McKenzie Leary/The Broadside

Thanksgiving will likely look a lot different for everyone this year due to COVID. An anonymous survey was sent out to students to see how this year would differ from previous years.

66% of the surveyed students are leaving town for Thanksgiving, and 58% will be seeing people outside of their COVID “bubble.” Despite those high percentages, 100% of students said they would be taking COVID precautions including, mask-wearing, staying six feet apart and applying hand sanitizer and disinfectant. Three students said that they and the people they are spending Thanksgiving with were COVID tested to be safe on top of those precautions.

73% of students surveyed also said that this Thanksgiving has changed their typical Thanksgiving traditions. One student said on a typical Thanksgiving they would, “Usually would have 40+ people at our house.” And in comparison, for this Thanksgiving they will only have four people, all members of their immediate family.

Other students had similar answers, with one student saying it would just be them, their dog and their parents this year. Another group of students said they wouldn’t be spending this Thanksgiving with their family but with their friends. One student even expressed that they wouldn’t be going Black Friday shopping per tradition this year.

Whether the pandemic has drastically changed where or who the community can spend Thanksgiving with this year or if it looks close to the same, hopefully everyone can embrace the change, eat delicious food and find something to be grateful for this year.