Virtual Thanksgiving
With Coronavirus cases on the rise, Thanksgiving is yet another holiday impacted by the pandemic. That is to say, this is not the time to be gathering indoors with large groups, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend Thanksgiving with your family! Now, many people are wondering how to have a virtual Thanksgiving this year, so below we have some tips!
1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
A staple in most households, you can still expect to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on your television Thursday morning, for instance. During the parade, they will still feature their well-known balloons, floats, and performances, just without a live audience. So, make sure you and your family are wearing fun, fall pajamas and relax with some hot cider as you enjoy the show. Furthermore, you can even video chat with family or friends while you watch so you can chat and hear their reactions, as well. Learn more HERE.
2. Trap Door Escape Stream
Have fun with the whole family when you play one of our virtual escape rooms! All of our experiences take place over Zoom, so you can even invite multiple households to participate. Additionally, we have a wide range of content, from puzzle box mysteries, to original streaming content, to our immersive escape rooms. Moreover, for families with younger children to consider, we would particularly recommend The Greatest Freakshow, which is a light-hearted carnival game. Work together to save the day in these exciting puzzle games. Learn more HERE.
3. Have Fun While Cooking
If you’re used to having a large, potluck-style Thanksgiving dinner with your family, this year will likely be pretty different as you figure out how to have a virtual Thanksgiving. However, one way to keep everyone involved with cooking is to have families from each household submit a recipe to the Thanksgiving dinner menu. Then, each household makes the full menu for their family. This way, even if you aren’t physically eating together, you’re still all eating the same dishes together.
In addition, you can take this one step further and turn this into a virtual cooking party with everyone. If each household hops onto Zoom while preparing the food and cooking, it’ll feel like they’re with you in the kitchen as you’re getting all of the food together. Plus, it’ll help time go faster while waiting for everything to cook.
4. Craft Time for the Kids
If your extended family has younger members, it can be difficult for them to not see and play with their cousins this year. One way to help with this is to have virtual time for just the kids. Let them be with their playmates over video chat, and give them the same fall-themed coloring pages or crafts to complete. This is a fun way for them to spend time with their cousins while being engaged.
5. Adults Only: Celebrate with a Cocktail
Alcohol is always a fun way for adults to bond, especially during the holidays. So, keep the family together even while they’re physically apart with a themed cocktail. In fact, there are plenty of recipes online for these, the hardest part will be picking which one! But have every household make and enjoy the same cocktail during your virtual Thanksgiving. It’ll give you something to talk about and discuss, and make you feel even more connected.
6. Don't Forget to Say Thanks
One of the most important Thanksgiving traditions for families across the nation is recognizing what each family member is thankful for. Especially in these times, taking a few moments to think about what you’re grateful for can have a positive mental effect. Whether you turn it into a fun, creative craft or keep it simple and just say what everyone is thankful for, it’s important to remember the core of this holiday.
7. Host a Zoom Dinner Party
Why not livestream with family while eating dinner? Just set up your device at one end of the table and you’re ready to go. When deciding how to have a virtual Thanksgiving, this is the best way to keep the holiday similar to the past. As a result, this is a great way to keep up with family that you may not have talked to in a while, just like any past Thanksgiving. Plus, it’ll certainly keep the dinner table entertaining, especially if you take our recommendation of an extended family Thanksgiving menu; it’s a great opportunity to comment on the various dishes and see what everyone likes or dislikes.
8. Hold a Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
This is a fun activity for the whole family, and even better, can be played from multiple different households. First, pick one person out of everyone to be the Leader. Once this person is chosen, they’ll come up with a list of household objects, ranging from easy to difficult to find. Then, they’ll call out one object from the list, and the rest of the players have to scramble to find one in their house. Finally, the first person to grab it and bring it back to the video call wins that round. This is a fun way to play a game together even while apart.
Additional Notes About Video Chatting
As most people know, Zoom typically has a 40 minute meeting cap. However, they have decided to suspend that just for Thanksgiving. In other words, you don’t have to worry about any time constraints, and will be able to spend as much time with family as you want if Zoom is your preferred video chat platform.
In addition, one other general tip to make everyone feel closer: try hooking up your laptop or computer to your television screen via an HDMI cord. Doing so will allow you to bring the video chat window onto your television, which makes the video frames larger, and increases the maximum volume.
Hopefully these ideas help you figure out how to have a virtual Thanksgiving that’s just as fun this year! Let us know in the comments how your Thanksgiving went!
Trap Door Escape Company
Trap Door Escape Room has 4 locations: 3180 Route 611 in Bartonsville, PA in the Poconos; 60 White St. in Red Bank, NJ; 34A Speedwell Ave. in Morristown, NJ: and 77 Wind Creek Blvd in Bethlehem, PA. The Red Bank location was the first of the 4 locations, opening in the fall of 2015. Morristown followed in the summer of 2017, and Bartonsville opened during the holiday season of 2018. Wind Creek is currently undergoing construction and will be opening in September 2022.
History
The idea came to Tone Purzycki back in 2011 after he wrote a screenplay that developed into a live-streaming game. The game revolved around an actor trapped in a situation and the audience had to solve puzzles to figure out where he was trapped. The “Find Me Event” had more than 1,000 people playing over the course of several hours. After the success of several other streaming events, the idea of an escape room was born.
Location
Each location has different rooms from which to choose. Our Morristown location is home to Day of the Dead, Witch Hunt, and The Greatest Freakshow. In Bartonsville, you’ll find Cure Z, F5 Tornado Escape, Fear the Bogeyman, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, We’re All Mad Here, and Prisoner Z. In Red Bank we currently have Everest – our first 2 story escape room. Ripper of London is also available at this location. Our pirate themed games will soon be open at Wind Creek.
Trap Door Escape Room also offers team building, streaming events, and birthday parties. For more information on any of our games, prices, and locations, explore our website or call 570-234-3366