How to have a Merry ‘Covid’ Christmas
Every year, once we get past Halloween, I start turning my attention towards Christmas. Here I am on 1 November starting to plan out my families December festivities…..but with one big covid cloud over my head. And whilst I’m writing this from Wellington, where we are still under level two restrictions, I’m all too aware that this could change any minute, so like the best good girl scout, we need to be prepared for any change in situation.
I’m not going to mention the C word again, as quite frankly, I’m over hearing about it. What I am going to mention though are some fabulous ways you and your family can still have a merry time, no matter the alert level. Let’s make Christmas 2021 one to truly remember, for all of the right reasons.
GET STARTED, EARLY.
If you haven’t started buying yet, what are you waiting for? It’s not just couriers
experiencing delays in New Zealand, shipping companies are struggling to get stock into the country too – so if you don’t want to miss out, or end up having to buy something that isn’t quite right.
Get online shopping now. You can help out the couriers by being planned and
buying items from the one store, rather than numerous stores, so you save on shipping and also only have one parcel, instead of lots of little parcels.
GO OLD SCHOOL WITH CHRISTMAS CARDS
Whilst we do love a great dancing virtual Christmas card, there is something special about going to the letterbox and seeing something other than a bill or advertising material sitting in there.
Get organized this year and send Christmas cards to all of your loved ones, so they can proudly have it displayed in their home, and enjoy it many times over, versus one click and drag to the deleted items folder.
SCHEDULE VIRTUAL PARTIES
Like many, I’m over zoom calls too, but they may still be a reality for us for one more year. Let’s make sure that we make them fun by sending gifts ahead of time, so that your zoom friends have them to open while you’re on the call with them. Why not take it a step further and add a theme to your zoom call too – how about best Ugly Christmas Sweater competition, or everyone is to come in Christmas themed Pajama’s, or get everyone to send the organized their favourite (or least favourite) Christmas songs and you can have a virtual dance party/karaoke session to them. The best part about organizing these zoom calls in
advance, is that you might get to cancel them and have your get together in person instead.
Plan for the worst, and hope for the best.
ADMIRE THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
This is a great one for keeping to your bubble, go for a drive around your neighbourhood and spot all of the Christmas lights people have on their houses. Most community Facebook pages seem to share in December where the lights are, so check that out for your local area,
or post a question asking where they are if no-one has initiated that conversation.
You could maybe even encourage neighbours and your community to start a new tradition, if your area isn’t one to have many Christmas lights.
HOST OUTDOOR GATHERINGS
Whether it’s at your house, the park or the beach, you can make things feel a little bit more special with a few different touches. We’re lucky that Christmas falls in summer here in New Zealand so we’re blessed with long, light, and hopefully warm evenings, to make getting together outside that much easier. You can add a bit of festive cheer to these gatherings by adding some Christmas themed décor to your gathering – we’ve got some great disposable Christmas plates which will make clean up a breeze!
Or if you don’t want to go full buffet style, how about you get some of our personalised kraft boxes and fill them with individual treats.
Have some Christmas themed games to play, if you need some help we’ve got our Christmas Crack-up Box (party games in a box!) ready to be shipped, otherwise revert to old favourites that everyone can get
involved in.
How about toasting some marshmallows when things get a bit darker, or take it to the next level and let everyone create their own s'mores before you settle in for a Christmas themed movie night outdoors – either gather around a laptop or if you can, project a movie onto a screen or white sheet.
And don’t forget about the jolly fat man in the red suit. If you can convince one of the party goers to dress up as Santa, then that will be a big tick in the kids’ books!
DON’T FORGET CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT GIVING
Finally, in the true spirit of Christmas, don’t forget about those that may be alone, elderly or have had a tough year. Whilst for some of us Christmas is the best holiday, for others it can be very lonely and tough. Make sure you reach out to these people on Christmas Day or earlier so they know they are in your thoughts.
If you can, maybe prepare a Christmas meal or some Christmas baking and do a contactless drop off. Your small gesture could be just the thing that makes that person feel the spirit more.
Most importantly, let’s make Christmas 2021 one to remember for all of the right reasons.
