By Terry Ahner

I’ll have some more stuffing.

Who wants the drumstick?

Pass the cranberry sauce, please.

What’s for dessert, pumpkin or pecan pie?

On Thanksgiving Day, that has been the dialogue shared in households across the nation for as long as we can remember.

Besides, it’s America’s favorite holiday, not to mention the busiest travel day of the year, as people look to spend time with their loved ones.

Then along came the coronavirus pandemic, and with it, concerns over whether the traditional family gatherings we have come to revere should occur this year.

Because while gatherings during the holidays should serve as an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, unfortunately, that won’t be the case for many.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested considerations for how holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

According to the CDC, the COVID-19 epidemic is worsening, and small household gatherings are an important contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The CDC recommends celebrating virtually or with members of your own household, which they say poses the lowest risk for spread.

That includes those who currently live and share common spaces in housing units, be it houses or apartments.

However, the CDC states people who do not currently live in a common housing unit should be considered part of different households.

The CDC states that in-person gatherings that bring together people from different households pose varying levels of risk.

Among the factors that contribute to getting and spreading COVID-19 at small in-person gatherings according to the CDC include:

• Community levels of COVID-19.

• Exposure during travel.

• Location and duration of the gathering.

• Number and crowding of people at the gathering.

• Behavior of attendees before and during the gathering.

Further, the CDC states those who should attend in-person holiday gatherings, such as people with or exposed to COVID-19, or people at increased risk for severe illness.

It seems hard to believe Thanksgiving is only a few days away.

Yet for many, including myself, the luster is nowhere near the same as it normally would be this time of year.

Perhaps the best way to describe it is like taking a body blow to the stomach, except that while the ache may have left, the sting just won’t go away.

Fortunately, the holiday isn’t going away either, which means we can still give our thanks and count our blessings.

For if there’s anything the year 2020 has taught us, it is to expect the unexpected.

And to be grateful for what we have, even if it’s the most lonely Thanksgiving ever.

Now, kindly pass some more of that stuffing down the table.

But, feel free to keep the yams.