The holiday season will look different this year...

by Kristal Lin

“Family is a life jacket in the stormy sea of life.” -J. K. Rowling

As we enter the season of family-oriented holidays this year, many will find vacant seats at the dinner table to be a problem due to the pandemic. Holidays this year will be quite unusual with the absence of family members. It might be a sibling who is unable to return from college or the canceling of traditional travel plans. Whatever the situation might be, the bitter notion of missing someone will be inevitable for many.

Travel and gathering restrictions varying amongst the states are a hassle to tackle, leading to most Americans staying home for the holidays. Statistics show that 72% of Americans don’t actually plan on traveling anywhere this holiday season. If they did, they would prefer to travel by car. Most adults find public transportation, like planes, uncomfortable and unsafe. Even though most families don’t necessarily need to worry about travel costs, many surprisingly don’t seem to be planning to spend any money on gifts either. Holiday shoppers have mixed feelings about the whole situation and are keeping a stricter eye on their spending budget than usual.

Countless families have turned to virtual celebrations in replacement of the standard gatherings. People host zoom meetings with family and friends, participating in activities through a screen. Though video calls are far from sitting together in a room and physically interacting with each other, it is the safest solution. So what will happen when more profound holidays, like Thanksgiving, come around? Obviously, big gatherings and parties are not encouraged. However, there is no doubt that they will happen. If you think about it, is it worth it?

Despite all the issues with not being able to travel or host grand parties, there are still plenty of ways to appreciate the holidays. Many people have taken advantage of the pandemic and expanded their creativity to have as much fun as possible. There is even a website to schedule a private virtual experience with Santa around the Christmas season! Compared to waiting in an eternal line at a crowded mall, that does sound better. The most important thing is sustaining a good and healthy mindset. Try to think of the stuff you can do instead of what you can’t do. At times, we tend to dive too deep into the cons and never contemplate the pros.

Though traveling and visiting family is more complicated than past years, COVID-19 has brought out the importance of family and friends. Nowadays we find ourselves worrying more about these small details and even putting more effort into celebrations. It’s absolutely normal to feel disappointed and dreary during the holidays. There is no need to ensure the same level of energy or the whopping amount of dishes as in previous years but there are still plenty of opportunities to make these upcoming holidays memorable.