From having to transition to attending class on Zoom to relying on online stores to purchase necessities, the pandemic has had a toll on everyone. With the increase in virus cases, Santa Clara County is now under a Regional Stay-at-Home Order, prohibiting private gatherings of any size. To stay safe during the upcoming holidays, it’s imperative to avoid in-person gatherings. Despite these restrictions, it’s still possible to celebrate these festive times with others.
The best way to celebrate the holidays is to be with your family and friends, but with the new restrictions, you can’t be in physical contact with people outside of your immediate household. However, not seeing each other in person doesn’t mean that you can’t still talk to each other. Instead of meeting up, you can meet each other online via platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and FaceTime. Virtual meetings allow people to see their loved ones while also staying apart.
There are a variety of activities that you can do on Zoom, and one such activity is movie streaming. By using the share screen function on Zoom, you can share any movie with the other Zoom participants in your meeting. Many classic Christmas movies, such as “Home Alone” and “The Polar Express,” are available to rent on YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Amazon Prime Video. There are also multiple streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, that have a large variety of holiday movies.
Another activity that you can do over Zoom is playing games. Many games can be played virtually, and one such game is Charades. The directions for this game are simple: a person acts out a word, phrase, or title, and the other participants must guess what the person is acting out. To play Charades online, have a person be in charge of messaging the word to each player. The person will act out the word and the participants can unmute themselves when they have an answer. Some other fun party games that can be played over Zoom are Among Us and Pictionary. Additional game options include online board games, video games, and Jackbox Games.
A significant part of the holidays is family dinners. Since you can’t be in contact with people from other households, you won’t be able to meet with your extended family to eat dinner together. Nevertheless, you can still eat the same dishes without being in contact with each other. By sharing holiday recipes, you can cook the same meal so that everyone is eating the same food, making it feel like everyone is eating the same dinner together through virtual meetings.
The holidays are the season of gift-giving, and there are multiple ways that you can give gifts safely. The first method is to mail the gift to the receiver’s house yourself. Instead of going to the person’s house to deliver the gift, mailing the present will limit both the receiver’s and your exposure to each other. If you’re purchasing the present online, you can also ship the gift directly to the receiver
Another way that you can get in the festive mood is by going to Christmas in the Park, an annual event that features various community-decorated Christmas trees and musical and animated exhibits. Due to the pandemic, Christmas in the Park is a drive-through event this year, so it’s a safe way to enjoy viewing all the decorations without being in contact with anyone.
There are a variety of ways to still stay connected with others despite not seeing them in person. By hosting virtual celebrations and doing festive activities, families can be together while following the health guidelines. It’s important not to be in close physical contact with others, not only for your safety, but for the safety of the people in your household as well.