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They say everything comes to those who wait; finally, the grinches of the world have a holiday season they can embrace. COVID-19 is the Grinch that stole Christmas 2020.
Due to the circumstances, we need to lighten up on the expectations we place on ourselves this Christmas. Go with the must-haves and leave the rest. With all the uncertainty, it has been challenging to stay motivated to prepare for the holiday season.
Apprehension about the future will affect people’s purchasing behaviours. Those who lost their jobs will have to adjust their Christmas spending accordingly. Kids will survive if they get fewer presents. It may be an excellent time to teach them compassion by giving something to those with less.
When it comes time to buy gifts, you realize how observant you are of those around you; what they like or don’t like and what their interests are. Here are a few tried and true suggestions:
Kids
- larger plastic animals
- dress-up costumes
- activity books, puzzles
- colouring books, crayons, markers
- board games
- bath products
- cozy pillows and blankets
- the gift of your undivided attention; make things with them - a snow fort, a sheet fort inside, cookies, puppets, crafts, or play store or doctor with them
Adults
- coffee, tea or hot chocolate
- magazines and books or an audiobook subscription
- gift cards to the hair or nail salon, greenhouse, drive through coffee shop, craft store, stationery store, gas station or grocery store that they frequent
- gifts that are specific to their interests: gardening, camping, boating, golfing, fishing, sewing, crafting, writing
- masks
- consumables are always popular: bath products, nuts, chocolate, wine, homemade baking and canning or a freezer meal for a busy family
- board games
- wireless headphones
- wireless charger
- selfie stick
- phone case
I saw little grinch Christmas trees, about two feet tall, with one drooping branch and a lone Christmas bulb dangling from the end of it. People walked right by the beautiful poinsettias to get the grinch tree. That item struck a note with a lot of people this year. It epitomizes the current mood, but it is good to see that people still have a sense of humour.
On the plus side, pandemic restrictions will spare millions of children the trauma of being plopped on a mall Santa’s lap and a picture snapped of them screaming in terror. A photo that would live on in infamy.
Put up whatever decorations you have. It lifts the spirits. Other people get pleasure out of seeing decorations; it spreads a positive, hopeful feeling.
We will still do some of our Christmas traditions like rummage through a box of Christmas oranges with the green papers or carefully scour the selection paper in a box of chocolates, searching for a favourite. Good ole Pot of Gold. The Christmas cards we received are displayed in a place of honour on the wall. For the first time in 40 years, The Hubs put up the Christmas tree and decorated it all by himself. A Christmas miracle. We will drive around the village and look at the lights and then sit around our Christmas tree’s glow with a glass of rum and eggnog.
I made shortbread cookies, but my heart wasn’t in it. Every year when I make them, I put a red maraschino cherry on top of each cookie. This year I didn’t have any cherries and figured they might not be an essential item. I did not want to risk life and limb going to the store, so I omitted that step. Afterwards, when I sat down to do some product testing, I realized that the cherry on top is, of course, the key ingredient.
The telephone system or internet might collapse at Christmas with the number of calls that will be placed this year.
I prefer to say that Christmas is postponed instead of saying that it’s cancelled. “Christmas is cancelled" sounds too harsh for a grandma ever to say!
Whatever your Christmas looks like, I wish you happiness, good health and a prosperous new year.
Take care,
Norma
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