8 Ideas for a Social Distanced Thanksgiving Feast

Let’s be honest, this year Thanksgiving will not be the same as past celebrations. If you are feeling gutted, don’t worry a socially distanced Thanksgiving feast can still be a joyful celebration.

Please don’t let this year’s predicament with Covid-19 ruin our chance to have a wonderful celebration without family and friends.

I have come up with some creative ideas that you can use for your Thanksgiving celebration.

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Social Distance Plan

1. Hold Thanksgiving outdoors

The weather during fall is beautiful. It’s would be nice to hold Thanksgiving outdoors. It is also much easier to social distance as you will have plenty of space. You can lay a picnic blanket or even lay out foldable tables and chair which is 6 feet apart. If you live in cold weather, you can start a campfire and lay chairs around the campfire.

2. Assign one person in charge of preparing the meal.

To reduce contamination from food, best to assign one person to prepare the meals. The cook should also be advised to wear a mask and use gloves when handling food.

Having a menu would be a great plan to reduce the workload for that one cook. I am planning this year to have 2 meat choices, 2 to 3 side dishes, and one dessert choice.

It is definitely not an easy task to satisfy the taste of family and friends. Therefore, I consulted my family and friends on their food preferences.

3. Allocate a sanitization station

Set up a location for sanitization, it could be near the bathroom, the entrance, or the food area. Prepare hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, and Kleenex and place them where it is noticeable so your guest can sanitize themselves.

4. Consider Disposables

I try to avoid disposables as much as I could due to environmental concerns. However, this year is different. I would recommend to try to source disposable items such as plates, cutlery, napkins as much as possible to avoid germs from spreading.

5. Host Thanksgiving at one location

We typically celebrate Thanksgiving at multiple location. This year, I would suggest to have it at one location. Opting for one location can make everyone feel safer and have a better experience.

6. Send out an Itinerary/Guide

I am planning to prepare a simple guide to provide some information on what is to be expected on the day of the celebration. There would be a guide to how to social distance and iron out any expectations needed.

7. Wear Mask

Encourage wearing of mask when handling food, going to the bathroom, or anytime when social distance cannot be maintained.

I have purchased some really cute masks that make it more pleasant for my guest. Maybe something to laugh about.

8. Testing

I made it a requirement that all my family and friends get tested 24 hours to 48 hours prior to attending the event.

This would safeguard all guests and make everyone at ease. Hopefully, we could enjoy Thanksgiving a little better knowing that the risk of transmission is kept very low.