The holidays will be different this year, just like everything else for the past ten months—but there are some bright spots. Here in the New York metro area, we saw our first significant snowfall this week since March of 2019. Schools closed, and, although remote learning has become routine, many districts opted to give teachers and students a traditional snow day with no instruction—in person or otherwise. Everyone stayed close to home, but for once it wasn’t because of a spike in cases or a lockdown order or the need for a deep clean or a quarantine, and for the first time in a long time, life felt the way it used to, if only for a day. Nevertheless, the holidays will be different this year, despite any efforts to maintain tradition.
The good thing is that no matter how isolating this pandemic may be physically, it is an experience that we all share, and knowledge of that fact makes the idea of being separated from loved ones a lot easier to accept. Anyone reading this post might also acknowledge how very lucky we are to have access to technology that has in many ways brought us closer together than ever, regardless of physical distance. This holiday season, there’s enough room at the (virtual) table for everyone, and we can structure our gatherings however we see fit. We can visit with our families, our in-laws’ families, our friends, our coworkers, and anyone else we like without the stress typically associated with such gatherings. This year we’ll be free of mobbed shopping malls and packed parking lots; of endless drives and air travel; of having houseguests or being houseguests; and of the myriad other exhausting expectations of the season. It’s kind of like a snow day. It’s not that we don’t want to show up; it’s that we can’t, and there’s something liberating about that.
This is not to say that it will be easy, especially for those who have suffered loss or who are truly isolated. The holidays are notoriously difficult for people in general, let alone those who are struggling, and the pandemic has hit lots of folks hard. With that in mind, we should make it a point to reach out to our loved ones this season. And whether the people we call “family” are people we’ve chosen or blood relatives or both, right now it’s especially important we let them know how much they mean to us. For a person who is lost in grief or spending empty days and long nights alone, a simple phone call can make all the difference. It is in our nature to strive for connection—it’s necessary for our survival—and with the world literally at our fingertips, no one should have to go without.
Despite this year’s hardships, the holiday displays seem a bit brighter than usual. A bit more elaborate. Maybe that’s because people staying home for the pandemic had more time on their hands. On the other hand, maybe it’s because people are finally daring to hope. On the night of the winter solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year, ancient peoples of various cultures celebrated the imminent return of the sun, whose rays would grow stronger with each lengthening day. They celebrated with light, met the sun with fires of their own, and that is where the tradition of holiday lights was born. It could be that this season there’s a similar sense of anticipation, a collective confidence in a brighter future—one that is very near. Then when the spring finally arrives, we’ll be able to breathe again, knowing that the darkest days are finally coming to an end, knowing that we survived, that we’ll have a story to tell to future generations, and that they’ll learn from that story of our generosity, our forbearance, and our capacity to love one another even in the midst of a global crisis.
Here at SearchAngels.org we wish you health and happiness for this holiday season and the year to come. To those who have lost loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic, we express our deepest condolences. May you find comfort in happy memories.