For many in Alaska, this Thanksgiving is going to be one that feels like it did in “before times,” though there are some lessons carried forward from the COVID years.
• • •Aimee Marx’s family is big on Thanksgiving. For years, her husband planned elaborate feasts with the same group of friends, their “Alaska family.” Chocolate-pecan pie. Sweet potato biscuits. Tables long and loud.
“It was an isolating, miserable experience having the pandemic. It caused upheaval for every single person. We all share that, but we all felt it differently,” said Aimee’s husband, Rob. “It’s a little bit more special this year because we went through that and we get to share things back together again.”Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, will be setting seven places at her table this year.
Zink encouraged Alaskans, especially those who are having elders and very young children at their dinners, to be vaccinated for flu, up-to-date on COVID boosters, not to attend if they have any symptoms of illness, and to be vigilant about handwashing. Taking a COVID test ahead of the gathering is also a good idea.
This is the first year Colleen Bailey and her husband, Ryan, are having Thanksgiving in their new home in Eagle River. It’s also the first year they plan to host family rather than attending as guests. “I get to show them my house and pamper them and make sure that they feel the level of gratitude that we have for their support,” she said. “Also feeding people is one of the greatest ways you can show them that you love them.”
But last year, in the interest of protecting her elderly parents while still including them, they had a small gathering. Instead of the big to-do last year, it was just her husband, son and parents. The turkey was small and they spatchcocked it, so it cooked faster. They didn’t dress up. They ate, they napped, they ate again.
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