2020 has been an unprecedented and unusual year, to say the very least. The pandemic has changed how we do most everything. How we are educated or how we learn, how we work and how we communicate. Most importantly, how we connect with those we love. When we “celebrate” the holidays this year, many of us will break with old traditions. It can be heart-breaking to not be able to gather with those we love, so we need to make an extra effort to reach out to our family and friends. This is especially important for older family members, friends, and neighbors.
In recent years, many of us have stopped sending Christmas cards, as we simply blitz social media with holiday greetings, memes & pictures. This may be the year to send cards again, at least to older family members who may not be following you. For Gramps or Gram, a handwritten note in that card could truly help get them through the holidays without you. Share a favorite memory of time spent with them. Enclose that school picture of your child you have been meaning to drop off. Follow it up with a call, so you can share more memories, or ask for a recipe of some holiday dish you may miss this year. It gives them a feeling that they are not forgotten and are still a part of your holidays.
Do you remember those silly little ornaments the kids would bring home from school or daycare? You know the ones. A dixie cup with glitter becomes a bell. Popsicle sticks glued together becomes a picture frame. If you are missing your grandkids, why not mail them a small box with items needed to make a few ornaments for your tree. If you are the one with the kids, have them take time to make some ornaments to send to their grandparents, older neighbors & friends.
We can still make this a joyous holiday season. Even as we break with many holiday traditions, we can make new ones. Where the tree may have been bursting with gifts in the past, maybe this is the year to scale back and consider all of the non-commercial reasons for our holiday celebrations. Celebrate the love and support of family and friends. Bake cookies with the kids, box them up and leave them at the doors of, or mail them to, those you want to send cheer to. Watch some holiday classics, listen to holiday music, call old friends you haven’t talked to in ages. Even in this unusual time, we can all find reasons to celebrate, even if what we are celebrating is putting 2020 behind us.
Happy Holidays to One & All! Stay well.
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