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Google celebrates Thanksgiving 2020 with adorable social distancing Doodle

Thanksgiving Day has arrived and for 2020, it’s going to be a very different experience for most people. To celebrate the day, though, Google has posted a new homepage Doodle to celebrate Thanksgiving 2020 and the history of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Live now on Google.com in the United States, the Thanksgiving 2020 Doodle reflects how this year is not the same as the traditional holiday. In the Doodle, two different “families” of squirrels and birds celebrate the day with their meals, but speak to each other from a distance. It’s extremely cute, and a good message to give.

Thanksgiving 2020, of course, is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to ravage the globe. In the United States, the spread of the virus is out of control in almost every state and shows no signs of slowing. Since Thanksgiving is a holiday where families traditionally travel across the country to visit each other, many have opted to skip that this year for the sake of everyone’s health. That’s the sentiment today’s Google Doodle puts across.

On the last Thursday of November each year, many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by expressing gratitude and sharing a moment and meal together. 

Though this year will look a bit different for folks around the country, today’s Doodle—and the furry and feathered friends in it—recognizes the spirit of this special holiday: a time for everyone to reflect on their blessings, appreciate loved ones both near and far, and embrace new traditions.

Along with the Doodle, Google is also celebrating the History of Thanksgiving with “The Great Thanksgiving Listen,” a story that is meant to empower people of all ages with a history of the United States. You can learn more about the project at storycorps.org/thanksgiving2020.

StoryCorps’ The Great Thanksgiving Listen empowers young people—and people of all ages—to create an oral history of the contemporary United States by recording an interview with an elder, mentor, friend, or someone they admire. This holiday season will look a bit different for many families, but The Great Thanksgiving Listen is an opportunity to connect and bring people together—even from afar. To date, thousands of people from all 50 states have participated and preserved more than 100,000 interviews, providing families with a priceless piece of personal history. 

Learn more at storycorps.org/thanksgiving2020

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