With Halloween feels fading and Election Day still looming over DC, it is no surprise that residents are thinking about Thanksgiving. Recently, Mayor Bowser’s office released a guide on precautions to take when planning for the holiday. The guide offers alternative ways to gather around the dinner table and details sacrifices that we have made as well as the risks we would take in hosting a large gathering. I wanted to know how Columbia Heights families were adjusting their holiday plans this year so I talked with a couple of professional Thanksgiving Day hosts.
Monica
Monica, a long-term DC resident, discusses how sentimental Thanksgiving is to her family. She says, “my parents and I came from Bangladesh in the 1970’s on November 4th and right after that I started school. The teacher asked me what I was doing for Thanksgiving and I said “I don’t know” because I didn’t know what it was. Apparently, the teacher mentioned that to my mom so that year we had Thanksgiving with a family we knew who happened to live in the DC area.”
For Monica, concerns for Thanksgiving revolve around family and friends having to travel from outside of the District. Her eldest daughter studies at the University of California, Berkeley and had scheduled to visit over summer before COVID-19 interfered with plans.
Monica goes on, “my mom lives by herself in an apartment nearby and we consider her part of our household so we will probably eat with her, my husband, myself, our 16 year old daughter and our dog. My husband’s parents, although living around the corner, feel a little nervous so they aren’t sure. We will probably have the Zoom Thanksgiving with them and drop food off. It is really sad that this is what we are facing for Thanksgiving this year.”
Interacting with family throughout quarantine via Zoom has equipped some families with the tools needed to digitally gather around the table for Thanksgiving. Monica ends our discussion reminding me that she is understanding about the importance of safety measures.
She adds that she has purchased a long table and an outdoor heating lamp if the weather permits outdoor eating as it has in prior years. “Just in case,” she closes with hope in her voice.
Mary
I reached out to Mary who has been hosting “Thanksgiving for almost 30 years ever since [her]in-laws moved to a Seniors Center.” When I asked her to describe her typical Thanksgiving gathering she says, “the group was my husband, son, and me, my husband’s brother plus wife, all four of our parents, a nephew, a couple cousins, one regular friend; occasionally others” before adding that it fluctuates depending on circumstances.
Knowing that Thanksgiving this year will be different, I asked Mary about how her plans have been altered. She responds, “Dinner this year will be the two of us plus a sister in law- while we are not “bubbled” we have all been following good behavior, no crowds, using masks, etc. We expect to get a catered dinner, and only do a little prep ourselves.” Mary notes the importance of knowing what people have been doing to prevent exposure to COVID-19 before talking more about her overall feelings.
She hints at passing sadness when thinking of the holiday and says, “I had hoped that my son and his wife would come but he flatly made it clear that that was not going to happen. I realized that he was right and dropped any idea of a bigger celebration. My son has been organizing Zooms for holidays and I expect he will do for this. I’m going to miss all the hoopla! which is always a part of things.” Mary ends the interview recognizing how times are changing and offering a different perspective when thinking about the holidays.
She says, “While the pandemic was unexpected, in many ways it is one more thing that has been changing how things are done and seems to me to simply be part of the flow of time marching on. While I have liked doing Thanksgiving and would be happy to continue to do it, circumstances change and we can embrace new choices. We were abroad over the holiday and figured that someone would have a Thanksgiving but our only chance was all booked up. As an alternative we went to have a fancy tea at one of the big hotels and it is now a favorite Thanksgiving memory.”
After talking with both Monica and Mary, I understand that the memories we create when celebrating holidays are unique because of the surrounding circumstances. Holiday gatherings often call for plans to be flexible as things don’t always unfold accordingly. It is not uncommon for holiday adjustments to take place and this year will be no different.
