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12 Virtual Thanksgiving Celebration Ideas

Need a little inspiration to get the ball of stuffing on your plate rolling? Despite the circumstances, we've got a few tips and tricks up our sleeves to ensure you enjoy a little quality time together this Thanksgiving.

Here are 12 ideas to help you celebrate a Happy Thanksgiving 2020 virtually.

Send Invites 

Invite your family for a virtual Thanksgiving celebration. You can do so digitally through a simple text or email, or with an invite curated by a specialty website.

Need an element that isn't digital? Craft your own invitations with old fashioned paper, scissors, and glue instead. DIY invitations are also a great way to keep the kids occupied for the weekend. Hand-shape turkeys? Crayon leaf-rubbings? Your kids will love it, plus it's a lovely keepsake for family members you haven't seen in a while.  

Plan an Activity 

Taking turns catching up is nice and all, but why not liven up your virtual Thanksgiving with something to do? Here are a few fun virtual party ideas you could use: 

Play a Game

An easy way to find amusement during a virtual celebration is with a game.

Talent Show

This one's pretty self-explanatory. Get each of your family members to prepare a short showcase of one of their talents! Calling all jugglers, pianists, and moonwalkers. And don't forget to include your pets! Show off the tricks your dogs, cats, lizards, and hedgehogs can do so they can be a part of the celebration too. 

Share a Workshop

Know how to bake the perfect apple pie? How to perfectly cook a turkey over a fire? Share your expertise with your loved ones, or even hire a professional to teach you all something new.

Trivia Night

Here's an amusing way to show your family how many random and hilarious facts you know. Whether you choose a trivia theme like geography, Harry Potter, local history, or a homemade family-themed trivia game - it's sure to be a hit. If nothing else, y'all will likely learn a thing or two you didn't know before! 

Family History 

What better time than Thanksgiving to look into your family's roots? As a way of giving gratitude to your ancestors, learn more about them.

View a slideshow of family photos to feel closer to your loved ones while celebrating virtually. Ask each household to provide a handful of favorite photos to include, that way everyone is sure to be included. 

Feed the nostalgia and pair your slideshow with a few home videos too! It's nice to reminisce together, especially during a time when we can't all be together. Be sure to take a few screenshots of the virtual celebration, to add fond memories of this whacky time to future slideshows.

Host a Virtual Thanksgiving Field Trip

If your kids haven't already experienced it with school, why not host the virtual field trip during your Thanksgiving celebration? Take a peek into what life was like for colonists and First Nations in the 1600s, and learn a little about the history of Thanksgiving.   

Share a Thanksgiving Meal 

Obviously, Thanksgiving dinners are legendary. So you're going to have to eat together, even if you're apart. This is Thanksgiving after all! Exchange recipes ahead of time so no one misses out on anyone's signature dish this year. Don't forget the candied yams!

Make an Autumnal Beverage

Whether you decide on a hot toddy, a pumpkin brew, a spiced latte, or simply some apple cider - let your family know what's in your cup! You could even make a contest out of who can make the most extravagant looking autumnal drink. Think fall colors, whipped cream, cloves, and cinnamon!

Say Thanks 

What is Thanksgiving without going around the virtual table to say one thing you're thankful for? Cringey as it is, it's one part of the modern Thanksgiving tradition that ought to continue. Because we have a lot to be thankful for - especially when it comes to family and friends. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What COVID-19 DJ Gigs Are Actually Like – And How to Play Them

So it all seems to be settling down, globally, into the dreaded “new normal”.

A pattern of lockdowns being enforced, eased, enforced again. Local lockdowns to hit flare-up spots. Country lockdowns changing with medical advice, political willpower, and with the cold statistics of how the virus is spreading. Boris gets it, recovers. Trump gets it. On we go.

And if there’s a sense that we can’t all stay locked down, forever, equally there’s one of acceptance that the “new” normal will be anything but – and things will be this way for the foreseeable future. Nobody talks about “this will be all over by summer” (or Christmas, this year or next) any more.

And in all of this, gigs are coming back.

What it’s like out there, now

So before we look at COVID-19 DJ gigs, and at how to approach them (assuming you even want to), let’s take a trip around the world, with real feedback form DJs playing gigs, now.

(This may help you if you feel the rest of the world is partying, and only your country, state or city is locked down. Accurate as of 1 October 2020…)

• In England, it’s “background music” with no more than 15 people at a wedding, for example. In Scotland, though, you apparently can’t even have background music!
• In the Netherlands, it’s a maximum of 30 people inside, all music must stop at 10pm – with more stringency threatened
• In Jakarta, Indonesia, total lockdown – all clubs shut until further notice
• In Canada, no more than 50 people, midnight closing – with stricter measures in Toronto, including no dancing
• In Montana, USA, where COVID-19 has not hit hard, it’s 50-75% venue capacity, quieter music “recommended”, the face mask rule only enforced for staff
• In Los Angeles all clubs and bars closed
• In Australia, certain cities are in full lockdown, no dancing permitted anywhere
• In Portugal, bars and clubs have to function as cafes – no dancing, tables on dancefloors, enforced social distancing. No alcohol consumption outside unless accompanied by a meal

We could go on, but you get the picture. This is global.

But of course it’s not only about laws being set from above – it is about how people feel on the street, too. Just because people can do something, it doesn’t mean they will.

