The corona virus should also turn our Christmas upside down this year. Some things will definitely be different in 2020 – but we'll reveal how you can still enjoy the Christmas season.
The corona pandemic has not only changed our way of life, but also our sense of time. Actually we are still stumbling out of the first lockdown, not only is the second, but also Christmas just around the corner.
2020 sped past us – in many cases that is a good thing. And because everything was different this year, we will also have to prepare for an unfamiliar Christmas. So much can be revealed, one wish will almost certainly not come true this year: The coronavirus does not avoid the holidays.
But there is also good news: Humans are creatures of habit. And if we realize now that Christmas will be different this year, we at least have enough time to get used to it. Because even with Corona we can try to make the most of the holidays.
There are no Christmas markets
Problem: Christmas markets are usually one thing above all: full. We cannot and do not want to imagine crowded crowds this year, but when the Christmas markets are canceled for the first time, we feel sadness. After all, mulled wine after work really creates a festive mood.
Solution: Let's think about what we really like about Christmas markets. Is it the special pastry stand? Is it the Advent arrangements? Or just the hot drinks? Integrate the things that are missing in your home, cook a mulled wine yourself and do not share it with a crowd of others, but only with a special person on the balcony. Doesn't sound bad, does it? If you miss the cold, the thermos flask fills up and invites your friend to take a walk with mulled wine at a distance!
And Christmas parties are also canceled …
Problem: Celebrations are not only currently prohibited, they have also been the site of corona outbreaks in recent months. The Christmas party in the office will probably also be canceled this year.
Solution: Most people spend their everyday life in the home office – so why not celebrate the Christmas party digitally? It may feel strange, but it is worth toasting together. The Secret Santa doesn't have to be canceled either. Draw a name online and simply send the colleague a surprise package. The year was finally mastered together and that can also be celebrated in video chat.
We will be ordering more gifts on the Internet
Problem: Now it's down to the practical side: So far, the winners of the pandemic seem to have been online shops. It can be assumed that more and more orders will be placed online at Christmas too. However, this will be difficult for package suppliers who are already expecting delays due to the high volume. Gifts could therefore not arrive on time.
Solution: You already guessed it – the early bird … is already ordering Christmas presents! This will avoid both delivery and mental stress shortly before the holidays. Alternatively, take a look around your neighborhood and shop for gifts in small instead of large shops next door. They can really use the support – and you're doing double good.
The weekly Advent coffee is canceled
Problem: Advent coffee, Christmas concerts, Christmas dinner … otherwise December is full of appointments. Many of them will have to be canceled this year, at least when it comes to meeting a particularly large number of people.
Solution: Time to get creative! For example, send small parcels with ingredients for a Christmas evening together for Santa Claus – and stop it via video calls. Or start a snowball system in the family, in which one person always supplies the others with biscuits for Sunday. Small attentions like this bring you closer together despite the distance and fill your free time with beautiful feelings.
We probably can't see the whole family
Problem: Even if the 2-household regulations should be relaxed over the holidays, the risk of infection increases with the number of participants. Because the coronavirus exists regardless of whether something is allowed or prohibited. So we have to reduce our contacts at Christmas as well.
Solution: On the one hand: Be aware that Christmas is often mostly stressful. That should be eliminated this year because we save a few trips to the family. On the other hand: By Christmas at the latest, all family members should really be equipped with the necessary technology so that everyone can be seen at least once – or on the screen. And if it's just a face-time call, we don't have to and shouldn't forget anyone for Christmas this year either.
We have no plans for the holidays
Problem: While the holidays are usually planned in such a way that we first need a vacation afterwards, this time … nothing is due.
Solution: See above: Try to appreciate the free time. The holidays will be straightened out like never before. This year we shouldn't try to meet as many people as possible personally in a short period of time – instead we can try to extend the contacts over the entire Christmas period. The preparation helps against boredom: Write letters, prepare digital Advent brunch, watch all the Christmas films, bake cookies, pack gifts and maybe think of a game that you can play with your grandparents via Skype or phone. And then we try to enjoy Christmas in a peaceful and stress-free way – in the hope of being able to plunge into the full holiday madness again next year!