We are entering into the Holiday Season! This will be a Holiday Season like we have never seen before! We are still dealing with a global pandemic. People are longing to get things back to the way they were before COVID hit. People don’t like isolating, and that is especially true as we enter the Holidays! The Holidays are usually about spending time with family and friends. This Holiday Season, however, we are having to balance safety with traditions.
Treating all people with dignity and respect these Holidays will mean for many of us, that we limit our contacts with others from outside our household. We should wear our masks. Remember, my wearing my mask is a sign of respect for you as well as a precaution for myself. If I go out in public without a mask, part of the message I can send to those around me is, “I don’t care about you. This is all about me.” Be safe, not selfish.
We can still reach out and connect with others this Holiday Season, it just may look a little different. We may be talking on the phone rather than sitting around a fire together. We may be having Zoom (or other digital platform) meals and gatherings. Holiday cards and pictures might be our way of seeing distant friends and family. It has to be better to be able to reunite afterwards rather than, at worst case, socially distance a funeral.
We talk about how people can only give what they have. This Holiday Season we need to help others, so they can give! Meals can be donated or shared. I have a friend who is roasting some pork and shredding it. He ‘donated’ it over a social media platform to anyone in the area in need. Check on your neighbors, relatives, friends both close and far away. While we may be socially distancing this Holiday Season, we don’t have to emotionally isolate ourselves!
Be safe, this Holiday Season!
Dr Dale Shannon
