FEATURES
Christian Roque-Ayala
Chronicle Reporter
Christmas and New Year’s Eve are some of the most widely observed holidays around the world, and many gatherings happen during these dates. This begs the question: how do we celebrate them this year in the midst of a global pandemic?
The most obvious answer to this question would be to celebrate them in person with some extra safety precautions. However, you have to consider the fact that not everybody is willing to take that risk, especially as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise nationwide.
Luckily, not all hope is lost if you want to enjoy these beloved days of festivity with those close to you this year, while staying at home. Here are a few tips that you might want to consider in anticipation of them:
1. Drop off food and gifts beforehand: Christmas just can’t happen without the food and gifts. So, if you live relatively near the ones you usually spend Christmas with, you should consider delivering food and gifts to their houses. If delivering gifts on the day of isn’t practical for your family for whatever reason, try doing so ahead of time.
2. Have food and gifts delivered: This tip is for those who celebrate Christmas with friends and family that live further away from them. Consider ordering your gifts online and having them delivered directly to them. If you also want to enjoy dinner with them, you can order food from the restaurant of your choice and have it delivered to their houses.
3. Meet with your family virtually: This tip is an absolute no-brainer considering the huge spike in the usage of video conferencing and video calling apps, such as Zoom or Facetime, during this pandemic. Use these apps to have a virtual dinner with them or a gift-opening session during Christmas and host a virtual New Year’s Eve party. If possible, have everybody attending your virtual events use their own individual device.
4. Watch a virtual New Year’s celebration online together: Several popular New Year’s events, such as the famous ball drop in Times Square, will still be happening virtually this year. Watch them with your loved ones via the aforementioned video conferencing/calling apps.
5. Honor as many traditions as possible: Of course, every family has their own way of celebrating both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. With that in mind, figure out what traditions you can still honor at home. If your family likes to decorate the house for the holidays or doing certain things for good luck on New Year’s Eve, by all means, do it. If there is a certain tradition that you just can’t follow, try coming up with an alternative.
We hope that these tips can be of use to you and your family. On a different note, if you’re planning on celebrating these holidays in person, please make sure to stay safe and take as many precautions as possible. In any case, happy holidays!