With several months of social distancing, most of them spent on lockdown, many of us are craving for social interactions. And with Christmas coming up, some people are probably gearing up to attend parties and get to meet their friends and family in person again.
But authorities discourage large gatherings. Most states implement a maximum of 50 people in a gathering. And they should only come from a few households close to each other. They must also live near each other because CDC claims that travelling from one region to another to attend parties is a high-risk activity. If you’re used to attending parties with a large crowd, you’ll have to adjust for the sake of your safety.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the holidays. There are still great ways to have a Christmas party in the middle of the pandemic. Let’s look at some:
Small Gatherings
Organizing a small gathering is an option. Just make sure that the number of attendees doesn’t exceed 50 and that you keep it short. But you need to add extra safety precautions. If you’re the one hosting and the party is indoors, make sure that you’ve already had your annual boiler check in to avoid any issues with your heating system come party time. Good ventilation is also important to minimize risk.
You will also need to rearrange tables and chairs to ensure that you still observe proper social distancing while eating. It’s best to use disposable plates, cups, and utensils. While doing this may not be as environment-friendly as you might want, it’s the best way to keep yourself and everyone safe. These strategies apply whether the part is indoors or outdoors.
Also, make sure that you put sanitizing stations around the house. You can also put up a sign in the bathroom to remind guests to wash their hands after using the toilet and sanitize it before and after use.
There are quite a lot of rules for one gathering. And sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you still put yourself at high risk, which leads to the next point.
Virtual Gatherings
The best and safest way to celebrate Christmas with your loved ones is by going virtual. You can use either Zoom or Google Meet to see and talk to your family and friends and still have a party together. Aside from having lower risk, it’s also economically practical.
To amp things up, you can have a theme, such as a Christmas sweater party. Or you can go for something simple, like wearing festive headbands or wearing the same colour. These themes can add a sense of togetherness to the party.
This party’s advantage is that you can invite anyone from anywhere, unlike for physical gatherings where you can’t invite a friend or relative from a different city or state.
Play Games
Another great way to celebrate Christmas safely with your loved ones is by playing games.
You can choose to play online; there are sites where you can play board games and card games with a group of people. There’s also a popular game called Among Us that you can try. To make things more exciting, you could devise penalties for those who lose games, such as playing a song, doing a dance, and so on. But if you don’t want to leave the video conference platform, you can play classic party games during the video call, such as charades and online bingo.
Mail Your Gifts or Deliver Them Yourself
A huge part of Christmas is exchanging gifts. Normally, people would give each other gifts and open them in front of each other. But that will not be the case this year for most.
You can opt to give out gift cards that your friends and family can use when shopping online. But if you want to give giving well-thought-out gifts, you can have them mailed to your friends and family before Christmas. You can ask them to open the gifts during your virtual party. This way, you can still get to see their reaction. If the recipients live nearby, you can also drop off your gifts at their house.
Christmas this year is going to be drastically different. Instead of being in the same place as your loved ones or going out to parties, you will need to stay home to keep everyone safe. But thanks to technology, there are many fun alternative ways to celebrate the holidays. And here’s to wishing things to get better next year.
