Due to the pandemic, families are celebrating fall and winter holidays in different ways. Most families are able to see those who live in town or those whom they have been spending time with during the pandemic in Covid appropriate gatherings. For some families, this means they won’t be able to see their families that live farther away due to restricted traveling and for safety reasons.
This is true for sophomore Natalia Dallen who won’t be able to see her extended family during the holidays.
“I’m not seeing my aunts and uncles or cousins because they live out of town, we usually see them around Christmas, And [I will see] my siblings and then their kids” Dallen said. “We will just do everything at home so I guess like ice skating, [we are] not really doing that”
Similarly senior Molly Thomas said that since her grandparents, who live in Florida, won’t be able to travel this year they won’t be able to do some of the activities that they do during the holidays.
“Probably getting together and decorating cookies with my grandma, probably won’t be able to happen this year and we’ve done that for a while,” Thomas said.
Both Dallen and sophomore Saumya Verma said that most of their traditions are at home so those won’t have to change this year.
“Usually I would celebrate with my family at home,” Verma said. “To be more specific first, we decorate the house with lights and put deepaks around the house then we do prayers and we eat traditional [northern Indian] foods that we made. We also make rangolis in the front of our house.”
Rangolis are forms of art that are made and put in front of the front door.
In a regular year, Verma said she would get together with friends and family in large gatherings of people but because of the virus she won’t be able to do that this year.
“Usually the gatherings would be a pretty big size. So we can’t do that this year because of the pandemic. [That is] the main thing that changed. We just can’t go into the gatherings but basically, everything else is the same, we still celebrate at home,” Verma said.
Both Verma and Dallen are planning on calling the family members that they won’t be able to see this year.
“We always call our family and friends. That is one of the things that won’t be different” Verma said.
Dallen and Thomas are still going to participate in some of the traditions that they do each year.
“My family will still open presents on Christmas morning and we plan to go see the Christmas light at Christmas in the park” Thomas said