It is Thanksgiving weekend. That usually means big get togethers with friends or family. A delicious juicy turkey, sweet cranberry sauce, and savory stuffing. This year will have to look a little different. Unfortunately, this year none of our holidays are going to be the huge groups that we are used too. We need to keep our friends and family as well as our selves safe and healthy. BC has had relatively low Covid count, and although cases have gone up, they are starting to flatten out again. Let us keep it this way by trying out some of these options for a new approach to thanksgiving.

Host A Zoom Meeting with Friends/Family

Zoom has become an essential service this year. The video group chat platform has allowed us to have face to face contact that we need to avoid in person. This year, use Zoom to have an awesome thanksgiving get together with friends and family. There is so much you can do with the platform, like plays games! Two games that are very popular at the moment are Jackbox and Among Us. Jack box party packs are purchasable through the steam gaming platform on PC. Players connect via code through the jackbox.tv web page on there electronic device. The best thing is only one person must pay to play the game. Share the cost with everyone to save some money. Stream your screen on zoom so all members can see the code. Popular games within the party packs are Drawful, Quiplash and Trivia Murder Party.

Among us is another popular game, that is free to download on your phones, or through steam it is about six dollars. Play with up to ten people and walk around as a colourful blobby character trying to fix your spaceship. But beware of the imposter among you. Do not get to upset when your aunt kills you in electrical. Just remember it is thanksgiving and you need to be thankful you can still spend time with friends and family. This game is very easy to learn. Although it might take a couple tries to get the hang of it.

You can also watch movies with your family over zoom. Many streaming platforms have options to watch together now. Netflix Party for example. Make sure you have the google chrome browser and download the Netflix Party (now teleparty) plugin to continue. You do not zoom to do this, but it’s more fun when you can see and hear your friends and family scream as you watch a scary Halloween themed movie. Google chrome also has extensions for streaming services like prime and Disney plus. Look into it!

Have Outdoor Visits

Sometimes you cannot avoid seeing some family members. Maybe you have a very small family, and you feel a bit more comfortable. If this is the case for you, try your best to keep your visits outdoors. You could sit out in your yard, under a porch, on the balcony, just make sure to maintain a 2m distance.  There are also lots of hikes to take around Vancouver. Walk the grouse grind, lighthouse park or Elsay lake. Find a lot more options at this link.

https://www.outdoorproject.com/travel/best-day-hikes-near-vancouver-bc

This weekend is going to be wet, so make sure if you choose to hike, you bring the proper great and you choose a hike that is not pure mud.

Make A Thanksgiving Meal for Yourself!

Just because you will not be with family does not mean you can’t have a tasty small meal. Treat yourself! Cooking and baking can be relaxing. Maybe you will pick up a new hobby. Last year I made myself A delicious one pan chicken potatoes and carrots with fall spices. It was super easy, and it felt like a meal my mom would make back home. If you want the stuffing and the cranberry sauce to, it is easy to find canned sauces in stores and stove top stuffing and gravy recipes. Do not forget about dessert! Make your self an apple or pumpkin pie. Do not need a whole one. Try out these single serving recipes from spoonunversity.com.

https://spoonuniversity.com/recipe/pumpkin-pie-mug

Take Out A Thanksgiving Meal from a Restaurant

You are not a good cook. That is totally fine! There are many restaurants out there that will cook that delicious turkey for you. If you choose a small or local business to support, you will also be helping them stay afloat during this difficult time. It has been a financial strain on a lot of smaller restaurants. You might even be able to find a place that has an ethnic spin on the traditional meal, so you can go on a flavour vacation. Might not quite replace some real time away but hey, we will all take what we can get.

The Daily Hive Vancouver has an awesome list of restaurants to chose from, so you do not have to do the hard work. There might be more out there though so keep you eyes open. I know whole foods has thanksgiving meals all ready, they just need to be heated up.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/thanksgiving-dinner-to-go-vancouver-2020

I hope you choose to be safe this year and keep everyone else safe. This year might even be chance for you to take a break from your family trying to nose into your personal life (you do not need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy). Let us know if you are doing anything different this year and inspire other people to do the same. Now go out and enjoy your turkey!