The
Coronavirus Pandemic has drastically altered and even halted much of life, but
it can’t stop Thanksgiving from coming. People are still asking, “What are you
doing for Thanksgiving?”
Although in many cases the answers are quite different
from what they’ve been in the past, Hudson Valley families are still planning
to celebrate however they can. Eight months into this thing, we’ve all gotten
pretty good at pivoting. Have Zoom, will (not) travel.
A big difference
will be the size of gatherings. Only 60% of respondents to a HVP survey said
they’d be enjoying the company of extended family. (At this writing, while our
numbers are still relatively good, the region is seeing an uptick in Covid-19
cases, so that percentage is likely to fall.)
“We will celebrate the holidays in our own home and keep things
just to the four of us,” says Krista, of Carmel. She and her thirteen-year-old
and six-year-old plan to “make phone calls and, in some cases have a Zoom call that will incorporate
grandparents. We also plan to make a trip to drop gifts to them and along the
drive see some holiday lights.”
With exasperation, but resignation, Lee, of
Kingston, mother of a one-year-old and a three-year-old, says, “As a New York Times article stated: ‘if you
care about your family, stay away from them.’ We'll be distancing to keep
immune compromised grandparents safe.”
“We will not be going to my in-laws for a
traditional five-course Thanksgiving meal for forty people,” says Jessica, of
Newburgh, mother of a seven and an eight-year-old. “The host has serious health
issues. We will not be visiting Santa at the mall. I will be hosting both
Thanksgiving and Christmas and close extended family will be included.”
Samy, of Fishkill, mother of a nine-year-old and
a fourteen-year-old, is philosophical. “On the outside, it will appear to be
much more lonely and different than other years,” she says. “On the inside, we’re
still grateful to have our immediate family.”
READ MORE: Easy Ways to Keep Kids Entertained at Thanksgiving
As difficult as it is to accept the need to alter
long-held, annual plans, it’s worth noting that Thanksgiving, more then most
American holidays, has gone through many permutations since “the First
Thanksgiving” of 1621.
The commemoration of that post-harvest feast shared by Pilgrims and indigenous
Wampanoag was on-again, off-again until Abraham Lincoln. He officially proclaimed
it a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our
beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Ulysses S. Grant made
it a federal holiday. FDR made the “fourth Thursday in November” date ironclad.
It’s only
in modern times that stores put out Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.
For decades, to do so was considered “bad taste.” Imagine that.
As eras
passed, traditions coalesced into our now familiar national customs. First and
foremost is the Thanksgiving tradition of gathering with families and friends of
all faiths (or no faith) to express gratitude.
On the downside, the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving has long been one of the heaviest travel days, causing automobile
traffic and flight delays of epic proportions. (Remember that?) Then there’s “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving,
often the biggest shopping day of the year, with sales, crammed malls, and
shoppers hell-bent on getting the most holiday gifts for their dollar. And who
could forget football?
Needless to
say, 2020 will be different. NFL Football is still on (three games!), as is a
socially-distanced, small-scale Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but, due to
strict limits on capacity no visitors will be allowed on the parade route and there will be no swarms of Black Friday shoppers.
For bargain-hunters, this might be a welcome change, but for business owners,
not so much. Many have long come to regard Black Friday as a retail windfall,
the day they go “in the black,” financially speaking. (Amazon will continue to
thrive.) Yet, businesses will press on, and no doubt they will be grateful for
your socially distanced dollars.
Air travel
is dramatically reduced, and, at this writing, Governor Cuomo has issued a
mandatory 14-day quarantine on anyone entering New York from 41 states, as well
as all but 31 countries.
Although the state-to-state travel quarantine is technically hard to enforce,
it will certainly cause more travel cancellations.
While a lesser percentage of respondents to our survey
are not considering altering many plans, most are taking the pandemic quite
seriously, and resignedly.
“Not all of us will be able to get together,”
Edwina, of Pine Bush, mother of two adult children, says. “We have vulnerable
age groups and illnesses, and we will miss not having everyone. Safety is more
important.”
READ MORE: 30 days, 30 ways to give thanks
Jean, Northport mother of a seven-year-old,
says, “We will have a smaller group. One grandparent has a condition that keeps
him isolated, so he and his wife will not be joining us.”
Despite
all of these and other unpleasant changes the pandemic has forced upon us, some
Hudson Valley parents are making lemonade from lemons by creating new
traditions.
“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to see extended
family,” Sarah, Beacon mother of a twenty-month-old, a six-year-old, and an
eight-year-old, says. “So we plan to incorporate new traditions with our kids –
sending Holiday cards with a photo to family members. We’re going to get plenty
of time outdoors to jump in the snow, make snowmen, and angels!”
“It is my daughter’s first Thanksgiving,” says
Kristin, of Campbell Hall. “It will be with the grandparents at our home and
Zoom with extended family.”
Julie, of Warwick, mother of a two, six, and an
eight-year-old, plans to pay tribute to faraway loved ones with cherished
recipes. “We are only having immediate family,” she says. “But we will make all
the family tradition recipes that each family member would bring so it feels
like all the family is with us.”
Lori, Newburgh mother of a nine-year-old, says
that even though it’ll be just her husband and their child, “We are going to
have a great holiday as a family. We will use Zoom to connect with other family
and friends.”
While the pandemic has taken
away so much, it has also clarified a few things, like the importance of maintaining
and protecting health – both ours and others’ – and the preciousness of loved
ones, particularly elders. For many, in a world of growing uncertainty, knowing
your family is with you in some way can bear you up through these difficult
times. Connecting, whether “in real life,” or via Zoom, is a top priority, and
thankfully more possible through technology. Shopping, football, and feasting
are great, but now more than ever, nothing compares to the abiding love of
family. For that, we give the deepest thanks, and celebrate however possible.
Happy Thanksgiving from HVP!
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