Christmas Alternative

This year has been a very different year indeed. It seems Coronavirus has impacted every aspect of our lives in some way. This Christmas is no different.  I typically start to get more depressed during the winter months and Christmas is a season that I normally look forward to because there are plenty of things to do.  I’m normally seeking out various things we can do.  We’ve done in the past candlelight walks in Augusta, MO, Christmas traditions in St. Charles, the old state house in Vandalia lit up in candles, Walk the lights at Tilles park, Zoo lights, etc. We even drive down to Duquoin to do the lights and then the indoor activities they have. Various of these things we’ve done with the kiddos even as they got older.

So this year it started with me looking around and noticing that many things have changed. We probably won’t go to Duquoin for the lights because the indoor activities will be closed, Tilles park had very limited reservations for their walks and sold out in September, Zoo lights is limited reservations, and various activities will look quite different if they happen at all. Even Lebanon lights said their animated show won’t happen this year.  So I was a little bummed about that but hey it is what it is. Then the kids made mention that they wouldn’t be doing the Holidays with Grandma just because of the type of jobs they have and people they interact with. My son didn’t come for Thanksgiving even with us due to the demands of his job and the volume of people he deals with.  So it is a very different holiday season.

Then you had just before Advent started that it was announced that our church wouldn’t be holding indoor services for at least part of the Advent season. This of course disappointed many people and while some other churches are still having indoor services we have decided to look to the safety of our members and how to best serve them. Though we decided to expand our drive in service to accommodate those that still wish to attend with others. 

All of this makes this Christmas a little more depressive than normal for me and I’m sure everyone is feeling some of that. Though we can find new ways to celebrate the season and the reason for season hasn’t changed. Thanks to technology we can still very much stay connected. We see the comparisons of this pandemic to that of the Spanish Flu, but one big difference is our ability to communicate and stay connected now. We have technologies like Zoom, Facetime, Google Duo, and more that helps us connect to family, friends, and groups. If anything the pandemic has caused us to learn new ways to connect and new technologies to allow us to do so. Now more than ever we need the connection. We also need to check in on each other.  This Christmas may look different but that doesn’t mean we aren’t all still connected and able to spend it together. Have a zoom Christmas party or share a movie watching experience together.   Watch the Great British Baking Holiday episodes on Netflix and discuss with others about the cool things that were made.  Go see some Christmas lights and take some pictures to share with your family and friends. I’m currently jamming out to a Christmas station on my Google nest speaker while I have the holiday lights channel on pluto tv.  I’m thinking how we all use to decorate together.  Part of lyrics from “Where are you Christmas”: “Oh, I feel you Christmas,I know I’ve found you,You never fade away, oh The joy of Christmas, Stays here inside us,Fills each and every heart with love”

I hope you find ways to enjoy the holiday season even in the midst of coronavirus. Though things are always changing and we adapt. When I was growing up we went to my grandparents for Christmas and the whole family would be there and it was great to see the love of everyone. Then it switched to having Christmas at our parents. Now my parents are gone and my wife’s father has Alzheimer’s and last year when we tried to have Christmas with him it didn’t go well. So we have Christmas at her mom’s and at our house. This year it’s just Sandi and I going to her mom’s on Christmas Eve due to coronavirus. So things are always changing but we adapt, but the love remains.  The love I felt at my grandparents on Christmas is still there, the love I felt at my parents house still remains, and the love will continue. I’ll always think of Sandi’s dad and his train set around the tree every Christmas.

Don’t let change and things being different change the love, the connection, the joy that can be found in the season.  Also remember that very love is what should compel you to adapt this Christmas to help show love to others by taking simple steps to protect them.

There is so much to be thankful for this year don’t let your focus be on the hardships or inconveniences. Let your heart reach out to the wonderful things like still being able to remain connected, online shopping, and that love and kindness till exist in this world. Look for the things you can be thankful for.