Virtual Thanksgiving
With Covid-19 cases going up and the holidays approaching, Thanksgiving will look a little different this year.
In past years, residents and students from Severna Park have travelled to other states to see family or had family come visit to share the special holiday together. However, with Covid-19 still prevalent and dangerous, families have created new ways to have fun and interact with their families on Zoom or Facetime calls while still keeping everyone safe. “This year we are taking precautions and we won’t be able to see family for Thanksgiving,” sophomore Ally Weaver said.
November 19, 2020
There’s no question that the holiday season wouldn’t look like years in the past due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. However, with cases on the rise and rumors of another lockdown, Thanksgiving has been altered even further than just simply wearing a mask and social distancing.
Some states like California have put rules in place for individual family gatherings for the holidays such as keeping a head count and contact tracing everyone who walks in the door and to only allow up to three families in one household at a time. While Maryland hasn’t put in any strict rulings yet, they have given the public precautions to take in order to keep everyone safe as the outside temperatures decrease and we approach flu season.
Many families in Severna Park haven’t fully cancelled Thanksgiving, but instead have decided to bring the family together over zoom. “This year it’s just going to be my parents, me and my brother,” senior Bella Boettinger said. “We’re not going out.”
Boettinger comes from a very large family with an even larger Thanksgiving on a regular year. As much as she would love to have her fourteen aunts and uncles and countless cousins over for a festive meal, the safety of her loved ones comes first.
We might have zoom calls with the family, but we have too many people to put ourselves in danger,
— Bella Boettinger
Boettinger isn’t the only one who’s family has altered their traditions a bit this year. Sophomore Ally Weaver usually visits her grandmother in New Jersey with 10 of her closest family members on a normal Thanksgiving. However, this year she will not be able to in order to keep her family safe and healthy.
“It’s really unfortunate because Thanksgiving is the only time of year I am able to see my extended family due to our busy schedules,” Weaver said. “Just another example of how much Covid-19 has changed our lives.”
Also visiting their grandmother for Thanksgiving in a normal year, junior Josh Higgins has altered his turkey tradition to instead be a fun night having dinner with his parents. “Normally we drive about 10 hours to get to [my grandmother’s] house in Tennessee,” Higgins said. “This year, we are staying home.”
While this may be upsetting for many as this time of year is usually filled with lots of fun, family, friends and activities, safety comes first and staying healthy is the priority for countless families in Severna Park and all over the country. Nevertheless, Thanksgiving is not cancelled and families all over have come up with safe activities to keep the holiday exciting and lighthearted.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season and remember to stay safe.
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