It is now the first day of December, and we’re just a few days away to celebrate Christmas. I have not done any decorations yet, but I will put up my Christmas decors to uplift our spirit for the holiday season, especially this time of the year that we are battling this coronavirus. How are you preparing for Christmas?
This year’s Christmas celebration is slightly different from previous years due to coronavirus; other states have restrictions for gathering. It is always good to follow the rules. It will just be temporary, “prevention is better than cure.” But hope this will not be the cause for us not to celebrate the season with family and friends. There are always ways to celebrate. Here are some inspirations that we can do to celebrate Christmas with family and friends.
How to celebrate Christmas during this Pandemic or Covid19?
Physical Gatherings – In some states, they only allowed 2 households to gather for parties. Check your state restrictions for covid 19 gatherings. Each family can always figure out to celebrate. Christmas is a celebration, and we will always make a way to have parties, have fun, and feel the love of the season. Share foods and gifts to all we loved.
Virtual Gatherings – If physical gatherings are not allowed, you can do Virtual Christmas Party through Zoom meeting and Google Meet. Your family and friends from far away who cannot spend with you will truly benefit from it. The first thing and foremost, consider who will be in attendance. Ask yourself if they are all familiar with this online technology. For not techy savvy, especially for the grandparents who are not acquainted anymore with the new technology, you have to give them the instructions on how to log in. The host should provide a meeting code to family and friends attending the party ahead of time. In virtual gatherings, you need to consider your setup; make sure your computer or whatever gadgets you will use for an online meeting is well lit, so the camera can capture each other’s faces. Check your internet connection if it is working properly. Put the camera towards everyone so they can be seen online.
Gift-giving – (Physical giving of presents or Online gift-giving) – Christmas will not be complete if there are no gifts, its traditions, especially giving gifts to little ones. If you cannot give your gifts physically, ship it early. If you are confused about what kinds of gifts to give to the grown-ups for Christmas, you can provide them with gift cards or e-gift cards if you are not sure what to give them. For kids, shop early for toys, so you can get the gifts they want; malls are still open; just follow social distancing, and always wear a mask for your safety.You can also shop online and ship it to the person you will be gifting.
Food – Virtual gatherings also needs food. You can eat together while seeing each other virtually. It is always fun to have food to enjoy each other’s company. Prepare the food that you like and your family’s favorite recipe. They may not be present physically and cannot eat them, they will still appreciate your gestures. If possible, share the food with them if they live close by but cannot physically attend your party.
Party is not a party if there are no Photos, but How? How will we have photos together if we will do a virtual party? It is easy; you see each other on the monitor or on the desktop or laptop screen, you can do screenshots and do crazy poses .Before pressing the screenshot button, remind them that you will be taking photos, so they can prepare themselves and they will look good on photos. You can also take photos through the screen using your mobile phone. When you got all the shots, share it with your family and friends on social media that are not present in the party. Everyone will remember these memories.
Giving Thanks – The reason for celebrating Christmas is the spiritual and religious aspects of it. This is when we can do our part to share the love with the people who really need it. Forgive the person who has wronged you. We can also do our share to spread acts of love by donating to charities online or by dropping groceries at food banks; we can also offer prayers for people we know suffering from sickness. Attend Sunday Mass Service to praise and worship Christ, who is the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Check your local churches if they have holy mass; churches also have restrictions for gatherings. If physically, you cannot go to church, there is always an online church service.
May this Yuletide season bring peace and love to all. Stay healthy and safe!