With the pandemic still upon us for the holiday season, many of our traditions have been disrupted. As human beings, we have a remarkable ability to adapt over time, and will find ways to make the best out of this and any situation we are in.
The holidays are no different. We may not be able to gather around the Christmas tree or light the menorah surrounded by our loved ones, but thanks to technology and ingenuity, there are still ways we can enjoy the holidays together and create memories we will cherish for years to come.
Open Gifts Together Virtually
As the holidays approach, one tradition many of us cherish is opening gifts, together with our loved ones. Thanks to technology, we can still open our gifts with our families and friends virtually!
*** For a information about programs to use for virtual get togethers, check out our previous blog post about Keeping in Contact Under Quarantine ***
Be sure to mail gifts to your loved ones beforehand, coordinate a time, and you can keep this time-honored tradition going—even through a pandemic!
You can even coordinate and conduct a virtual gift exchange (Secret Santa & Hanukkah Harry are still well and ready to help!) with a group of friends or family members.
Enjoy Your Holiday Meal Together Virtually
For many of us, cooking and eating a holiday meal is our favorite tradition. This is another activity that can be coordinated and conducted, virtually.
You can even plan a menu so everyone is sharing the same holiday meal. If you’re celebrating Christmas, you can bake cookies for Santa, together (we hear he is still making his usual rounds). If you’re celebrating Hanukkah, you can get together to make latkes.
Decorate Your Front Doors & Build Community Festivity
Whatever holiday you may be celebrating, you can bring the holiday spirit to your community with a holiday door decoration spectacular!
If you live at a retirement community like Southgate at Shrewsbury, you have a large and diverse group of neighbors that all celebrate a little differently. Although we cannot get together to share it with each other in person, we can certainly decorate our doors so when residents are going on walks, they can check out the various decorations and soak in some holiday spirit.
Don’t let COVID-19 curtail your holiday spirit, this holiday season! With a little communication and ingenuity, we can make this holiday season one full of cherished memories that we will never forget. We can leave this legacy for future generations—to share the stories of how we found cheer, no matter how light or dark the times may be!