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Family puts on costumes and hosts themed, virtual dinners to stay in touch with friends

From pyjamas to 80s attire, dinner with the Taylor family is quite the costume party.

The new normal day for families around the world includes staying at home, practicing social distancing and quarantining.

But for the Taylor family of Tampa, Florida that doesn't mean all the fun is gone.

Scott, Danielle and their daughter Ainsley started hosting "Quaranthemed" dinners each night.

"It started with one night we figured let's get super dressed up fancy, let's just do it like we are dining, going out," Scott Taylor said. "Then it quickly became what if we did this every night and had a different theme each night."

Night one kicked off with a Black Tie affair, and from there came out the togas, hats and wigs galore.

"We are very fortunate that we have a very deep box of Halloween costumes from years past," Scott said. "Things that most people aren't going to have."

They've had a night dressed up in their Easter Sunday best, red white and blue, and even sported bathrobes for a spa night.

Credit: WBIR
For Harry Potter night, the Taylors debuted as Sirius Black, Luna Lovegood and Professor Trelawney.

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Scott and Danielle have long been fans of dressing up; hosting themed parties at their home when they lived in Knoxville. It's a love that they have passed down to daughter Ainsley.

"I love to dress up," Ainsley said. "Always have for Halloween, I get excited just like to dress up, it's in my comfort zone."

Each night is a fun game of digging through old costumes and creating what they don't have. 

"If we don't have everything that our character needs, we are very crafty," Ainsley said.

Credit: WBIR
Netflix's popular series "Tiger King" as a requested theme from friends.

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"We get a lot of suggestions and its like 'guys, the Halloween store is not open right down the road so we are working with what we have,'" Scott said.

The family has put on Harry Potter attire, recreated their favorite movie characters, suited up as Men in Black and visited a few decades.

And yes, the family has taken on the iconic characters of the popular Netflix-binge "Tiger King."

The most rewarding part is the it's keeping them connected. The Taylors are inviting friends near and far to join in as a virtual dinner party. 

"The questions used to be 'what restaurant are we meeting at and what time,'" Scott said. "Now, it's what are we wearing?"

"Now that everything is virtual, there's no reason to not be together with everyone," Danielle said. "It makes us more intentional I think. We've had this technology all this time, and we are like, 'wow, imagine all the things we can do with this.'"

While wearing the costumes brings laughter, the Taylor family takes staying inside seriously.

"Danielle is on immune-suppressing drugs, so for us, self-quarantining was very important," Scott said. "This is how we have chosen to cope with something that is difficult, that will look different for different families, it's something we are comfortable with and makes us laugh. Find the things that make you happy, just do it together and build a healthy rhythm."

And as long as the ideas keep coming, there are more costumes on the way.

"The big thing is for us is we don't want to sound nonchalant with what other people are dealing with," Scott said. "This is us. Something light we can do and its really rewarding seeing our friends and family having joy."

Anyone can follow along with the Taylors Quaranthemed adventures by searching the #Quaranthemeddinners hashtag on Instagram.

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