A COVID-19 Christmas

COVID-19 ruined a lot of things this year. Christmas wasn’t an exception. For many people around the world, they had to spend the holidays alone to self-isolate and social-distance themselves to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (rightfully so).

My COVID-19 edition of Christmas wasn’t as bad as others since my family spent it the way we usually do: with our grandparents. We opened our presents early in the day, and we finished the gift-opening with a time of worship. After that, we ate tons of food and spent time with our Christmas gifts. Overall, all the fundamentals were there for a normal, happy Christmas. But it just felt different this year. Of course, my neighbors and my family all had the Christmas trees, lights, and decorations up this year. However, Christmas didn’t feel like the Christmas of previous years.

For me, I speculate it was down to multiple factors. The first obviously being COVID-19. The whole year has just been a period of isolation, so it didn’t feel natural. Secondly, I just felt that I had a lot of school homework, so everything felt rushed. Another reason could be that I’m just getting older, so Christmas isn’t as enjoyable as it was when a younger James celebrated it. At least that’s what my mom told me. The final reason is also COVID-19 related: I couldn’t go out to places. Usually, around Christmas time, my family goes out to restaurants in different towns, or we go to the mall to window shop or just hang out. Also, I couldn’t go to my church for Christmas Eve service this year. I think those are the times that really make Christmas the amazing holiday that everyone sees it as.

During Christmas, everyone can be united and together even during the freezing cold weather. It’s a time to celebrate and rejoice with everyone, not just your family. It’s sad that COVID-19 ruined that this year. Hopefully, the Christmas that we all know and love returns next year.