APART BUT TOGETHER: TIPS FOR A COZIER ZOOM THANKSGIVING

We all know Thanksgiving is going to look different this year.

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If you’re lucky, you might live where the weather will still be nice and you have space to create an outdoor Thanksgiving with appropriate social distancing.

The rest of us are preparing for the fact that an in-person Thanksgiving with all of our loved ones is unlikely because of pandemic safety concerns. For us, 2020 will be the year of the Zoom Thanksgiving.

SO HOW DO WE MAKE THAT FEEL OK?

From shared menus to organized games and discussions, some planning and coordination can go a long way.

“The idea is to still feel unified in some way,” says Etsy trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson.

CAPTURING THE VIEW

For once, electronic devices at the table are something to celebrate. Think about how you will position your laptop or other device so those dining with you remotely can see as many people at your table as possible. This may involve changing up the seating arrangements, putting more people on one side of the table than usual.

Your computer or phone might sit on a buffet, side table or the table itself; move it around as the evening goes on.

Maryanne Sullivan of Jersey City, New Jersey, plans to leave the head of the table empty and put her laptop there, while her Massachusetts-based brother does the same at his family’s table. The effect, she says, will “be a continuation of one long table.”

FEEDING DISTANT GUESTS