Thanksgiving: A Glimpse Into COVID-19's Affect on the Holidays

Thanksgiving is pretty much the kickoff to the holiday season, and for many, it looked quite different this year.

More people prepared meals, whether they cooked or utilized catering, for their own households as opposed to gathering with extended family. While putting up Christmas decorations was generally preserved for after the Thanksgiving meal or the day after Thanksgiving, COVID-19 led many to put up their Christmas trees and decorations before Thanksgiving even arrived.

It’s safe to say this is a holiday season unlike any we’ve seen before.

In previous years, Black Friday sales began in the wee hours of the morning. Then, stores began opening earlier and earlier in attempt to get ahead of the competition. It got to the point that some stores closed for the morning of Thanksgiving but opened in early evening. This year, Black Friday sales started even earlier than that… ONLINE!

This year, more families have reported a more relaxed Thanksgiving than ever before. Without a rush to arrive at a central location “on time,” many slept in or chose to spend the morning lounging rather than rushing.

While it’s easy to complain about the inconveniences of COVID-19 and the way it has limited our “normal” operations, it would be better to recognize the positive byproducts of it. Social distancing has increased our time at home, quality time with our families, and the amount of rest we get.

Being forced to slow down isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If we could only slow down a little more, maybe we could get the pandemic under control and “return to normal,” although most of us aren’t really sure what that is anymore.