Items

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  2021-12-20

  And a Happy New Year

  My boyfriend and I had visited his parents over our Christmas Holiday from college. They had just recently gotten back from Hawaii, so they had travelled through several airports to get to and from Baton Rouge. Despite my boyfriend and I being vaccinated and wearing masks around his family, we came to find out that his mother had COVID (she is a staunch anti-vaxxer). Not one week after our visit, my boyfriend and I both tested positive. We spent Christmas and New Years holed up in our tiny apartment, feeling guilty that we had been to our respective works and to visit my relatives without knowing we were positive. His mother is still suffering from COVID complications, nearly eight months after originally having it. I'll never understand why people assume that public health and health education are a hoax. It could have saved everyone a lot of time and effort and suffering if the truth about vaccinations wasn't barraged by misinformation and public hysteria.
• 
  2020-12-25

  New Traditions

  The pandemic marked a turning point for my family. A few weeks before the March 2020 lockdown, my grandmother was hospitalized then placed in her final nursing home. Although my family knew the Alzheimers and cancer were progressing, we never expected a pandemic to make letting go even more difficult. Shortly after her arrival in the nursing home, the building closed down for all outside visitors. For the entire summer of 2020, my family and I had to watch grandma through a screened window. By the time we were finally able to go inside the nursing home to touch her again, it was only because her time was coming to an end. By then, my grandmother only recognized my grandfather, the rest of us were strangers. My grandmother was in many ways the glue of our family. To lose her at a time when we could not see each other in person at holidays was extra difficult, but we adapted and even started new traditions. As a Polish family, we always have pierogi and fish on Christmas Eve and we usually purchased our pierogi from local churches that handmade the delicious dumplings every year. However with the pandemic, most churches did not sell pierogi in 2020 to protect their older community members who made the pierogi. Therefore, we decided to attempt for our first time to make our own pierogi from scratch. Admittedly, the pierogi we made in 2020 were not the best (and we made over 300 of them!), but we did not give up. In December 2021, our families could once again gather in person – our first Christmas together without grandma. We made our own pierogi, and this time my cousins were able to join and help. Not only did the pierogi turn out much better in 2021, but a new tradition became cemented. Although the pandemic provided many hardships, I can't help but be thankful for the two years of stillness and uncertainty it provided. The pandemic allowed me to return to my hometown, reconnect with my family, and start a new chapter in my family's history. I think my grandma would be really proud of our new tradition.
• 
  2020-12-31

  No More Travel

  One of the main benefits of being in the military is the opportunity to travel overseas and experience other places, cultures, and people. I was stationed in Germany and had lost of ideas of where I was going to travel all across Europe during the summer and winter months, unfortunately, Europe locked down hard in the spring of 2020. I wanted to travel during the summer months and go to the beaches across the Mediterranean and see England when it wasn’t raining. During winter I had looked forward to seeing the famous German Christmas Markets and traveling to Switzerland to see the Alps covered in snow. Due to lockdowns none of this happened. For many the pandemic made if feel as if our lives were on hold. Not only were we missing out on small events here and there but also large chunks of our lifetime. I feel as if I was stuck waiting to live life, not able to really enjoy what was around me.
• 
  2020-12-22

  First Christmas not with Family

  This is a picture of the first Christmas tree that my brother and I bought to set up in our apartment. It is a small tree because I figured we did not need a big one since we had a small number of ornaments to hang up. This tree also represents Christmas 2020, the year of COVID-19 and the first year we did not spend Christmas Eve with our parents. My Mom has an auto-immune disease and she could not go out much in 2020. However, at some point, she either went out or COVID was brought home. She ended up in the hospital a day or two before Christmas and tested positive for COVID. Therefore, it was for the best for my brother and I to not go home on Christmas Eve. I was disappointed we couldn't go see them. However, my brother and I decided to order Shari's, a diner restaurant local to Washington and Oregon, for dinner. We didn't see them that day, but we were able to go over the next day to open presents and not much else. Not the best Christmas, but I suppose it could have been worse.
• 
  2022-01-03

  It finally happened

  We’re two months short of the two year anniversary of the Covid outbreak here in the US. My family of four followed the rules, masked up, quarantined and my husband and I were vaccinated as soon as we were able. This holiday season we found ourselves living life as we had before Covid, we got too comfortable. Our children are small and we were still unsure if we wanted to get our six year old vaccinated. We went into public spaces unvaccinated, participated in all the family Christmas festivities and then we got sick. I thought it was a cold at first and then one day it dawned on me that my sense of smell and taste were gone. Then the guilt and shame set in. We got too comfortable, we lost sight of the fact that Covid is not gone. People are still dying. My husband and I are fine, it’s like a cold with the added adventure of not being able to taste anything. I worry for my kids though. I feel guilty that we didn’t get my oldest vaccinated. I hate to watch her fight this with only over the counter medication to help her. I feel for my three year old. I hope they don’t get worse. This was a rude awakening for us all, Covid is not gone.
• 2021-01-31

