BOULDER, Colo. — Months into this pandemic, Coloradans are getting more and more creative with how they spend time together while still a safe distance apart.
Some families have found ways to preserve holiday traditions, even if they can't dine at a table together.
“If [the virus] is one in every 41 people, this is terrible,” said Dennis Culver, who lives with his wife, Jan, in Boulder.
“I don’t want to get sick. Jan doesn’t want to get sick. And I don’t want to get anybody sick," he said. “We just had to do something different.”
Every year, the couple hosts family members and friends for a Thanksgiving meal at their home. This year, Jan Culver came up with a way to keep the tradition safely: a drive-through window.
“So I said I’ll just go to Home Depot and get a bunch of stuff and I’ll just build one,” Dennis Culver said.
“This is going to be fun!” Jan Culver added. “This just going to be fun.”
Dennis built the drive-through window on Wednesday, and told their guests to RSVP the time they plan to stop by and what kind of turkey meat they prefer. They have paper bags already labeled for each guest, and the food will be delivered in plastic containers.
“They can call me when they’re done and tell me how I did on the stuffing,” Jan Culver joked, saying her jalapeno stuffing is a guest favorite.
“It’s not like the normal, typical Thanksgiving,” said Jan Culver’s brother, Mike Bacon. “It’s safe. And that’s where I want to be.”
Bacon plans to stop by Thursday, too, and pick up some food, to-go.
“We’re all contributing to the reduction, hopefully, of the pandemic,” he said. “We can lead by example and still enjoy Thanksgiving. Whether it’s on Zoom, virtual, or whatever. But a drive-through – that’s pretty cool!”
“People need to have a little bit more fun,” Dennis Culver added. “This year’s been so hard on everybody, election year, all that stuff. It was just to help that humor part of it.”
Like so many other families, the Culvers are choosing to dine apart this year. But they’ll still be celebrating together.
“Find a way to stay healthy, follow the rules, even though none of us like the rules,” Dennis Culver said. “Find a way to do all that, still have fun, and still share a meal with your family.”
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Feature stories