As thanksgiving break fast approaches, many families and friends are scrambling to adjust their usual traditions to match the new COVID-19 guidelines released earlier this week. Among these traditions is one that is celebrated by many students, friendsgiving.

At a friendsgiving event, students usually get together at someones house, bring their favorite thanksgiving dishes and traditions, and enjoy the good food company. This year, like many other activities, things are going to look a little different. To prepare or inspire you to celebrate safely this year, here are three alternative ways of participating in friendsgiving.

The first and most classic alternate get together is a zoom friendsgiving. In this format, participants can set up a zoom meeting, dress in festive attire, and enjoy a thanksgiving style meal with friends from the safety of their own homes. This option lets everyone choose their favorite meals so planning around dietary restrictions becomes a thing of the past. Another benefit of this route is the activities that are possible over zoom such as watching a movie, playing games, and generally chatting with your friends. 

Another option to celebrate a sort of friendsgiving is to deliver your favorite thanksgiving meals to your friends. This ding-dong-ditch style alternative allows you to share your food traditions with your friends and get out of the house while avoiding actual contact with people outside of your household.

Lastly, if the weather allows for it, another possible activity could be an outside and socially distanced version of friendsgiving. Meeting in backyards and parks has become a popular outing for many people and a socially distanced friendsgiving picnic would be similar but with more traditions involved. Picnics are one of the best options to celebrate friendsgiving but because of Oregon weather they can be a bit of a risk. For this alternative, friends could get together in an outdoor location where they can set up chairs or blankets far apart and proceed with their regular traditions.

Although this year’s traditions are looking very different from last year, there are ways to continue to celebrate while staying safe and healthy at the same time. Enjoy the holidays and stay safe!