What we've heard for every holiday in 2020 will be no different for Thanksgiving.  "This holiday isn't going to be normal."  As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Quad Cities more people are deciding to not get together or travel to see family.  But, that doesn't mean you can't still do things with family all day!

If you are a pro at the new virtual world, or just getting started, here are some ways to keep some Thanksgiving traditions going while staying safe.

A Virtual Turkey Trot: If you are into running before you eat, you can still get out and trot with a virtual group.  The Scott County YMCA will be hosting their annual turkey trot virtually.  You can register here and burn off calories before you add oh so many.

Connect with friends and family virtually to play games:  There are a lot of online games, and while you may not be into World Of Warcraft, you can still get online and play some really fun family games.  A game like Big Farm is a free, multiplayer game for all ages and gives you a taste of what it’s like to live and work on a farm! If you already live on a farm, this might not be the game for you.  But if you want to show the kids where their Thanksgiving meal came from this online game to connect families could be a great way to spend time when the football game is a blowout by the 2nd quarter.

Eat with your family:  Thanksgiving is all about a delicious meal and family so cook your turkey and side dishes with your family.  This is as simple as it gets.  Open up Zoom, House Party, Facebook, Teams, Facetime...the list goes on and on and just cook with all your family.  I'm willing to bet each of your family members will be doing things a little different and it might help you make your meal a little bit better.  Oh, don't forget to have the phone plugged in cause those things suck battery life.  Also, don't forget the wine!

Shop: Black Friday is the official start of the holiday buying season, but there will be no crowds rushing into stores this year.  Luckily for you, you can do it all while eating at home!  Be careful not to have to much of that wine before you go online shopping, or you will have no idea what will show up.  To add your family into this, keep the Zoom call going and each person can share what sites they are surfing for the best deals.  It's called teamwork!

Play more online games: I feel like this is the easiest one to connect with family and have some fun while doing something different.  My family would always play cards or something, so let's just take it online.  Yeah, they are different from what you are used to, but welcome to 2020.  Candy Bubble is a free bubble shooter game that might peak your interest.  There are plenty others that you can check out at Addicting Games.

At the end of the holiday what we all need to do is eat, spend some time with family (virtually) and give thanks for what we have.  It's been a hard year, but the world is still spinning.  Take a moment to remember that after all of it, you are still here spinning along with it.

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