Can you believe that Thanksgiving is two weeks from today?
This year sure has been an interesting one! March felt like forever, the summer flew by, we blinked and fall is over, and now we are approaching the holidays! Crazy! The holidays this year SHOULD look different for all of us this year and even though it pains me to say that but it has to. Why? Well, COVID cases are the worst that they ever have been and we should not be celebrating the holidays like we used to. If you act NOW there are things that you can do to have a safe Thanksgiving and be as “normal” as possible.
Quarantine now. Since Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and people will likely still be traveling, now is the time to self quarantine before you travel and see your loved ones. Sure self quarantining sucks and no one likes to do it but it is the safe thing to do before you see the people you love.
Get tested. You should be doing this frequently even if you don’t have symptoms. So many people have COVID without knowing they do and you can not risk it with your friends and family. We are very fortunate here in NYC that testing is readily available, both normal COVID test and then the rapid test. I encourage you to do both before you travel. Know that the normal test can take up to 5 days to get your results back but it is indeed the most accurate. Before I traveled home to my parents I took a normal test and then the day before I traveled I went to get a rapid test just to make sure. It gives you peace of mind and is the right thing to do for everyone around you.
Have celebrations with immediate family. Family gatherings this year won’t be like they used to be where we were in a household with 60+ people. This year it should just be the immediate family members and people who have been taking this as seriously as you have. I know it won’t be the same but it has to be like this or else imagine what the case count will be in a few weeks after Thanksgiving?
Instead of shared silverware on the platters opt for individual options. Have you had a buffet this year? Don’t think so. Thanksgiving shouldn’t be one either. Even though you are constantly washing your hands just be careful and dish out what you want with your OWN spoon. Sounds crazy but so does this pandemic and the number of people dying each day from it.
This post isn’t meant to scare all of you all or tell you to celebrate this holiday differently but we need to be realistic and aware of what is going on right now. Think about your family, especially the elderly, and all the healthcare workers. Take all the precautions for them so they can have a normal Thanksgiving and Christmas NEXT year when this is hopefully all over.
What are your plans for Thanksgiving?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
