As COVID-19 cases continue to increase during the month of November, many families are struggling with the logistics of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is known as a holiday for gathering, but how are families supposed to assemble while remaining cautious? Many states, like New York and New Jersey, have even set restrictions so that travelers must quarantine before entering their state borders. This makes the matter of traveling troublesome for families that come together from different areas of the country.

The increased tensions over beliefs and politics may also take a toll on the normally sweet holiday. Some families may be divided over their cautiousness and the amount of safety procedures they have been practicing amidst the pandemic.

Another struggle to consider is not only the safety of the whole family, but the health of elderly family members. For a lot of families, big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only days that the whole gang gets together. It may be the only time they get to see Grandma and Grandpa, but the elderly (those 60 and older) are considered to be a high-risk group. So, do families risk them contracting the virus from a younger, asymptomatic attendee, or give up seeing Grandma or Grandpa this year?

Once the attendees are finally decided, the question of how to maintain the health and safety of the family once together arises. Will the whole family decide to quarantine for 10-14 days? Will college students come home sooner so they can quarantine? Will children in school only attend online? Will everyone get a test prior to November 26th? These decisions are up for interpretation by individual families. But one thing is for sure: many are having to reimagine Thanksgiving, a holiday not designed for mask-wearing, social distancing, and COVID’s malicious agenda.