fbpx

🦃 Pulptown’s guide to a safe and happy Thanksgiving

Alright, we’re less than a week away from Thanksgiving, a day many Americans traditionally spend around the dinner table with their families while gorging themselves on turkey, sweet potato casserole, and memories of years’ past.

And for most, it’s set to be a day of much-needed love and companionship after what has been a hellacious eight months. But, like everything else, this year’s togetherness is going to look a little bit different. For those of us heeding the advice of the CDC and staying away from everyone you love most in hopes of not spreading or catching the contagious coronavirus, there will be no sitting at the kids’ table in your childhood home or reminiscing on good times past.

As depressing as that sounds, there are ways to still spend the holiday with your loved ones: We’ve got suggestions on how to do so below along with safety tips and a few roundups of local restaurants and chefs offering Thanksgiving meals to-go.

😷 Local health experts have said that there is no need to cancel Thanksgiving this year. Lord knows we all need human interaction, but they’ve recommended that you stay home and don’t travel outside of your “pod”. But if you must, take a test before you go, keep celebrations outdoors, and stay away from confined spaces. Here’s a full list of the CDC’s recommendations.

So how can you celebrate with your family and still “stay home”? 

💻 Call ’em. Zoom —  arguably the most popular app of these very weird times — is here to save the day for Thanksgiving and is lifting its 40-minute time limit on free video calls, allowing you to talk to your fam for as long as you want or need.

🌳 Make it an outdoor Thanksgiving. Get outside, whether for a hike or a Turkey Trot 5K (if you’re one of those). If you want to eat together, set up a dinner table outside, and give everyone space.

🚙 Do a drive-by dinner crawl. If your f(r)amily is local, make your usual dish, plate it separately, and drop it off in exchange for a separate dish from your loved ones. At the end of it, you’ll each have a feast.

This is depressing. The last thing you want to do is cook — what is one to do? 

🥡 Leave it up to the experts and order a meal to-go. Orlando Date Night Guide rounded up the restaurants offering Thanksgiving meals-to-go: Order a full spread from 4 Rivers or a dessert tray and coquito from Donevette’s Confections. Local food blogger Tasty Chomps put together this mega list, menus included. (The list is extensive, but it’ll have you hungry in no time.) And then Bungalower broke it down for ya by needs, like where to get all the fixings (The New Standard), where to get everything vegan (Drunken Monkey), and where to go for Smooth Pumpkin Cheesecake (The Glass Knife).

And if you usually volunteer for Thanksgiving or maybe you need the assist this year, then:

🙏 Here’s a list of local organizations working to make sure no one goes hungry this Thanksgiving. Which reminds us, if you aren’t in need but want to help those who are, these organizations will most likely be able to point you in the right direction.

Need some tradition?

🎈 Here’s some comforting news: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is still on! Sure, it’ll look a little different this year, but hey, this world could definitely use some sweet nostalgia today, amirite?

Wanna share your Thanksgiving amidst a pandemic plan with us? We wanna hear about it. Email katie@pulp.town, subject line: Thankful for Thanksgiving.

By Pulptown Creative Studio
The Pulptown Creative Studio helps clients big and small engage locals, through campaigns that use creative marketing, storytelling, events, and activations to build community, conversation, and impact.