Before 2020, Christmas has always been about going out of town, flying overseas to experience a white Christmas, visiting relatives from all over the country, and throwing parties here and there. The yuletide season wasn’t just complete without extravagant celebrations.
But now that a pandemic has befallen us, and the future remains uncertain, our Christmas, and possibly the New Year, will be held at home, or at least not anywhere far from it.
To families experiencing this for the first time, it seems lonely. Not only because you’ll be missing out on seeing your family and friends, but also because you’re breaking traditions.
But you can make the change beautiful. Even if you can’t go out as much, there are countless ways to enjoy Christmas at home. The intimate celebration may even be your best one yet.
Focus on the Things You Can Do
Different rules apply in every country. In England, only six people from multiple households can attend a social gathering. In Scotland, it’s six people from only two households. Other countries allow up to ten people.
Focusing on the limitations can be stressful, especially if you’re trying to make a list of people to invite over. Should you invite your grandparents, or your nieces and nephews?
However, instead of insisting on having everyone come over, consider safety, and settle on virtual gatherings. Take advantage of technology’s capabilities to join families that are miles apart. It’s wiser to keep everyone in their homes, given that a vaccine isn’t likely to arrive by December yet.
Try Out New Christmas Home Decor
If you’ve been using the same decor every year, now’s the time to spice things up. Take your table decorations up a notch, as you’ll likely spend most of your holidays gathered at a table, bonding with your family over food and games.
Serve eye candies by swapping traditional centerpieces for whimsical ones. You may even be supporting small businesses by buying flowers and other handmade pieces from them. Think of cake stands, trays, garlands, and colorful sweets.
Adorn your table throughout with foliage as a way to bring the outdoors in. Fill the other areas of your home with rich greens, too, achieving a whimsical forest theme, so that you’ll gain the sense of being in a dreamy garden.
And since you can’t go anywhere far, transform your outdoor spaces into a stunning Christmas sanctuary as well. Hang ornaments to your trees, from ribbons to Christmas balls to string lights. Go bold with your doorways; spruce them up with wreaths and oversize decorations. And on your garden, use new planters with Christmas colors.
If you’re missing a white Christmas, stock up on garlands with faux snow dusting to channel the winter. You can also DIY using spray snow; consider it a fun activity with your siblings or kids. And if your walkways are missing beautiful pine trees, buy mini ones, and have them flank your pathways, lit up with string lights to achieve a Christmas village look.
Enjoy Games
The absence of your extended family can feel lonely, but if you indulge in games, you’ll realize that your little family’s company can be as fun, too. Give your gift-giving a twist by holding Christmas games first, like a scavenger hunt, dance freeze, movie bingo, etc. Make it a contest — whoever wins gets the best cashmere blanket. Add a twist in opening presents, too. Try wearing oven mitts while tearing wrappers, so that all of you can savor every moment and not focus too much on the material presents.
Holidays at home may be a little disappointing, but they’re nothing less special. They give us time to reflect and be grateful, which we should be since we’re still overcoming this pandemic strong.
