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Virtually Thankful: Top ways to celebrate a virtual Thanksgiving

I think it is safe to say that your Thanksgiving and mine might look a little differently this year. Whether you are in a country where the Covid-19 regulations allow you to still meet with others, but perhaps you don’t feel comfortable to do so, or you are in a country or area that is under restrictions; this Thanksgiving might be a little quieter and a little lonelier than previous celebrations.

The wide range of varied emotions that we have all felt at one time or another through 2020 might leave us feeling that there is not too much to be thankful for this year. However, no matter what we have experienced, survived, limped or crawled through, I want to challenge us to prepare our hearts this month for a time of thanksgiving. 

For some of you, myself included, you won’t be with family or friends physically this Thanksgiving. However, we can all still make this year a special one and I thought I would share some ideas that might help you create a memorable time celebrating this Thanksgiving. 

1. Virtual Thanksgiving with The Portal

One product my family and I have enjoyed using as my children and I live in Romania and my parents live in the States, is The Portal. It’s perfect for families to keep in contact and has some neat features for children as well. My mom is able to read stories to my 5 year old son, Izaiah, and she suddenly turns into the character she is reading about, thanks to the story features. 

This Thanksgiving, my family and I are going to set up our Portals near our tables and celebrate “together”, even though we are over 5000 miles apart. If you are interested in purchasing a Portal to help make your Thanksgiving a little cozier, one of the places you can do so is here: http://bit.ly/portaltalk (by using Amazon Smile, you can designate Forget Me Not Ministries as your charity and Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase). 

The Portal is a great idea even if you still plan on getting together to celebrate with your family this year, but some members aren’t able to make it. This way, they can still be a part. The Portal runs on Facebook, and you can have up to 8 messenger callers joined in at one time (including yourself), so it’s perfect for joining family members and friends together. Zoom would be another great way to have everyone together at the table. 

2. Food Swap

If you live close to your family and friends and want to stay safe this year, but not miss out on the yummy dishes, you can organize a food swap. Each family or friend can make a different dish, as they typically would for Thanksgiving, but then meet at a central location the evening before, and with tupperware in hand, swap meals. Have your dish ready in tupperware containers and make sure there is enough for each family participating and be prepared to receive their dishes as well. Here is a link for some eco-friendly disposable food containers: http://bit.ly/biothanksgiving

3. Recipe Swap

If you do not live near to those you will be celebrating virtually with, but don’t want to miss out on that familiar taste of Thanksgiving you know and love, you can organize a recipe exchange between families. Create a Google document that can be shared between everyone and send out the link, so that each person can add their signature dish recipe.

Don’t miss out on your aunt Susan’s seafood stuffing, your mama’s sweet potato casserole, your aunt Lisa’s yeast rolls, or your grandma’s green bean casserole…swap the recipes and share a taste of “home” this Thanksgiving. You could even print a little ‘Family Thanksgiving Recipes’ book for your family to have in the future. 

Shutterfly always has great deals on printing little books for the family. You can print your family recipe book here: http://bit.ly/shutterflyrecipe

4. Old School Encouragement

Thanksgiving is such an important time to let those in our lives know just how thankful we are for them, especially as it has been a trying and exhausting year for many. I’ve included a template that you might want to print and send snail mail even to just one other person, to encourage them and to remind them how special they are to you. It just might be the highlight of someone’s Thanksgiving this year. Our words can be so powerful, so let’s use them to build each other up this November 26th. 

5. Thanksgiving BINGO

Why not have some virtual fun playing Thanksgiving Bingo with everyone after the feast. I’ve included a template you can print and play and send to others you want to include during game time. 

6. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt (indoors)

Another way to host some virtual Thanksgiving fun is to have a scavenger hunt that everyone can participate in within their own homes. See who can find the items first, who has the highest total, and don’t forget to snap pictures as you go along. 

A fews tips for celebrating with others:

If you decide to still gather as a family or with friends this Thanksgiving, here are a few tips to help keep your celebration safe and protected. 

1. Use as many disposable items as possible in order to prevent contamination. There are some great biodegradable products on Amazon Smile: http://bit.ly/bioplateware
2. 2. Individualizing everything will be really important.
3. All side dishes can be served in cute little mason jars for guests to grab, and pie pieces can be ready to go on individual dessert plates.
4. A fun idea is to print and use this template as a little table gift for each of your guests, placing a small bottle of hand sanitizer in the open box at each table setting.

If you have some other fun ideas to make this Thanksgiving special, please leave your comments, so that we can share more ideas. 

Even though this might be a Thanksgiving dinner unlike any other, with moments of sadness and longing for loved ones in our lives; let’s take time to be thankful for what we have and who we have in our lives. I think in the midst of the chaos we’ve experienced this year, sometimes it’s ok just to be thankful we are still standing. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving! 

Thankful for you, 

Rachel