With Christmas right around the corner, there’s no doubt about it that everyone’s holiday and family traditions will be looking quite different this year. I threw a question box up on my Instagram Stories this week asking you guys what your holiday plans were looking like, and it seems like the majority of you will be laying low this year.
As for us, I think we are in the same boat as many of you guys. Due to the nature of Ryan’s job, we are unable to travel home to be with our families this Christmas, as we simply don’t have enough time to dedicate to the trip itself, in addition to the mandatory quarantine time. I must admit, we were totally devastated when we first learned we will be spending this Christmas just the three of us. Honestly, it just wasn’t what we had planned Blair’s first Christmas. We envisioned having a big family holiday with baking days, movie marathons, and decorating, so the thought of losing out on that was totally heartbreaking.
However, after taking a few days to have a pity party for ourselves, we decided we couldn’t let this ruin our holiday. After all, this will be B´s first Christmas, and we don’t want to spend it being all depressed at home! So, we sat down and figured out a way to keep some of our usual holiday traditions. While they may seem a bit unconventional, we came up with lots of different ways in which we could carry-out our normal traditions, but do them distantly and in a safe way. Basically, you can consider this to be your guide to Holiday Traditions: COVID Edition!
FaceTime Baking Date
One of my all-time favorite holiday traditions is baking lots and lots of Christmas treats with my family. Every year we set aside a few nights where we all get together and bake tons of goodies. I’m talking cookies, fudge, toffee, truffles…the works! But, with us being separated this year, we decided to have a FaceTime Baking Date instead! We sat on FaceTime together, made the exact same recipe, and even watched the same Christmas movie while we worked! It was actually so much fun and now we all have a taste of our traditional treats at home.
Matching Family Pajamas
Lots of families wear matching jammies during the holiday season, and you can still take part this year even from afar! In our family, my mom always takes it upon herself to buy everyone’s jammies. So this year, she packaged ours up and shipped them to us so we could all still have them! We plan on getting a photo of everyone wearing them and then putting the photos together in a collage. I’m sure we’ll all have a nice laugh at how crazy this year was when we look back on these photos in a few years!
Netflix Party in Christmas Jammies
Ever heard of Netflix Party?! Basically, it allows you to watch TV or movies online with your friends or family! You create a “Teleparty” where all of your family members can simultaneously watch a show or movie together in your respective houses! The videos are perfectly synced and it even includes a group chat where you can chat to each other, upload emojis, screenshots and GIFs. So, pick out your favorite Christmas movie, hop into those matching holiday jammies, grab some snacks, and enjoy a long-distance movie night! You can click here to install Teleparty.
Create a Family Photo Album
I think after the year we all had, the best thing that we could do is focus on all the good things that happened in 2020. After all, it didn’t all suck, did it?! I think it would be an awesome idea to have everyone in your family gather up their favorite photos from 2020. Find photos from all the fun things you did and all the good memories you have from the last year. You can all put them together in a photo album and order one for each member of the family! With Chatbooks, you can create photo albums from your phone using their app! You can upload your photos directly from your camera roll, and they even allow you to invite others to edit and add to the album!
Video Chat with Santa
Did you know you could have a live video chat with Santa?! For all you mamas out there, this would be so fun to do with your kids this year if you have been nervous about taking them to see Santa in person! Santa Live allows you to make an appointment online where your child will have a live video call with Santa! After your chat, you will also receive a photo and video of your magical experience! Click here to visit Santa Live.
Deliver a Gift to an Essential Worker
No one deserves love and praise more than all the essential workers that have worked tirelessly over the last several months. It would be such a good idea to drop off some baked goods, gift cards, or gift baskets to these individuals this year! Think healthcare workers, gas station clerks, grocery store employees, mailmen, etc. I’m sure they would appreciate it more than ever this year.
Car Ride Light Viewing
One of everyone’s favorite holiday traditions is going out and looking at Christmas lights, am I right?! Lots of families attend tree lighting ceremonies, walk around their town squares, or visit Christmas markets to peep the twinkling lights and get in the holiday spirit. But, even though a lot of these events are being canceled this year, we can all still get out and enjoy the lights! I suggest packing up your car with hot cocoa, snacks, some holiday cookies, and piling in the whole family. Don’t forget your fur friends! You can pop in some holiday tunes, and drive around your town or neighborhood while you check out everyone’s lights and holiday decor.
Attend Christmas Mass Online
For many families, attending Christmas Mass together is something that is very sacred. This year, there are still ways in which you can make that happen from the safety of your home! Check out the website from your local parish to see if they offer Christmas Mass via Live Stream. You can still get dressed up and participate in mass as a family from your living room!
Have a Zoom Meeting on Christmas Morning
Okay okay, I know being on Zoom with your family during Christmas isn’t as good as being together in person. But, if you guys will be celebrating distantly this year, it actually isn’t a bad option! You can all sit in your matching Christmas jammies and be able to watch your family members open up the gifts you bought for them.
While this year’s holiday situation may not be ideal, I think it’s important for us to stay positive and focus on all the good we have in our life.
Sure, things may look a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of it! So, if you are finding yourself in a sucky (yup, I said it) holiday situation this year, take the day to throw yourself a pity party, and then put some of these ideas into action! I promise you, with an open mind and a little creativity, we can all still have a great holiday this year!
