The holiday season has officially arrived. Whether you're putting up the tree or getting the menorah candles out, the overall time of year gives off the typical warm, fuzzy feelings -- with an unprecedented twist. COVID-19 has collectively and individually changed our lives, and made an impact on the whole year of 2020... now, the holidays included. However, with a bit of planning and a lot of helpful advice, you can navigate this holiday season with happiness and health. Read below for a QUICK GUIDE with links to our favorite holiday advice articles.
How to Explain to Your Child Why Your Holiday is Different This Year
The holiday season will be different from years past. Instead of large gatherings of friends and family, groups will be smaller in size and festivities may shift to a virtual environment. These changes can be difficult for children to understand. It can be difficult to connect the dots between the increase in handwashing and not being able to see their aunts, uncles, or grandparents. However, there are ways to make it easier for them. By following some common guidelines, you can better explain how these differences today will make it easier for next year’s holiday season to look much more normal.
Tips for Celebrating the Holidays Virtually
With smaller gatherings and a focus on virtual celebrations, this year’s holiday celebration won’t look like those from years past. However, just because things are different there’s no reason to ignore the importance of spending time with your loved ones, even if it’s virtual. To make the most out of these new ways of celebrating, it helps to focus on some basic tips. These can help make virtual gatherings feel more natural and give everyone something to truly celebrate.
Family Gatherings 2020: Stay Safe
This holiday will look vastly different from previous seasons complements of COVID-19. The sooner you can start planning your family gathering and holiday celebration, the more likely you’re going to pull off something that is satisfactory given the circumstances. There are many considerations for your 2020 holiday season. Read our quick guide for helpful tips.
Visiting Elderly Family? Must-Read Advice
It’s an enormous understatement to say that the pandemic has upended lives across the country and the planet. People have been forced to change their routines; exercise extreme caution; and handle as well as they can the economical, medical, and personal effects of COVID-19. Nowhere is that more apparent than with how we visit and interact with the members of our family who may be at higher risk for the disease. Specifically, elderly members of our family have had to deal with fewer visits and new precautions. As we move swiftly through the holiday season, these precautions have led many to debate whether it’s even possible to visit their parents, grandparents, or other older family members. The following article is not here to say whether you should or not. The situation with COVID remains fluid, and you must follow your local, state, and federal guidelines in all the actions that you take. However, if you are planning on visiting your family, there are some ways to make it safer for them and yourself.
Meeting a Newborn?
A newborn’s immune system takes months to develop and still requires vaccines to strengthen it. Because of this, newborns face an elevated risk during pandemics and flu season. To make matters worse, the coronavirus is still evolving and there are currently no readily available vaccines against it for newborns. Whether or not parents allow you to visit with their newborns may come down to personal preference and their doctors’ recommendations. How they allow you to visit may also depend on these factors, so it’s important to establish and respect the boundaries that parents set from the start. In addition to this, keep in mind the following tips.
10 Tips for Gift Shopping At Physical Stores
With the holidays creeping up, you likely have already begun to scroll through online offerings to choose gifts for your loved ones. You may find most of the gifts you need online, but some things require in-person shopping. The more elaborate or customized the gift, the truer that may be. So, how do you stay safe while hunting for the perfect gifts?
Ways to Show Extra Kindness to Essential Workers
Need to do holiday shopping at a local, in-person store? Great -- your HALOmask will keep you protected and comfortable. However, as you enjoy your time out and about, remember to show extra appreciation for the workers who keep our society moving forward through the pandemic: retail workers, food service employees, and grocery clerks.
How to Disinfect Your Home
As you enjoy the holiday season, you may find yourself out and about more frequently. This time of year, it's easy to get wrapped up (pun intended) in gift shopping -- but it's important to remember to disinfect surfaces of your home frequently. Cleaning is not the safe as disinfecting. Learn how to keep your home safe below.
We wish you a joyful holiday season filled with health and happiness. If you have any tips for navigating December 2020, share with us via social media or comment below!