I’ve written several posts in the past few months about finding happiness in the midst of a pandemic. It’s so important to purposefully put things in your life that bring you happiness. I’m a social creature — I derive much of my happiness and energy from being around other people so these past few months have been hard. I really miss the social elements of my pre-Covid life. But since it looks like we will be living in pandemic conditions for a while I am consciously trying to find ways to bring some happiness into my life while staying safe.
In Virginia, where I live, we are in phase three (of four) reopening stages. That means many of our activities have resumed with social distancing, size limitations, and mask protocols in place. So while everyone has their own level of “return to readiness” with socializing these days if you are comfortable with having a few friends over for a socially distant happy hour here are a few ideas on how to safely host your tribe.
Safety First
: : Socially distance and Mask Up
That means placing seating arrangements six feet apart and having masks available for anyone who needs one (or asking guests to bring them).
: : Elbow Bump
The elbow bump is the new hug or air kiss. It’s so hard when we see our loved ones not to reach out and give them a hug but now is not the time. Elbow bump instead.
: : Sanitation Station
Always make sure to have hand sanitizer and on hand for guest arrivals and for anyone who wants to clean up before having a bite to eat.
What To Eat and Drink
A very real challenge is finding a way to offer food and drinks to your guests without compromising the health and safety for all. The best thing to do right now is to eliminate sharing food from a common source. Instead, opt for individually wrapped snacks and drinks. Fortunately there are a lot of great options available.
: : Drinks
Ditch the wine and champagne bottles because you don’t want your guests touching the same bottle to pour a drink. Instead buy Individual servings of prosecco, rose or wine. Here are a few you can try.
: : Cheese Tray
You can’t have wine without cheese but you really can’t have a cheese board and keep your guests safe at this time. These individually wrapped cheese and nut snacks are a great substitute. Create a pretty arrangement on a serving tray just as you would a charcuterie board.
: : Individually Wrapped Snacks
Anything you serve should ideally be individually wrapped to avoid cross contamination. Here are some of my favorite individually wrapped snacks to serve.
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