Staying home for the holidays…
It took about 8 months…but COVID finally made me ugly cry. We’ve all been adapting to the changes and restrictions, I’ve become a pro at grocery delivery and staying home, and am hard at work on remembering my needlepointing skills in the Pandemic Pillow Project. (Goal is to replace 4 couch pillows with needlepointed masterpieces.) I’ve learned to teach remotely, to have Zoom dinner parties, watched as UPS and others make frequent stops at our home as we work to get ready for the holidays.
We had planned, back in October, for daughter to come home for Christmas. She would be able to work remotely, and I would make the drive to pick her and her fiancé up, bring them to their own local Airbnb for isolating, do a touch of holiday-making, drive them back, and stay through the New Year in my own Airbnb. I’ve spent the days leading up to New Year’s in New York for several years now — it’s a great way to see the city all decked out (and hit some great sales…New York doesn’t tax clothing purchases…so this has been my traditional winter clothing refresh).
But…cases are SURGING, hospitals are full, recommendations from health authorities are not to travel, not to be with people outside your home and…we decided it wasn’t worth the risk, and it would be irresponsible. So…S and I each cancelled our (refundable) Airbnb reservations, and talked about how we will Christmas together…apart.
Back at Easter (another time I had planned to be visiting her), we each made the same recipe of Hot Cross buns in our separate kitchens…so now we’re planning a Zoom cookie decorating party, will choose some Christmas movies to watch together on Hulu Watch Party and TeleParty, we will jointly stream Christmas Eve services and will spend Christmas morning opening packages over video. I’m sending a massive box of gifts and baked goods (because the Stollen and Springerle have to be made in November), and mysterious packages have been arriving from her, with instructions on wrapping (I wrap things for my hubs, he for me). We are going to make it work, and it’s going to be safe. But that doesn’t mean I’m really okay with it.
When the world isn’t broken, S and I visit about once a quarter. I was so fortunate to be able to visit with her at the end of summer, but this will be the first Christmas since she was born that she won’t be here, and it’s kind of killing me.
So, yes. We will holiday apart, separated by 600 miles, several states and high COVID positivity. We will work to stay safe, to be creative, to still feel together in our important traditions. It will be okay. But it also has caused a few episodes of ugly crying, as this is getting OLD, it’s scary and frustrating to see different levels of peoples’ caution in public, and I really miss my kid.
Hoping for a brighter future,
M