  My Second COVID Christmas

  My wife and I just had our second COVID Christmas, this time with my mom's side of the family. Because very few on that side can work remotely, almost everyone has had and survived COVID due to work exposures over the past six months. Until we're able to secure vaccines, I also expect at least some of us will have to endure a second round of illness. Having Christmas in January was a strange experience, much like Baseball in November from 2001. I'm glad we finally got to assemble for a few days, and I appreciated most everyone's responsibility with their conduct. My sister is a nurse and treats the pandemic with too little respect. Although she's potentially outside her immunization period, she still acts as though she's chock full of antibodies capable of defeating every new identified strain. AND, she waited until we'd all been together for a full day to reveal her boyfriend has had COVID symptoms for a few days but refuses to be tested. Beyond the drama and anxiety that inspired, I'm grateful to have seen my grandmother, and I'll be even more grateful to know that she doesn't develop signs or symptoms of illness in the coming days. The lesson I learned from this family function is that I can't trust those closest to me to candidly assess the risks those pose to the rest of us. They can't differentiate between their right to make their own health choices and my right to do the same. My understanding was that we had all been sufficiently careful for several weeks to ensure no one would bring COVID to the Christmas celebration, and I was wrong. My bad. I promise it won't happen again, and I won't attend another family function without being vaccinated first, at least not with my sister or a clear, deliberate, and sworn confirmation that everyone I see has been sufficiently cautious. This entire pandemic at this point for me is a balance between mental and physical health, and it turns out they can't both win.
• 
  2021-01-21

  Covid Christmas

  During Christmas we had a lot of family go to my one of my Grandmas house and we had Christmas Day there. A couple weeks later we found out that my Aunts brother was exposed to Covid. My parents got tested and they were negative, and so was my Aunt. The not so good thing is now, my other Aunt has been staying with my Grandma since then and makes us wear a mask when we visit our Grandma. That was my story.
• 
  2021-01-15

  Changes To My Annual Holidays

  My annual holidays consist of Eid al-Fitr, Christmas, and New Years. This is what happened in 2020. I think it's important to be able to document experiences from different walks of life. I don't know how many people would celebrate the first two in the same family, but they've been a big part of my life since I was born.
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  2020-12-25

  Celebrating Christmas Remotely

  I've written a small little recounting of how me and my extended family celebrated Christmas over the app 'house party' on our phones - in comparison with our previous Christmas celebrations it was incredibly small, short lived and felt hollow. In a sense, this feeling was reflected throughout my own household during the whole Christmas break.
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  2021-01-12

  Christmas in Cochrane, 2020

  This file contains both a photo and a text story to accompany it, it's mainly just my thoughts surrounding the holidays in the pandemic, firstly with what I did, what my previous Christmases were like, and my family's reasoning with staying home and abiding with quarantine restrictions in opposition to the many other examples of people breaking these restrictions for the sake of family. I think it's important mainly, because the pandmic has redefined, or put a new emphasis on familial love - do we love our family by choosing to stay home during a deadly pandemic? Or do we love them by breaking restrictions to visit them during said pandemic. Submitted for HST 580's first assignment at Arizona State University, Pandemic Prompt: Holiday's.
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  2020-12-25

  Christmas

  This picture of a mask is one I wore throughout the holiday season. I wore it seeing family, going in public, and going to establishments. While I have been wearing them throughout the pandemic I wore them a lot more during the holiday season. This made my christmas different because I had to distance and wear a mask the entire time around the people I’ve known the longest for the first time ever.
• 2021-01-07

  Covid 19 Christmas

  During Christmas time with corona it was hard and defiiently annoying, I couldn't see my exterior family I could only see my family that I live with, it was also hard to see my friends which I didn't get to see because of the state lockdown. But I tried to make the best of it as I could because there's nothing you can do to completely stop it, we just have to follow the instructed orders by the state and do the best we can to stay safe and not be irresponsible in this time.
• 2021-01-07

  Christmas

  Usually for Christmas, my family and I go on a trip out of country. For example in previous years we went to Japan, Spain, Korea, and Italy. This year we didn't wanna risk getting covid so we made the smart decision to stay home. We didn't really know what to do for a stay at home Christmas because we had never done one. On Christmas eve my mom made an amazing break then for dinner my brother had spent 3 hours making us chilli. The chilli was pretty good. The morning of Christmas quickly arrived. I wasn't expecting to get any gifts since there was nothing I wanted but to my surprise i got many. My brother and sister bought me a new PC! My brother said he was gonna help me build it. After that we had an amazing breakfast. In between we made hot coco then had dinner. To wrap the day up we watched a movie together. Christmas was good.
• 2020-12-25

  Christmas

  This year was pretty much the same as a normal Christmas. We had my grandparents over, opened presents under the tree, and had a big Christmas dinner. The only thing that didn't go as planned was my family from New York was supposed to come over, but they are at high risk with health problems.
• 2021-01-07

