Takeout turkeys and solo celebrations: What COVID-19 Thanksgiving looks like in SLO County
Normally, Thursday would be a day of gathering — with family and friends traveling across cities, counties and states to give thanks and stuff themselves silly with turkey and pumpkin pie.
But Thanksgiving will look a little different this year.
“Thanksgiving is always the one holiday when we can count on gathering family — but not 2020,” San Luis Obispo resident Ron Yukelson told The Tribune.
Thanks to a surge in coronavirus cases, both locally and statewide, Thanksgiving traditions across San Luis Obispo County have had to be adjusted as residents find new ways to celebrate.
In early November, as local case numbers jumped and much of California re-entered the harshest level of COVID-19 restrictions, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department urged residents to consider ways to safely celebrate the holiday and not contribute to the rapid spread of coronavirus through the community.
This included recommendations for people to not travel, not gather with more than three households and to hold dinners outside to cut down on potential spread of COVID-19.
“Keep those around you safe,” San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in early November. “Don’t give in to pandemic fatigue. Stay positive and do what you can to reduce the risk to you and those you love the most by celebrating Thanksgiving a bit differently this year.”
For Yukelson, this translates to a pared-down version of the kids- and grandchildren-filled celebration that he and his wife, Paula Sigman, normally hold.
As recently as Tuesday, they planned to hold a small in-person dinner, Yukelson said. But out of an abundance of caution, the pair decided Wednesday they will instead cook a full turkey dinner and deliver it to their daughter’s doorstep in Morro Bay.
“So, it will be a much smaller and quieter ... Thanksgiving but one we are thankful to have because everyone is safe and healthy in what we refer to as the ‘new abnormal,’” he said.
Yukelson and Sigman’s plans aren’t unusual.
The Tribune interviewed dozens of San Luis Obispo County residents to determine how their Thanksgiving plans have changed this year due to coronavirus.
What we found was a mix of sadness over missing out on seeing loved ones; relief at having smaller, less stressful celebrations and a growing realization that the rest of the holiday season will likely not be immune to the restrictions of a global pandemic.
SLO County families switch to smaller Thanksgiving dinners
The majority of those who responded to The Tribune’s Thanksgiving survey said they planned to host smaller dinners this year, and most said they planned to hold those outside.
Michelle DeLaCerda of Grover Beach said she has hosted her family and siblings for Thanksgiving for the past 40 years.
Normally, her dinners are attended by between 12 and 25 people, with everyone bringing multiple dishes.
“It would be a real feast,” she said.
DeLaCerda said she had been hopeful during the summer that the pandemic was hitting a turning point and that her holiday dinner would be able to move forward as usual.
But by the beginning of November, the writing was on the wall, she said.
“Honestly, it is disappointing but not difficult when you look at the risk,” she said. “My husband has (chronic lymphocytic leukemia). We have four kids, all married with kids of their own. That comes along with in-laws and other extended family each can potentially be coming in contact with.”
DeLaCerda said, because of the risk, she and her husband will limit their in-person contact to her son and pregnant daughter-in-law, who live next door.
Meanwhile, she’s got her eyes on the next holiday, and what the pandemic could mean for her normal Christmas Eve celebration with her children and grandchildren.
Jules Marsh of Nipomo said normally her family hosts a huge celebration the Friday after Thanksgiving to kick off the Christmas season.
In it, between 20 and 50 family and friends meet up wearing their holiday pajamas to watch Christmas movies.
That won’t be happening this year, Marsh said.
Instead of a traditional dinner, Marsh said her family is planning to eat outside and stay socially distanced from her father, the only person who is coming to visit.
While he’s visiting, he’ll stay in the guest house to help protect the family, Marsh said, noting that she is immunocompromised and her wife is pregnant.
Because of this, Marsh said, her family has had to be very careful throughout the pandemic, which puts a damper on their usual social activities.
“It’s very challenging for us to not entertain,” she told The Tribune. “We usually throw several parties a year. (But) we’re committed to keeping ourselves, our family, and our friends safe, so we are hunkering down.”
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Locals plan to spend holiday alone to prevent spread
While some people are scaling back their holiday celebrations to include only a few friends or family, others have chosen to spend their Thanksgiving alone.
Sean Murphy of Grover Beach said he’s avoiding all travel and is instead going to “be flying solo in order to not continue the spread of the virus.”
“I’m just keeping it super low-key,” he told The Tribune. “It’s basically just going to be like any other Thursday.”
Nicki Pedeliski of Arroyo Grande said this will be the first time in nine years that she has not hosted a big, elaborate meal for her out-of-state family.
Instead she’s planning a “small, simple three-course dinner for myself and my dog.” She’s calling it “a microfeast.”
“It will be nice to just relax,” she said.
Another person who is looking forward to relaxing on the holiday is Elizabeth Gillingham of Paso Robles.
Gillingham said her mother normally visits from Aptos for a big dinner and Friendsgiving celebrations.
This year, Gillingham and her partner decided they didn’t want to put her mother at risk, so they will instead spend the holiday at home by themselves and enjoy a small turkey and green bean casserole.
“I’m glad that my partner and I get a quiet day at home together to call family and friends and enjoy each other’s company,” she said. “We both work in the wine industry, so we’ve been very busy the last several months.”
Central Coast residents turn to takeout meals
With so many people opting for smaller Thanksgiving celebrations this year, many are turning to takeout dinner options rather than cooking a full feast themselves.
At SLO Provisions in San Luis Obispo, the staff and crew were frantically working on Tuesday to prepare their ready-to-heat Thanksgiving meals for pickup on Wednesday.
The dishes included Thanksgiving classics such as Brussels sprouts and turkey and gravy.
A SLO Provisions worker told The Tribune on Tuesday that the restaurant had been very busy throughout the week taking pre-orders, including many from people outside San Luis Obispo County.
Restaurant co-owner Dwyne Willis said he was shocked at how busy the week has been.
“We are quite surprised,” Willis said. “We didn’t know what to expect. We thought that it could be a bust.”
Willis also said the smaller portion sizes offered this year have been the restaurant’s biggest sellers, possibly due to the reduced size of most gatherings.
“It’s been our best year,” he said.
Virtual celebrations on the rise
The county Public Health Department encouraged people to think outside of the box in regards to their celebrations and consider ways to have socially distanced Thanksgivings.
For many who responded to The Tribune’s survey, this translates to special virtual activities.
Pedeliski said she plans to play Uno with her nephews over video chat on Thanksgiving. DeLaCerda said she and her family will be “doing a lot of Facetime and Zoom” to reach out to others who can’t be at their celebration.
Keith Dunlap of San Luis Obispo said that he plans to have a fully virtual dinner with his 88-year-old mom, who lives in Camarillo.
They even did a practice Zoom session on Sunday to make sure she would be comfortable with the technology on Thanksgiving, he said.
“I think it’s particularly important during this pandemic for people to find ways to connect with friends and loved ones when we can’t be together physically,” he said. “Technology may be a poor substitute for traditional family gatherings, but we can still be thankful for what we have, no matter the form it takes.”
Though many residents said they were sad that they couldn’t be with their families or friends as usual, most said they understood it was still best for the greater good to avoid gatherings right now.
“Thanksgiving is the holiday in our family, and it’s full of traditions that won’t be taking place,” Lara Golden of Arroyo Grande said. “It’s going to be hard and not as much fun as usual, but at least we are all OK, and there will be pumpkin pie.”
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 11:09 AM.
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