The holidays go on but do the traditions?
Jennifer Kaing
Before COVID-19 occurred, everything about the holidays was normal although after the outbreak of the virus all of the “normal” changed. On March 13, 2020 everyone was required to go into quarantine for months isolated away from families and friends. During this time people were even traveling across the world and weren’t able to come home because of this huge lockdown. Many holidays and birthdays were ruined because of this tragedy. As months went by we all had our hopes of COVID-19 ending by the winter holidays, but unfortunately the virus was getting worse. Although we’ve been put through difficult circumstances we’d always like to flashback to where things were just “normal”.
How do we define “normal” for Christmas?
As we all remember the holidays were easier to juggle around before covid. Many stores were open, we were able to travel to see family and friends and even continue traditions/rituals we had before the years leading up to covid.
8th Grader Ram Par explains “Usually like me and my family we would go to City Hall or something. Or even go to eat out but we would usually do gatherings” She elaborates more on how her family usually would go to Christmas Village every year downtown a few days before the actual holiday and have dinner there. But on the day before Christmas her family would usually go over to each other’s houses to do a countdown for Christmas together.
9th Grader Lael Dwyer says “on a regular Christmas day before 2020, I would wake up everyone in the house because I was excited to open gifts. We would first usually make breakfast and then watch Christmas movies just to wait till more family arrives at our house. I would usually beg my parents to let me open my presents early before everyone comes but the answer would always be no. Although as soon as all my family arrives I’d be the first to rush downstairs” Additionally Dwyer specifies each year her family would wait till all of her family arrives at their house to open gifts just to see and film each other’s reactions.
Senior Zoe Fuente talks about how “every year we would usually go out to see the nutcracker performance and I would usually go Christmas shopping with my family. My mom would normally get me an Advent calendar but I would never show much interest in it as a child. But each year we would make pernil for Christmas instead of how people would have ham for dinner. My mom also makes Coquito every year that has never stopped even during and after covid.”
Throughout all of the easier times during the holidays we all have had to face our own struggles.
Holiday changes during Covid-19
Many people celebrated Christmas with their families with traditions or rituals they would do each year but covid changed that. We went from meeting with families in person to video chatting with them on zoom or facetime. Or even opening gifts as a family to mailing them to one another. Family dinners were isolated instead of being with one another so the holidays never felt the same. Since covid vaccines weren’t available to take many families often left isolated away from each other so Christmas didn’t even feel like a holiday.
Science Teacher Alexander Leed talks about his struggles and changes he had to make while experiencing the holidays during covid. “It's more isolating. I already live far away from my extended family and not seen them for a year and a half. Feels isolating and it continues to feel isolating. It's not like we've had many reunifications” One of the changes he’s made because of covid is “We don't blow out birthday candles. We put like one birthday candle in a cupcake so that we're not spewing germs all over everyone's cake.”
9th Grader Hanane Ali says “the changes during covid holidays made me feel neutral because although I love spending time with my family, I didn’t get the chance to see my friends as much” She talks more about how her and her family would usually go out to eat during the holidays but “since my mom is now more centralized on home cooking we don’t really do that anymore” Ali also adds that because of covid her and her family has gained a new tradition of long car rides every year.
8th Grader Van Hnem emphasizes “a lot of stuff changed and like and I miss things to be the same as they are.” She elaborates on how the struggles of the covid-19 lockdown has taken away the fun out of her holidays but now that there’s a vaccine available she’s been slowly able to get back to the old traditions she would have with her family.
Dwyer explains how covid took away the fun of her holidays. “It was upsetting because I'm missing my family because we don't see each other as often anymore because of covid and just in general. So to not have them with us for gift exchange and all the presents and Christmas was really sad.” She talks about how covid made her more cautious of her surroundings. “Well, in a sense that now since after covid. I'm more cautious about things like during the holidays and like where to get my food or like how to do stuff like around the house to prepare. During covid lockdown I’ve also learned how to do basic things for the holidays like stuffing gifts and wrapping them.”
Computer Science teacher William Otto elaborates more on how after covid like he feels like he has to be more safe because the virus could be in his surroundings without him realizing it. “There's definitely a little more cautiousness in terms of like, if I'm feeling sick or somebody else in my family is feeling sick before we all get together. You know, before covid I felt like that's not really something I ever thought about and now it's at least something that I'll consider and then kind of play it by ear depending upon how sick I feel or how sick the other person is.”
Fuente emphasizes, “it’s a really nice thing to go out with your family once a year to experience that classic Christmas type of vibe. It kinda sucked to miss out on it, although in the moment it was like “thank god that’s over” but it was actually something nice to have” She goes more in depth about how she regrets taking for granted the traditions she had with her family that she didn’t cherish enough because it all was taken away so quickly.
Holidays during covid-19 reflected a lot on how much friends and family matter during this time of year than we realize.
Has COVID-19 changed the way you think of the holidays?
Throughout the years from 2020-2023 we’ve been through thick and thin with all of the diseases and viruses that have been released to the public. Some have affected how we spend our holidays but not all. Before covid-19 many people didn’t cherish the holidays as much as they do now because they realized how much they lost after the 2020 lockdown. Isolation after isolation has taught us many things of how we should live our lives.
Dwyer adds in “Yeah, in a sense, because you usually see the holidays as something like a warm fuzzy thing that you can always just hang out with your family like a big exchange like dinner even. But now we'll just like a close and end thing which is like my close family and it's just not the same” The big changes during the major lockdown hasn’t changed back for some people although it definitely has for others.
Leed talks about how the holidays aren’t fun unless you make them fun for yourself. He also says “maybe I took it for granted. I think as you get older you look forward to getting together with your family more and more. And as a child, you take it for granted. Covid put all of that on pause and now I cherish it and look forward to it more” It’s important to make the best out of things even if your mind can only think about how annoying it could be.
Otto elaborates about the carefulness we have to take into holidays now during the years going forward. “There's definitely a little more cautiousness in terms of like, if I'm feeling sick or somebody else in my family is feeling sick before we all get together. You know, before covid I felt like that's not really something I ever thought about and now it's at least something that I'll consider and then kind of play it by ear depending upon how sick I feel or how sick the other person is”
It’s important to cherish everything you still have while you still can because one day you won’t be able to do it again.