It's almost December, which means that it's almost time for the biggest holiday season to arrive! However, it doesn't mean that COVID-19 has decided to disappear. According to the CDC, 147,840 new cases of COVID have been recorded in the last seven days.
States such as Kentucky have closed all of their restaurants, schools, and businesses until December. Some governors have started to advise caution when celebrating the holidays, too. You may be thinking, 'is there any way to really enjoy Christmas during the pandemic?' In fact, there are ways to still celebrate the holiday safely. Here are 10 ways that you can still enjoy the holiday season without canceling any of your plans.
1. Go to a light show.
Who says that you can't still go to a light show during the holidays? There are still tons of different light shows that you can go see while still staying safe during the holiday season. You can go through a drive-through light show where you can view the lights from the safety in your car. Just make sure to go early since, with the effect of the pandemic, these light show events are likely going to be packed very quickly.
2. Create your own Christmas light show.
If you don't want to go to a light show, you can always create your own! Just grab a couple of lights and start decorating the outside of your house. You can also drive around your neighborhood as well as see the different decorations from your own neighbors. It's a fun and priceless way to enjoy the holidays without worrying about exposing yourself in any way to COVID.
3. Bake cookies at home.
Another way that you can enjoy the holidays during the pandemic is by baking your own cookies at home. You can host a virtual baking competition with your friends or family members and see who can bake the best cookies! Or you could compete with any family members that you are living with at home. There's no reason why baking cookies during the holidays cannot still be enjoyed during the pandemic as long as you are doing it at the safety of your own home.
4. Host a virtual party at home.
There is still a way to enjoy having a holiday party at home without worrying about exposing yourself to COVID. You can host a virtual holiday party with friends and family! It may not sound as fun as having a physical party, but there are ways to make it fun.
You can do a lot of different things at a virtual party such as baking, creating ornaments, or other activities. You could even have a virtual Christmas movie party where you can watch a Christmas movie with your friends or family members. Whatever way that you go about it, you can make it fun without needing to gather tons of people at your home!
5. Host a secret Santa with friends.
You can still have a secret Santa with your friends during the holidays! You can text your friends what your lists are for items to get for a secret Santa and then be given which friend to buy presents for. You can also deliver the item to your friends' house by dropping it off without being in any contact with them. It's a fun way to still enjoy the holidays during the pandemic!
6. Host a virtual baking contest.
You can still host a virtual baking contest with your friends or family members during the holidays. You can compete with baking cookies or baking any type of holiday treat! You can make it fun and have some sort of prize at the end of it. There's no reason that you have to have the competition with family or friends in person. Plus, making it virtual can make it more fun since you can send pictures of your finished product and choose someone to judge who wins the competition.
7. Have a Christmas movie night.
Another way that you can enjoy the holidays during the pandemic is to have a Christmas movie night either virtually or with your immediate family. You can do what my family has always done and have a Christmas movie marathon. It could become a month-long event where you have to watch one holiday movie every week until Christmas.
You can watch the movies with your immediate family or you can make a virtual showing of the movie with your friends or family members. It's another way that you can enjoy the holidays without having to cancel anything due to the pandemic.
8. Go ice skating.
Just because there is a pandemic doesn't mean that you still can't go ice skating! You can still ice skate during the pandemic. However, you just have to make sure that you bring your own skates, wear a mask, and be socially distant from other people. If you want to be safe, you can also find your own pond to skate on.
9. Decorate your house for the holidays.
Decorating your house for the holidays has always been a stress reliever. But with the COVID pandemic, it has become more so. There are so many people putting up decorations early than ever, and this is because decorating is a way to brighten your house for the holiday season and to help relieve some of the stress caused by the pandemic. You can still decorate your house for the holiday season and post a picture of your finished product to send to your family or friends. It's the best way to help relieve stress.
10. Create holiday competitions with family.
Finally, you can create additional holiday competitions with your immediate family or with any family member. You can have a competition on whose house is the most decorated or who can create the best holiday decoration. There are so many different holiday competitions that you can have with your family or friends that don't require you to host an in-person holiday party! It can also help you bond more with your friends and family during the holiday season.
If you're feeling down right now during the pandemic, you don't need to! There are plenty of things that you can do that don't require you to cancel some of your holiday plans due to the pandemic. You can also be creative with ideas of hosting holiday events or activities that aren't included in this list. Christmas is a perfect holiday to help relieve some of the anxiety that has been caused by the pandemic.
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