I was going to start this article by listing 5 ways to enjoy your socially distanced holiday. Then I thought, I can do better than that, how about 8 ways? Better still, I am going to for 10 ways! Make it a stretch because we all need to find silver linings these days. Please share other ideas you might have as comments on this blog.
- Have a Zoom visit to share what you are grateful for before each family has their own Thanksgiving dinner. Take a family picture with alt-prt screen and you can send it to everyone who was there as well as to those who could not make it.
- Share recipes of what you normally bring for dinner, so it can be included in the dinner of the family members who will not be together
- Offer to run an errand or do a chore for a neighbor or family member who you know will have trouble doing it by themselves
- Take some time to go through old family photographs. These can bring back fond memories. Maybe put some in a photo album for yourself, or as a gift.
- Call a friend you have not spoken with in a while. I bet they could use a “voice hug” now too.
- Get creative. Have you been wanting to try rock painting, knitting, building a birdhouse.? There are any number of projects you could tackle during these next two months. These projects could become gifts, donations or something special just for you.
- Volunteer. If you don’t feel comfortable volunteering in person, maybe you could make phone calls to check on elderly neighbors
- Decorate the house, light candles. Nothing brings back the good holiday memories than the sites and smells of your traditional holidays.
- Plan your next vacation. One of these days, we will be comfortable traveling again. Where do you want to go? Who do you want to go with? Have fun with this planning.
- Bake some Christmas Cookies. Freeze some, put some out for yourself and the family, have some for gifts. Play Christmas music while you bake. Everything feels better with music in the background.
Your turn. What are you going to do this holiday season to make the best of our socially distanced holidays? Remember, this is just this year.
Chances are looking very good that by next year you will all be back together and Uncle Joe and the cat will be on the couch watching football,
the gravy will have spilled on grandma’s tablecloth, and the teenagers are ignoring you. Maybe #11 is to just enjoy the peace and quiet this year.