How to do the Holidays Differently in 2020

Pretty much everything about 2020 looks different than we’re used to and the holidays are no exception. With COVID cases on the rise again pretty much across the globe, I think we’re all sticking closer to home and in smaller groups.

Charlie was able to travel back to New Jersey for Thanksgiving to visit his girlfriend, so it was just the five of us at home. We’re used to traveling for soccer or celebrating with our parents and siblings, but we avoided the latter in an effort to keep everyone safe.

Changing the way we do things means that we can create new traditions.

I’m not sure what those are going to look like yet, but we’re trying to keep an open mind as we look toward December holidays in 2020. Maybe that will be movie days or a special virtual meal to celebrate or even an open-air family gathering since the weather is nice in Phoenix.

Hanukkah is early this year, starting December 10. We’ll do something with our immediate family unit, but we won’t do presents because we’re still hoping to go away during Christmas. We’ll try to keep the celebrations as close to normal as possible, but we’ll miss some of the family not being with us in person.

As the kids get older, we’re able to be more flexible with holidays and have experiences rather than give gifts. Last year we tried to do handmade gifts for everyone but it didn’t go over very well.

We’ll definitely do some baking exchanges with challah bread and cookies, which is probably the biggest thing we’ll do. Then some Zooms with grandparents and aunts and uncles.

I actually really like the idea of being really mellow and quiet this year. It’s a good time to build connections with those who share our household without the stress of schoolwork and working from home. I know we’ve had a lot of time together this year, but holiday time feels very different to me. In a good way.

What are you doing to celebrate the holidays this year?