Holiday Travel Plans

SANTA-TIZED HOLIDAYS COVID-19 brings challenges to beloved holiday traditions

Article by Yael Ivan Graphic by Jaidyn Holt

Most Trinity students have some sort of tradition or holiday to celebrate during the winter, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, to name a few. Many people typically choose to spend these holidays with family and friends or choose to travel, or both.

“As individuals, we have a natural need to feel like we belong and to feel connected with other people,” guidance counselor Rylan Smith said. “I think holidays give us a chance to reconnect with our family members, especially those that are distant from us, or friends and family that we haven’t seen in a long time.”

However, with COVID-19 precautions cautioning against large gatherings without masks or social distancing, many people will be unable to visit their families for the winter holidays, which can be particularly hard for extroverted people.

“[Extroverted people] are struggling with not being able to hug or high five or have any kind of physical connection with people,” Smith said. “I think you’re going to see during the holidays that some people aren’t going to travel. I think we’re going to see maybe some virtual family gatherings, which will be very different.”

Virtual meetings have become very popular recently, as people can call and chat with their families as if they were all together in person. However, Zoom and Google Meets meetings still constitute a challenge for many people, such as the elderly. They may not know how to navigate technology well or have access to virtual meetings. Some people may not even have easy access to a computer at all.

“[Elderly people] are also sometimes a little isolated, but during the holidays tend to reunite with everybody,” Smith said. “And now they won’t be able to do that. Or some people will choose not to do that.”

Across Central Florida, several beloved traditions such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Light Up UCF have been canceled due to COVID-19. However, theme parks like LEGOLAND, Seaworld, and local

attractions such as the Harry P. Leu Gardens and the Winter Park Christmas Parade are all open for the winter season.

Furthermore, travel is also a barrier in the pursuit of a regular family holiday. Christmas week, Dec. 23 through 29 is the busiest travel week in the United States. Now it’s expected that not many people will be traveling at all.

“Every year for Thanksgiving, we fly up to Pennsylvania to see our extended family and we may not do that this year due to COVID,” 8th grader Skye Johannsen-Williams said. “We may not be able to see them at all, which is really disappointing because I always look forward to that. There’s just so much I can’t do now.”

However, there are all sorts of creative ways to work around COVID-19 restrictions and introduce normal holiday traditions in a

Coronavirus friendly and creative way. According to Chrismasphere.com, some ideas for out-of-box ways to observe beloved holiday traditions include long-distance secret Santas, where participants can mail gifts to each other’s houses instead of handing them to each other in person. While Zoom and Google Meet have become the new norm for people, there are also ways to make those exciting. Virtual karaoke, ugly sweater competitions, online escape rooms, and games are a creative and fun twist to a regular virtual visit. Some students have also found ways to work around COVID-19 while still celebrating. “With COVID[-19] restrictions, my family has been extra careful about keeping our distance with my family, and outdoor activities seem to be the best,” sophomore Sierra Jobman said. “I think this year we will do ‘Christmas on the patio’ and decorate outside instead of what we usually do traditionally. I think I’m looking forward to it. This year has definitely been interesting and changing our traditions will make things more memorable.”