How To Have The Best Virtual Thanksgiving This Year

thanksgiving meal with family, parents and kids, virtual thanksgiving ideas inspiration
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels

It’s clear that none of us would have expected for a pandemic to come between us and a mouth-watering plate of pumpkin pie placed on a table surrounded by the people we are most grateful for. But fortunately, whether you’re able to get together with family and friends this year or are celebrating virtually, we’ve got tons of virtual thanksgiving ideas to help you make your virtual Thanksgiving celebrations extra meaningful this year!

 

Creative Virtual Invites

toasting and cheers with wine glasses over thanksgiving meal with friends and family, virtual thanksgiving ideas inspiration
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

In attempts to kick off this virtual Thanksgiving celebration as strong as possible, we’ve got to start with sending out some fun invites that stand-out. Maybe you typically just invited your loved ones over via call or text. Now that we’ve moved online, it is best to break that routine up and spend some time on a design platform like Canva, crafting up some unique evites that will get your loved ones as excited for this year’s Thanksgiving virtual activities as they were for last year’s.

 

Recipe Raffle

virtual pasta cooking class with rolled dough, eggs, lemons and spices on the table for thanksgiving
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Let’s be honest: food is definitely the most important part of the holiday. Any foodie will tell you that’s the thing they are most grateful for. That’s one great reason why you and your loved ones should try this virtual Thanksgiving idea: engage in a recipe swap, sharing the family recipes that you’re most thankful for. You can do this by having each attendee send in their top pick and then using a random generator app to raffle up which attendee is going to bake what. Make sure you do this a few days before Thanksgiving to ensure everyone knows what ingredients they will need to create their on-camera masterpiece!

 

Signature Cocktail

pouring glass of wine over thanksgiving meal with friends and family, virtual thanksgiving ideas inspiration, turkey on the table with fall flowers
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Hiring a professional mixologist to design a holiday-themed drink for you and your attendees and having them go step-by-step on the call is a great way to spice up your Thanksgiving virtual activities. Not to mention, this is the perfect intro to a group toast where everyone can share one of their takeaways from 2020. Need help setting this up and being able to collect all the funds in one spot to afford this lavish drink specialist? You can set up a group gift on Presently’s platform where all your Thanksgiving virtual attendees can pitch in while you search the web for the most impressive mixologist you can find.

 

Group Cooking Class

mother and daughter preparing thanksgiving meal for friends and family in the kitchen, virtual thanksgiving celebration ideas
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

Maybe you have some friends that can’t cook from just a recipe… let’s admit it, we all have one or two! In this case, skip the Recipe Raffle. Instead, hire a virtual chef — one of our favorite virtual Thanksgiving ideas! A professional will be sure to guide you and your loved ones along in the cooking process, making sure that even the baking newbie is able to make that sweet potato and marshmallow dish. An added bonus is that you will be able to recreate the delicious recipes even after Thanksgiving!

 

Powerpoint Party

two adults looking at their computers for a virtual celebration
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

In Thanksgiving virtual activities, nothing pairs better with a cocktail and tasty food than laughs! Turn the typical table conversation around with a group PowerPoint Party. Ask each guest to prepare a short presentation going over any topic of choice. May we suggest a presentation on the best Thanksgiving memes out there or a funny explanation of your favorite pilgrim-inspired dish? Just share your screen and be sure to finish off the activity with a vote on whose presentation was the best!

 

Family Photo

family taking photo in front of old building
Photo by Creative Vix from Pexels

Are you part of a family that never fails to take up a holiday photo op? Well, there is still a way to get those poses in and turn it into a competition. Take some photos over zoom or arrange to send in some photos beforehand of each person doing a specific pose, then have your most tech-savvy attendees whip up a hilarious photo edit or perhaps a perfectly photoshopped frame. Either way, we are sure you will have a great time and a resourceful method of saving a holiday memory.

 

Simultaneous Movie Watching

people enjoying movies
Photo by cottonbro

There’s something about sitting down and watching a good movie together that brings a family together during Thanksgiving. You may have different tastes in movies but when you all sit down to watch one movie together, there’s an instant connection between everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are in the same room or miles apart, as long as everyone is watching the same thing at the same time.

 

Our Presently fam hopes your Thanksgiving makes it to the best memories list through the use of some of these virtual Thanksgiving ideas. After spending some time sipping on your apple cider or celebratory cocktail, at least you can also virtually transition into Black Friday and Christmas or Hanukkah mode without having to wait in long lines and walking around in the cold. And, if you want to avoid the chaos of Black Friday deals, set up a group gift to make your holiday gifting process hassle-free AND more meaningful.


ABOUT PRESENTLY

Presently is a group-gifting platform that gives people an easy way to contribute to a single gift, together. Presently enables communities to gift better, choosing quality over quantity. Organize a group gift here.

As an Amazon Affiliate, Presently earns from qualifying purchases.

Get more content like this 📚

Subscribe to our newsletter

Author
Olivia Glowacka
Blog
Presently