Until holiday traditions resume, we'll Zoom and re-Zoom!

Non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner and tablescape

The year 2020 has changed up everything:  jobs, travel, events (including weddings) and, now, the traditional holiday season. With necessary quarantine restrictions, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the other end-of-the-year celebrations are taking on a whole new spin of the familiar. 

Thanksgiving is one of the Gulley mainstays: husband, Chris, and I have been participating in or hosting turkey day get-togethers for almost forty years. (Faithful blog readers may note, I've been writing about such events and tablescapes since 2008!). But, this year, as with most things, Thanksgiving was very, very different.

Rob and Matt get the  ruler out

Table of burgundy and toile

Our children (and spouses/fiancés)  held their own private Thanksgiving as did Chris and I. Easy? Not really, of course. But, we decided to turn quarantine lemons into palatable lemonade. Chris planned an amazing seafood menu for a romantic weekend at our northern home, Pemberly Pines, and Rob and Haley, Rachel and Sean and NYC, Matt, scheduled a holiday Zoom meeting for 7:00 PM on Thanksgiving day.

Black Friday shopping with Rachel back in 2014

And, while we can curse the darkness, we really need to appreciate the light that is technology and Zoom. To be able to connect and see loved ones who we can't congregate with (be they a ten minute drive or an hour and a half flight) in the comfort of your living room is incredible. 

Rachel and Sean's Thanksgiving dinner

We also were full-on texts, for the holiday,  getting updates from Rachel on her first Thanksgiving dinner with husband, Sean. Also, close friend (and birthday twin!) Pam sent me texts throughout the day of her menu, including a sweet potato/apple dressing to accompany their turkey dinner. Sister-in-law, Cara, shared her Thanksgiving tablescape,  aided by my talented nephews' holiday fixins',  and modified for immediate family only. 

Pam's sweet potato and apple dressing

Not to say, one can't get nostalgic for past times. Looking through past blogs and photos, I found a treasure from 2014:  I set the table in burgundy and toile while my sons, Rob and Matt, chided their mother's attention to tablescape detail AND the day after, Rachel and I took part in our annual Black Friday trek to Somerset Mall to get our "free" tote bag and other we-are-willing-suckers deals.  Remember when these events were "ordinary"? 

A previous Thanksgiving where friends and family all received BTS' dining etiquette book! Wow!

Or even just a few Thanksgivings ago, where we set a table for family and friends and everyone got a copy of BTS' etiquette book - wow (!) hard to beat that!!!

Thanksgiving Day Zoom call with the family

But, Thanksgiving is a time to count ones blessings and we certainly have our share to be thankful for. We're heathy, employed, and connected.  Most thankfully, we can share our stories and our faces with one another through Zoom.  Rob and Haley shared their first Thanksgiving meal together (all good but no mashed potatoes) as did Rachel and Sean, complete with gigantic turkey leg and yams topped with mini marshmallows.  Matt nibbled on pecan balls that Rachel made and sent as part of his Thanksgiving "care package".

When we're back to pre-quarantine activities, we'll be thrilled to resume in person friends and family get-togethers. No doubt, we'll appreciate them even more. But in the meantime, we'll Zoom and re-Zoom and be thankful for that. 

We at BTS wish you a very happy, safe, holiday season!

We also welcome new holiday traditions photos. If you have one you would like to share on our blog, please forward to barb@barbsteashop.com.