If you fear the virus could seriously hurt you or your family, you won’t want to put them at unnecessary risk by doing things that may expose you or them to it. This is going to affect how popular DJ gigs are in the near future, and the moods of people at gigs.

All of this means that things are very different for DJs right now, and will continue to be for a long time to come. There is no guarantee of a vaccine. We have no timeline for the way out of this. We’d better get used to it.

Advice for playing COVID-19 DJ gigs

So if you are lucky enough to get a gig this week, this month, this year, and you then move to thinking about how that gig will be, and how you may do the best job of it, let’s look at each of those in turn.

1. You may be asked to play quieter music – So it’s important to play songs that work at a lower volume: Recognisable melodies, full instrumentation, vocals. Think radio, not club. Sub-bassline, stripped back, minimal house bangers do not really work at talking volume. Owners of “silent disco” equipment may see an opportunity here, too
2. There may be reduced capacity – So you can’t expect the electric, heightened atmosphere only a packed club can deliver. You’ll need to start “reading the room” like a bar DJ, not a club DJ, and making people feel “all together” in other ways. Increased use of the microphone may be one of them
3. Venues may close earlier – So it is more important than ever to get the programming right. To have a “beginning, middle and end” mentality for programming the entertainment. For the DJs on the night, if there are more than one, it’ll be important to get together and plan the night as a whole
4. Dancing may not be allowed – Why not spin this into an opportunity, to play music that speaks to our times and to your people, but that maybe you wouldn’t play when there was the impetus to keep a dancefloor full? Again, bar DJs will know what I am talking about here. Also, greater use of visuals and visual components in your sets may help
5. Face masks may be required – How about masquerade-style parties? Making a thing of it? Handing out branded or themed face masks at the door? From a DJing point of view, it’ll be difficult not being able to see people’s smiles. You’ll need to get better at reading different types of body language

The above advice works for all DJs, but event DJs – people who play weddings, birthdays and so on – have another huge issue to contend with: Unpredictability. Who is truly planning anything in these times? That includes the booking of DJs for events. Things are often changing daily.

You should consider adjusting your marketing and approach, to position yourself as a “last minute” operation, ready to react and be available at a day’s notice. Make sure all your potential clients know that.

Switch things up so you can get all the usual planning, agreeing and preparation done for an event in a week, not a month (or half a year or more, in the case of a wedding). It strikes me that being nimble will be a necessary quality for such DJs in these times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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8 Labor Day Party Ideas for Celebrating Safely

The best way to honor the spirit of Labor Day with the days of summer winding down, is to have a relaxing, no stress, no fuss party that requires as little work as possible for everyone.  A relaxing backyard picnic, pool party or nicely air conditioned open house all fit the bill especially this summer while we need to practice social distancing due to COVID-19.

Here are 8 Labor Day party ideas and tips for safely celebrating this year.

Host outdoors or virtually

This seems like a no brainer, but it really is the most essential part of preventing the spread of COVID-19 and celebrating safely. When you host an outdoor party, you can make sure there is physical distancing among guests, easily set up tables and chairs with a 6 foot space in between, and try to eliminate as much close contact as possible.

If you’re not comfortable with a ‘real’ party this summer, you can always host your Labor Day party virtually! With a virtual party, you can invite more guests, and even see friends and family from all over the country and world.

Outline safety guidelines beforehand

As always, you should check local and federal government regulations before hosting a party. From these guidelines, you can see how many guests you can invite as well as determine any necessary precautions you may need to take in advance.

For yourself, guests, and any vendors involved, it is best to decide ahead of time whether or not face masks will be required or strongly recommended. When setting up tables and seating, you can also

Set up Sanitizing Stations

To help everyone in attendance feel and remain safe, you can set up small sanitizing stations throughout the party. All you need to do is have some hand sanitizer, cleansing wipes, and even a few masks available in strategic locations like the entrance, near the food and drinks, and near any party games.

Pick a Theme

You can always go with a traditional red, white, and blue theme, but it’s more fun to kick it up a notch this year with something new. Some fun summer themes that will be good for a Labor Day soiree include a nautical, tropical, or coastal social theme.

Grill it

When it comes to a summer party, grilling is the obvious choice. However, a lot of people are a little burned out on hot dogs and hamburgers by this point of the year. While traditional Labor Day recipes will always be a hit, you can always try something new on the grill like grilled caesar salad or grilled pizza.

Craft custom cocktails

When keeping safety top of mind, it’s easy to have canned and single serving beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) available. If you are looking to spice it up, you can come up with a signature cocktail. We personally love a good summer sangria, classic margarita, or a fresh mojito.

Hire entertainment

As it may not feel like your normal Labor Day party, adding entertainment is a fun way to make the party feel just as exciting as it typically would. If you hire entertainment, someone is going to have to work. But entertainers aren't like the rest of us, they aren't happy unless they're working!

Consider something that evokes the easy, no-work attitude you're trying to achieve like a Steel Drum, Reggae or a Caribbean band. If you have a lot of little ones attending, you can also consider one of these kid friendly entertainers.

Set up outdoor party games

Along with any hired entertainment, party games are always a must at an outdoor event. Standard summer favorites like corn hole and bocce ball will have guests mingling and maybe even a little competitive. If it’s going to be hot this Labor Day, you can fill up some water balloons for the younger crowd.

Relax and enjoy

Summer is winding down, and since it’s been a less than typical year so far, you want to make sure as the party host you can enjoy yourself—that is the point of Labor Day after all!