  My 2020 Christmas

  This Christmas in the year 2020 was not much different as I expected than other years. The only really change was that my grandparents couldn't come. For as long as I remember I have spent every christmas with my grandparents. Also, because of the pandemic, all restaurant seating is closed. My family and I usually go out to dinner every christmas eve. But this year, we had it at home, which was not really odd since we only started going out for dinner christmas eve a few years ago. Other than those changes, we still did everything the same, we decorated, made cookies, got christmas pajamas, and more. However, it did not feel like christmas. Even though everything we did was the same pretty much, it did not feel like christmas. Listening to christmas music did not even make me feel like it was christmas. To sum up, my 2020 christmas was still pretty much the same.
• 0021-01-06

  Christmas During Covid

  This year for Christmas, it felt the same. There was only a subtle difference between the holidays of last year and this year. On Christmas Eve, my dad and I went to Costco to buy necessities lacked at home. All of the shoppers needed to wear masks, which is different from previous years. However, the current guidelines have been initiated for many months already, so I have already adapted. Every Christmas morning, my little brother and I would wake up to find presents from "Santa" under the Christmas tree. This year, I received a crochet kit and polymer clay kit. I gave my mom a watercolor butterfly and heart hair clip; I gave my dad a Christmas-themed fortune teller. After the exchange of gifts, I spent the rest of the day playing and fiddling with my new gifts. Most of my Christmases, including this one, are the same.
• 2020-12-25

  covid holidays

  My brother, parents, dog and me always go to Ohio to spend Christmas and new years with our family. This year, it was different. First of all, we had to wear masks on the airport and plane, and the seats were spaced out. When we went Christmas shopping we had to follow Covid rules to stay safe. Also, we usually go to our family's church for a new years celebration, but we skipped this year and went to see another part of our family in Kentucky for new years, because it was not safe. Sadly, the holidays this year were different, but at lease we were staying safe and keeping other people safe.
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  2020-12-19

  Ain't No Party Like A Covid Party

  We host an annual holiday party that we call 'The Cookie Party' because we have a contest where we decorate cookies, judge them, and declare a winner. We also do paper puzzles, a live gameshow, and have lots of food. Because of the pandemic, we had to shift our plans for the 25th anniversary of the party. For food, we delivered goodie bags filled with treats and safety gear. On the day of the party, we all met up on Zoom - we judged cookies via pictures, we sent games over email and graded them live, and we did the gameshow using games that could be played over computer. It was a long three hours and we were tired, but everyone had a good time.
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  2020-12-07

  Dr. Henry extends gathering restrictions over the holidays

  Tweet: "British Columbia has banned family gatherings of any kind over Christmas right to January 8! Wow, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year indeed. Will be the worst suicide numbers ever. Why aren’t we allowed to get Covid tests to show we don’t have Covid to visit family?"
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  2020-11-26

  Social Holidays: Christmas How to tell family their Christmas gathering is too risky and you're not going

  This article provides tips on how to best celebrate Christmas holidays and encourages Canadians to stay home.
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  2020-12-07

  Santa's Naughty List Pandemic Season

  A friend shared this on her Facebook page. I wanted to share it, but this type of imagery is so polarizing that it's sometimes exhausting to get into a social media battle. I do think about unfriending people who don't think COVID is real and don't want to wear masts. The truth is, one only need to look at Australia to see that strong public health restrictions actually do stop/slow community spread. Anyway, if there were a Santa he'd say put your mask on and be jolly about it.
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  2020-11-15

  Christmas Photo 2020

  A year never to forget and the most unusual Christmas holiday experience, or lack thereof. To memorialize our 2020 holiday season, we illustrated the mask mandate in force wearing holiday attire for our Christmas picture.
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  2020-10-31

  Eagerness to Celebrate

  HIST30060. My first journey to the city after months of staying within 5km of my own home, you begin to take for granted the daily trips to university, the train and tram rides, and being around other people. I got to go to shops I haven't been to before and have discovered during lockdown as well as food that I have missed dearly and was a welcome change after so much monotony and repetition. These places were bouncing back after months of hardship and everyone seemed so keen to participate in society again. It's a first step towards normality, and I believe nothing speaks to that greater than seeing Christmas decorations on Halloween. It was October, and there was a giant Christmas tree in QV. Not many superficial things cause me to seethe, but it was over 50 days until Christmas. However, it's an annoying but nice way to demonstrate that there's a level of hope among everyone with the December holidays being a point in the future that everyone in Victoria holds dear. We hope that we will be able to travel interstate to visit friends and family for Christmas, that we can have gatherings at home around a BBQ celebrating Christmas and the holidays, but also the love we share for one another and the joy at being able to be together again. I believe this year will be the only one where I will not mind as much to see these decorations so early, as they demonstrate hope and a return to everything we know and love.