Thanksgiving with a Twist

Canadian Thanksgiving is two weeks away as I began to write this, but I think there is still time to create a fun and memorable, COVID-19 safe, celebration for our family.

I started to gather what I’ll need for my family Thanksgiving yesterday. Admittedly, the turkey has been in the freezer for some time now. I bought it when they were on sale in the summer for $ 0.99 a pound. I try to be cost conscious and stay ahead of things. We have a big family. The official planning and shopping started yesterday.

A large family is truly a blessing. So many differing opinions and points of view can make for some lively discussion at the dinner table. You never know what direction things will go in! One thing you can count on is that the little ones will steal the show? If you’ve grown up in, been the head of, or been immersed in a large family, you really look forward to those chaotic gatherings.

COVID-19 has changed, and for a time, eliminated our family gatherings. Its been a sad time, missing the milestones of the wee ones – learning to walk for one child, and talk for another.

Summer came, and the restrictions loosened up enough that we could enjoy a family barbecue. Then, as history has predicted, and just in time for Thanksgiving, the dreaded second wave is upon us. The COVID-19 positive numbers are increasing, doubling every two weeks. The restrictions on the sizes of gatherings is once again to a point where we cannot all meet as a family in one house and stay within the guidelines. We follow, and in some cases exceed, the infection control guidelines that are in place to protect society, and most importantly, to protect our loved ones. So, another conundrum. How will we hold our family Thanksgiving?

I’ve been mulling this question over since it became evident that our usual celebration was not an option this year. It’s a little chilly to have an outdoor event.

I considered having dinner in shifts. But, would it be a cold meal, or a hot meal? Would it be done over different days or the same day? Would it be safe? There’s one thing for certain, it would be a lot of work! Papa and I prefer to have at least one down day to recuperate from hosting our family events. We still have to go to work the next day!

I decided eating in shifts wouldn’t be practical and would have an inherent risk of passing around contagions. The kids are back in school and daycare now. It only takes a sniffle and they’re back home again until symptom free. Then someone has to take more time from work to care for them.

My solution is take-out! Not take-out from a restaurant. Take-out from Nana’s house.

We’re going to make the usual turkey dinner with all the trimmings and package it up for the individual families to come and pick up at a designated time. Now that I have the dinner structure sorted, I need to work through the logistics of what to prepare and how to package it, followed by how to socialize.

Our usual gatherings start off with socializing while the food is finishing cooking, the turkey carved, table set, and guests arrive. It is usually chaos in the kitchen. Everyone hangs out in the kitchen and adjoining dining area to chat and lend a hand. It’s great fun!

While this is happening, we have some veggies and dip out and sometimes potato chips too. I’ve found that if I put the relish trays out early, they disappear before dinner is on the table. My solution to healthier eating was to put out veggies and dip as the snacking course. I know that the first thing everyone does when they enter the kitchen is look to see what’s cooking and what they can sample.

To make our workload more manageable for our take-out extravaganza I decided the cold portion of the meal could be constructed in the individual homes. This will save a lot of time for us, reduce the amount of packaging used, and fill up their fridges. To that end, I’ve been doing a lot of shopping. I’ve purchased all the usual accompaniments in advance – one for each family’s hamper (box).

They can cut their own cheese and make up the relish trays with the pickles and other yummy stuff in their take-out boxes. I substituted buns with refrigerator crescent rolls that they can bake when they are ready to eat. I picked up crackers and chips and dip that they can enjoy with their Thanksgiving dinner or at a later time.

On the day of the dinner Papa and I will cook a turkey and ham. We will carve and package it in individual take-out style containers. I considered using aluminum foil, but I think the plastic containers will be less messy. On the menu will also be mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, two hot vegetables and sweets.
I’ve collected boxes and a large reusable bag to package each take out meal in and even added in a small toy for each of the children.

If time permits, Papa and I want to make a short video to showcase the contents of the hampers and how the food was prepared. We’ll post it on our “Family Chat.” I will include some tips on how to use up the leftovers. One favourite is to add the left-over cranberries to muffins. I know it will generate some interesting discussion among our group. At the end of our little video we will ask that they each send a video to show us all how they built their dinner from the contents of their hampers. I hope they all do. I know it will be fun to watch them all.

On my to-do list is to develop a game that we can all play simultaneously from our homes over one of the platforms on the internet. I want the game to be such that the little ones can join in too. I’m considering a trivia style game with some questions geared to the children’s activities or programs.

I’m really going to miss seeing each and everyone of them. I will especially miss having everyone joining in getting the meal to the table and all the discussion that happens in the kitchen and around the table.

Safety first – we are doing our part in keeping the number of people at gatherings down to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Next year we will be all together at Thanksgiving again, talking about how we did things this year.?