COVID Safe Holidays Celebration Ideas

Holidays are going to be a bit different this year. Ask me, ask anyone, am I prepared for it? No! We have been pretty much at home for many, many months. We have loved ones at distant places, and we reserve these holidays to meet them at this time of the year. All these reasons are good reasons to get out there, but not good enough to take the kind of risk catching COVID brings. So yesterday, I sat down and made a list of things we, as a family, could do to make the best out of the upcoming holidays. Here's what I came up with.

Staying Home...

1. Take out all those old (better word: classic) board games! Remember battleship and monopoly? What's your favorite board game? Make a point to reduce "screen time" and get the family involved. Make the games fun by changing the rules a bit.
2. Do you like playing cards? While everyone knows poker and rummy (at least in my home everyone does), there are a lot of other games you can play with cards. Pick a few card games you have never played before.
3. Movie and popcorn nights. Make a list of your childhood movies, or movies you'd like to watch. Skip "binge watching", and turn one of the evenings into a movie night with popcorn and drinks.
4. Painting, art and craft. If you have kids at home, there's no doubt you have a ton of painting, art and craft supplies. Get involved with kids and make some toys!
5. If you like cooking, then challenge yourself to make things that you haven't cooked before, perhaps a meal from a completely different region. If you don't like cooking, try making something very simple, but something you haven't made before.

Going Out...

1. Try a day trip to a ski resort (if you are closer to one!). It's a nice outdoor activity that people of all ages can enjoy. For one, you are covered from head to toe! As long as you don't intermingle with people, and avoid crowded spots, this can be a lot of fun!
2. Make a family hike or bike trip on your favorite trail (or trails!)
3. Drive through decorations. Does your town have outrageously, gorgeously, ginormously, decorated houses or parks? Go check them out! It's a nice way to get out there without getting worried about catching the virus because you'd be staying in the car all the time.
4. Try a drive-in movie theatre. This is another outdoor activity that is relatively safe because you'd be staying in your car. As the days are shorter this time of the year, they work perfectly for families with kids because you can get in and out before it gets too late for the little ones.
5. Picnic by the lake. Do you have a lake or a picnic area near by? Plan a brunch picnic with family. Make sure to stay in your own "bubble".

Staying Virtual...

While we can't party like we did last year, there's no reason to not party at all! Setup Zoom, Google Hangout (or whatever you use!) Parties with friends and family. You can make them fun by cooking together or playing games like pictionary, and eating and drinking together.

What are you planning to do this holiday season? Email your stories to bob@ellipsismarketing.net for a chance to get your name mentioned in our next newsletter!

Tags: cover-story,holidays,ideas