Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The One With The Gratitude Games

Unprecedented. Unparalleled. Unwanted.
2020. The pandemic. This version of Thanksgiving.


If this Thanksgiving was an episode of Friends, it would be: The One Where We All Quarantined.

Or...The One With the Masks

Or...The One With All the Zoom Calls

Thanksgiving is pretty much my favorite holiday (yes, I say that about all the holidays, but it's MY truth, so just accept it) so I refuse to have a little thing like a global pandemic (and non-mandatory but still very much recommended "Turkey in Place" order) dampen my seasonal spirit.

Thanksgiving isn't cancelled! Fun isn't over! It's just...umm...reformatted.

At our house, Thanksgiving 2020 is going to be a combo of distanced celebration and virtual gathering. My parents, siblings and I are all going to make a few dishes, and then swap so we all end up with a full feast. (I'm in charge of my usual: brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, plus two kinds of pie because I'm nothing if not ambitious!) After the Tupperware handoff, we'll all go back to our separate houses and toast and eat together via Zoom. Not ideal...but sort of a lemonade out of lemons kind of deal. (And bonus: Thanks to my mom, I still don't have to learn how to make a turkey!)

After dinner, it's usually time for a nap...but also- GAMES! If I was making a list of the things I love about Thanksgiving, it's pretty much EVERYTHING- but playing group games is near the top of that list (in an 87 way tie with eating too much, watching the parade, that indescribable warm feeling that just magically comes with the holiday...etc. etc. etc.) There are a few things I can't recreate virtually (mostly hugs...don't you miss hugs?!) but games? Surely there is a way to make games still happen!

Awwwww yeah there is. You know what they say, where there's a will, there's a powerpoint. Or something like that. So I got real dorky on Saturday night, hunkered down with a Hoegaarden and a Hallmark movie, and made our fam a little deck of games to play virtually. I won't lie to you and claim there are any original thoughts in here (even the deck format is a default PPT template, so don't judge the design...or do, but know that I take no ownership)- it's all compiled from the wonderful world of Pinterest. It's not fancy, and it's certainly no substitute for the magic of actually being together. But it falls in that very important bucket of "Things We CAN Do Right Now" (also satisfies the: "Things Courtney Can Pour Energy Into Instead of Just Crying and Eating More Bread" need, and checks the "Things to Focus on as Point of Distraction From Other Crappier Stuff" box).

And because it's thanksGIVING, after all, I figured why not share with all you other good-time guys and gals looking to get your socially-distanced game on.


Click to download the powerpoint presentation

Despite all the changes and moments of "it's ruined. everything is RUINED" I'm still excited to celebrate. This Thanksgiving will definitely be memorable...but I'm hopeful we can all find ways to make it the good kind of special. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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