Merry Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but in true 2020 fashion, Christmas is … different this year.
Some of us decorated until the ho-ho-holiday spirit burst out of the house and across the lawn, the awfulness of 2020 inspiring us to take the Christmas cheer to the next level. Some of us went minimalist, with just the most important (read: Sentimental) decorations dusted off and lovingly placed. Some of us couldn’t find the energy to put up lights or trees because getting through each day is tough enough this year.
Some of us are lucky to awaken today alongside the people with whom we normally spend this special day. Familiar faces will gather around the tree bright and early, and each person will take on their assigned Christmas task: Present dispenser or Santa’s helper, trash bag holder, photographer, taped-box opener, ribbon collector, gift bag hoarder, so on and so forth. And in that regard, Christmas will be much the same.
But some of us are waking up today with one or more loved ones absent. For some, it is a temporary separation — life, COVID, any number of things that got in the way. Perhaps we will speak to them later on the phone or a videocall. Maybe they’ll stop by and leave food and presents on the stoop, and we’ll exchange our season’s greetings through the door. But for others, the absence is a permanent one; beloved friends or family we have lost since the last Christmas gathering. And today will be bittersweet as we reconcile this day of hope and joy with our own personal losses and heartaches.
Some of us are spending Christmas in unusual places. Some will spend today with roommates — friends who quarantined together but can’t leave to visit family. Some are in childhood homes we’d long thought we left behind but that became a safe harbor when the world descended into chaos.
Some of us are alone today: We who live by ourselves and our friends and family are too far away or unable to safely spend Christmas with us because of the pandemic. For some, loneliness will taint the sweetness of the day, while others will find peace in the solitude.
No one’s Christmas will look like it has in the past. But there is still joy to find — and to give.
Find comfort in your blessings, big and small and every size in between. As has been said by many others: Maybe this isn’t the year to get everything you want, but to be thankful for everything you have. Find pleasure in little things: Twinkling lights, holiday movies, Christmas cookies and beloved traditions. Find happiness in every interaction.
Give help and kindness to those you know are alone today — or at least without their usual Christmas companions. Leave a plate of your holiday meal at their door or pay a socially distanced visit. Call them and give them the gift of your time and attention. Christmas is a day of benevolence and thoughtfulness, so be generous with your consideration.
Just because Christmas is different this year doesn’t mean it will be bad. It just means we have to put conscious effort into making this the most wonderful time of the year.
