increase the likelihood of catching the disease.

Find a middle ground whenever possible. You might not be able to stay five nights in a row at your grandparents’ house across the country - but could you visit just for the meal?

You might not be able to limit your dinner just to your immediate household - but could you wear a mask if you’re interacting with others, or have your dinner outdoors?

This year probably won’t look like the Thanksgivings of the past - and that’s okay. Now might be the time to find new traditions or to make the traditions you do have even better.

Get rid of the things you hated about Thanksgiving in the past - perhaps you don’t actually like turkey but always end up with it anyway because it’s the way “it’s always been.” Ditch the turkey and get pizza instead - hey, they’re predicting turkey shortages for 2021, anyway!

Maybe you just want to be able to enjoy more leftovers - kudos to you! This year will be a wonderful year to experiment with your cooking and have a bit more leftover if you’re only cooking Thanksgiving dinner for our immediate household.

If there was ever a year to break the rules, 2021 might be the one. With the COVID-19 pandemic finally beginning to wind down, rest assured - things will hopefully be looking up for Thanksgiving 2022 and beyond!

Be Prepared For Strong Feelings

When you start planning your Thanksgiving celebration this year, know that some of your decisions may not always sit well with others in your circle. It’s important to have these conversations openly and honestly - and to avoid making the situation personal.

Not everybody has the same opinion on vaccines, mask-wearing, or other measures - that’s something you’re likely aware of if you’ve been paying attention at all in 2021!

However, remember that these conversations aren’t necessarily worth destroying relationships over. While it’s important to stick to your guns to keep yourself and your family safe, keep the conversation light while remaining adamant about your decision.

Remember, too, that everybody in your circle will likely be in a different situation. While you might pride yourself on being able to socially distance yourself throughout much of the year, it’s not a reality for everyone. Your sister who works as an ICU nurse or your cousin who is a kindergarten teacher simply have to come into contact with lots of people as part of their work.

They don’t necessarily have a choice as to whether they take on this kind of risk. If you're concerned about exposure, be proactive about your own health and opt out of the larger celebration. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility to keep yourself and those around you healthy - so make smart choices!

Enjoy The Thanksgiving Holiday Safely With These Helpful Reminders

You don’t need to steer clear of friends and family this holiday season - particularly if you’ve been vaccinated and feel healthy.

However, you should follow certain steps to make sure you stay safe.

In some cases - particularly in areas with high transmission rates - it’s best to stick to your own household this Thanksgiving. While you might miss spending the holiday with Grandma and Aunt Carol, you can always eat dinner with them virtually, over Zoom or FaceTime.

It might not be as cozy and intimate as it was in Thanksgivings of years past - but hey, at least you can hit the mute button when your crazy uncle starts ranting about his favorite football team again!

Karen A Mulvey is a personal social blogger and mom with 14 years of experience in the every day world of motherhood and sustainable product research. Karen is on a mission to help everyday families select sustainable, non-toxic organic products, stop stressing about uncertainties on sustainable home goods and apparel, and start living the life they’ve always wanted.

Follow Karen at @karenAmulveycs | Karen A Mulvey

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