Making the Most of a Covid Christmas and Holiday Season

For Those Who Will Be Spending the Holidays Apart from Their Loved-Ones:

Thinking about how to spend the holidays this year may understandably feel daunting in new ways. It might feel painful to have a time devoted to the wonder and joy of living and togetherness when you may be feeling alone. For those who feel the grief of a missed holiday with family, your Dorisma family has been thinking of you. 

We’ve also been thinking of how we might show our support this holiday season. And while a list of ideas on how to spend your holidays won’t fix everything, sometimes fresh ideas and inspiration can help us move forward. Below, you’ll find several ideas we humbly offer as possibilities for bringing some joy and delight to your holiday season.

You deeply matter. May hope and connection find you in beautiful and unexpected places this year.

-Your Dorisma Family

Christmas Movie (Virtual) Viewing Party:

Curl up with one of your favorite cozy holiday movies and reach out to friends or family to (virtually) join. A few of our team favorites that usher in the holiday spirit are: Eloise at Christmastime, The Holiday, Elf, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, This Christmas, and Polar Express. Several streaming services offer virtual viewing party options, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and there’s always FaceTime or Zoom to join in together as well (just be sure to keep your microphone away from the movie speaker or you’ll hear an echo). While you can’t quite share a bowl of popcorn this year, the shared laughter and commentary can still help bring the feeling of family to your living room.

Volunteer at a Local Charity or Soup Kitchen:

Sometimes when loneliness creeps in and tells us we’re all alone, time spent giving to those in need can be a reminder we need that we’re all connected and we all need each other. You might try checking with a local charity, like your local food bank, and see if there is an opportunity to help out that would work for you this holiday season. 

While volunteering in person is not possible for everyone right now, (always consider your personal health and safety), there are unique virtual volunteer opportunities too. Through ZSL Instant Wild, you can help scientists with wildlife conservation by using a provided guide to identify and tag animals in images and videos, all from the comfort of your couch. Spending winter afternoons helping scientists with conservation, say with a cup of tea and the fireplace roaring, sounds like a beautiful holiday tradition.

Cook a Family Recipe You Love

While there is no substitute for time spent eating around your family table, a special way to honor your family traditions this year could be to treat yourself to a dinner involving one of your favorite dishes. Ask a relative for their recipe, maybe try one you’ve never made before, and get cooking! Just because family isn’t there with you, doesn’t mean you can’t go all out with decor, candles, and listening to your favorite holiday album. If the recipe portions are too big for one, maybe there’s a friend or neighbor you have in mind who would enjoy a surprise home-cooked meal left at their door. This small gesture may mean more to them than you think!

If a recipe doesn’t come to mind, might we suggest trying this delicious recipe for banana pudding? It’s a favorite over here at Dorisma!

Create Homemade Gifts 

When thinking of how you might spend your time at home this holiday season, creating homemade gifts for your loved ones might just be the ideal agenda for a night in.  There is a bevy of ideas to choose from: homemade soaps, ornaments, hand-painted cards, writing out the recipe for a meal you love, just to name a few! This idea gives two-fold benefits: you get to give your loved ones meaningful and personalized gifts, and time spent making those gifts feels filled with purpose as you create something for those you love. Pop on your go-to holiday playlist, change into your holiday jammies, and get creative!

Plan for a Virtual Hot Chocolate

Grab a cup of your favorite hot cocoa and (virtually) meet your family to enjoy your treat together. Maybe you and your family have plans to share a holiday mealtime over Zoom, but in case you’re looking for a different way to connect, maybe a virtual hot chocolate is what you’re looking for. (This idea happens to be an especially great alternative to a Zoom dinner if you and your family are living in different time zones!)

While the amount of Zoom calls can feel endless this year, adding something intentional, like a cup of hot chocolate can bring some extra spice to those moments. There’s nothing like sharing a delicious treat with those we love to herald in the warmth of the holidays.

Family Giving to a Cause

Gift-giving will likely look quite different this year, but maybe it could also be a special time to bond together and donate to a cause you and your family believe in. While there are so many organizations and causes to choose from, a few ideas might be: your local soup kitchen or food bank, the Equal Justice Initiative, World Central Kitchen, and Feeding America. Joining our friends and family to give to those in need, may be the most ‘together’ thing we can all do right now.

However you spend your holiday season, may it be filled with warmth, lots of hot chocolate, and hope for a new year ahead.