‘Tis the season to… keep our circle small and safe, continue washing our hands, and reach out virtually to those we can’t see in person! Just like everyday life since early Spring, this holiday season looks and feels different. With a bit of creativity, though, we can still enjoy an unforgettable season that keeps us connected. Check out this quick list of holiday ideas for inspiration.
5 ideas for your household holidays
The pandemic — unexpected, devastating, and exhausting — has disrupted our lives in so many ways. And with our friends and families with disabilities at an increased risk from COVID-19, the importance of precautionary practices is even greater. We encourage you to get creative with us as we keep our upcoming celebration numbers low and our spirits high.
Here’s a few tips for making the holidays-at-home magical for everyone:
1. Use video calling, purposefully
Pandemic fatigue has hit, and we know that virtual communications have become just as exhausting for many. But the power of the Internet still provides the greatest alternative to staying connected despite the distance.
If your family typically celebrates holidays as a large gathering, consider scheduling a concise window of time on your chosen day of celebration to gather everyone virtually. The video or “conference” call can be as structured or casual as the dynamic of your family, such as scheduling the call to begin at the start of meal time for all invitees to simulate eating together. Or consider focusing the scheduled call on an activity, like playing online games together or singing carols. Designating a window of time for family and friends to tune into, with a plan for what will take place on the call, sets clear expectations ahead of time to help reduce virtual burnout and avoid awkward silences.
When integrating technology into your holiday, remember that your family or friends will likely have different devices and experience using certain programs. Prior to the day you connect virtually, ensure that everyone’s technology is equipped for their accessibility. Set the tone for a positive experience for everyone by checking in on the volume control, text size, captioning, device setup, and instruction needs for your virtual guests.
So perhaps we swap sleigh bells for the sounds of “you’re on mute” ringing in our ears this year. We think it’s worth it.
2. Share some meals by adding wheels
Making memories over food is a staple of the holidays for many. With some innovation and GPS, we can still share the power of a home cooked meal, safely.
If you have the time and resources to cook for others this year, dish out your holiday meal in to-go containers and plan out a door-drop at the households of people you would usually eat with. From kitchen prep to delivery route planning to door dashes, this holiday project can include all members of your household in the process. Pair this plan with a scheduled video call from tip #1, and you’ve transformed a dinner party into a comfortable and COVID-safe celebration. Plus, no fighting over the last slice of pie (that’s yours to keep!).
Another way to harness the power of food is to donate nonperishable goods to your local food bank. Feeding America estimates that, with the pandemic, more than 50 million Americans are at risk of hunger this year — many turning to food banks for their first time. If your holiday or grocery budget has room to spare this time of year, check out the list of needed goods at your local food bank to help a neighbor in need.
3. Start a new tradition
It can be easy to think that holidays will be different just this year. But the truth is that we don’t know how long we’ll need to take precautions against COVID-19, or any future global health threats. The new-ness of this year can be an opportunity to do something you and your friends or family haven’t done before to celebrate together. What is something you haven’t had time to do during the holidays in the past? What is something you can do this year and take with you into future holidays? A new tradition is a reminder that even in the most challenging times, we can create beautiful memories.
If you’re stuck on what could be a new tradition to start from the comfort and safety of our own homes, think:
- Designating a movie or read-aloud night. Queue up the holiday movie and story classics, or create a marathon of everyone’s current favorites, no matter the genre, to mark each person’s interests in the year 2020.
- Adding a new recipe to your traditional holiday meal. What’s one more dish to simultaneously prep in the kitchen, right?
- Have a crafting day. Get creative with the supplies you already have, or pre-order some materials for a project that interests you, your children, friends or roommates. Are you up to the challenge of decorating your space with cut-out snowflakes? What about gifting something homemade to someone this season? Allow yourself and those you love to slow down, disconnect from the commotion around us, and create.
4. Discover your community, scavenger hunt-style
Keeping the holidays low-key doesn’t mean locking yourself in the house and throwing away the key. Encourage your household members (or simply yourself!) to brainstorm a list of as many holiday-related symbols or neighborhood sites that you have the energy of hunting around for. Then, set up the rules for your adventure.
Take a drive or walk through the neighborhood in the early evening to visit some landmarks you haven’t seen in a while, stop at the park for some family play, and then cruise around the streets with holiday decorations in search of candy canes, reindeer, Santa blow-ups, handmade snowmen, and more. Document your scavenger hunt in any way you’d like — selfies, maps, “bingo” boards for some added competition. Discover your neighborhood in a new way this season by looking out for the little things.
5. Lean on the Magic of Mail
Perhaps on a typical Christmas eve, morning, or New Year’s eve, you’d gather with a group of family or friends to share in the spirit of the holiday together. Lean on the magic of mail this year, instead. Nothing compares to the care you feel when embraced in a hug with someone in person, but you can’t deny the excitement and gratitude of receiving a letter in the mailbox or a package by the doorstep. When the former isn’t possible, the latter is a thoughtful consolation. So pull out your address book and share the love this holiday with a simple card or gift you can order online for direct delivery.
How have you gotten creative during the holiday season this year? Share your tips and resources in the comments!
Safe & Supported
As you’re looking ahead to Christmas, Kwanzaa, the New Year, and more, we encourage you to celebrate safely in a way that best fits you and your family, roommates, or friends. This list of tips, ideas, and resources is designed to inspire your plans to be as socially connected and inclusive as possible, despite physical distance. Connect in new ways, reflect on the resilience that brought you through a challenging year, and tune in to our next blog to set inclusive resolutions with us for 2021.
Finally: We know that the pandemic has impacted lives well beyond a change to approaching the holiday season, including unemployment, financial hardship, and homelessness. That’s why we started the Endless Highway COVID-19 Relief Fund. This fund provides families of children with physical disabilities with confidential, tax-free grants to help cover the costs of your greatest priorities, like rent, groceries, medical bills or adaptive equipment costs. Learn more, and reach out if you need assistance, here.
Happy holidays, Endless Highwayers. We’re in this together.