[2020-12-11] Making the most of the holidays

It's two weeks until Christmas and two weeks less a day until my next scheduled chemotherapy. As long as my neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) bounce back in time, I will proceed with Round 5 on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, since Pyjama Day 1 (the first day after chemo) is generally not too hard on me, I'm hoping to have a fairly merry Christmas. We may need to have an early Christmas dinner, before nausea kicks in towards the end of the day, but who doesn't want to wear pyjamas on Christmas Day anyway?

This year will be the first time in perhaps my entire life that I won't be at my Mom's for Christmas dinner. COVID and cancer have made that impossible. But I will find ways to celebrate with my extended family, as I wrote on November 1 in the post Staying connected.

I spent more time today researching different ways to celebrate the holidays. I wanted to share with you the best of what I found and came up with.

Minimize risks
Let's start with the elephant in the room—COVID—and advice from a health expert. As reported by the CBC, Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's medical officer of health, advised residents of the capital to avoid holiday get-togethers. "With Hanukkah beginning Thursday and Christmas and Kwanzaa just over two weeks away, Etches reiterated her advice to avoid gatherings over the holidays." Etches recommended celebrating virtually but did offer advice on how to minimize risks if meeting friends and family face to face: "If you are attending a gathering, wear a mask. Avoid sharing food and drink and keep visits short." She added: "If you are hosting a gathering, make sure you have plenty of hand sanitizer available. Ensure there is proper ventilation—keep doors or windows open if need be. If you can, host a gathering outside."

Gather in the great outdoors
My husband has a saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." This fall, I bundled up and enjoyed many physically distanced visits on my deck or in the park behind my house. As the temperatures dropped in November and December, such visits moved from sedentary to mobile. My sister and I have been doing physically distanced visits while walking: we're outdoors, at least six feet apart, and wearing masks for added protection because of my immunocompromised health. RealSimple recommends: "When gathering in person outdoors, consider keeping celebrations to the daytime hours, when it might be a little bit warmer and more comfortable to spend time outside. Look for outdoor activities that can be socially distanced and keep you active, like sledding or snow-fort making. And don’t forget to serve hot foods and drinks to help keep everyone toasty." Other outdoor activities that lend themselves to social distancing are hiking, tobogganing or tubing, skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and building a snow fort. (See Wonderful outdoor winter activities in Ottawa for inspiration.)

Celebrate virtually
In keeping with Dr. Vera Etches' recommendation to celebrate virtually, consider a family videoconference. The technology options are numerous: Zoom, Google Duo, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger. Beyond the technology, think about all the things you would consider for an in-person event. Do you want guests to dress a certain way: formal attire, plaid shirts, pyjamas? Will you invite guests to enjoy their favourite fancy or hot drink: wine, gin and tonic, hot chocolate? Will you play games: Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, Kahoots? From my own experience, the best videoconferences have some structure, such as a game, as well as a host who makes sure that everyone gets an opportunity to chime in. For example, if the host asks guests to name one thing they're grateful for in 2020, the host should keep track of who has spoken and who has not so that no one who wants to contribute is left out. And videoconferences don't need to be for a large number of people. Yesterday, a friend organized a one-on-one videoconference so that he could play three pieces of music for me on his piano; I felt like I had been transported to a private concert.

Watch a movie or holiday classic simultaneously
As I wrote on November 1, several tools exist to enable people in different locations to watch movies simultaneously. The Verge identifies several apps that can be used to host movie nights with friends online. For example, "Netflix Party [now called Teleparty] syncs up your streams with those of your friends and adds a live chat on one side of the screen." For a low-tech option, find a holiday classic on TV and connect by phone to reminisce. CBC's Christmas Day lineup includes:
  • MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947, family drama) - Friday, Dec. 25 at 5 p.m. (5:30 NT) on CBC TV
  • SCROOGE (1951, drama) - Friday, Dec. 25 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem
  • WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954, musical) - Friday, Dec. 25 at 11 p.m. (11:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem
And in the days leading up to Christmas, you might consider the animated classics:
  • DR. SEUSS’: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! (1966) - Sunday, Dec. 13 at 5:00 p.m. (5:30 NT) and Saturday, Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (7 NT) on CBC TV
  • RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (1964) - Sunday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT) on CBC TV
Check out the entire CBC 2020 Holiday Programming. And if you're looking to watch A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (my favourite holiday classic), look for it on PBS on December 13 at 7:30 p.m. local time (check your local listings) or watch it for free on Apple TV+ between December 11 and 13.

Remember that what makes this year different may make it especially memorable
I still remember hosting my sister and her family for a few days during the Great Ice Storm of 1998. Kanata was one of the few places in the Ottawa region that had hydro after the storm knocked out power to thousands of households in parts of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was like camping. In the same way, we will likely look back at Christmas 2020 and recall the unique ways in which we celebrated the holidays. RealSimple states: "You may not remember exactly what happened at the holidays from year to year, but when something this different happens, it’ll stick out." The article quotes Gretchen Rubin, author of Happier at Home, who says: "This exceptional holiday season will probably be more memorable because it’s so different. We just have to find a way to make the most of it."

If you have a creative way of celebrating the holidays with family and friends, feel free to share. I love great ideas.