Wow, this year has been crazy! We’re all wearing masks now and learning from home. For a lot of us, that means we don’t get to see our friends and family as much as we used to. And now it’s almost Christmas, and then the New Year! 

A lot of our favorite traditions have been canceled or rescheduled. Maybe this year you didn’t get to see Santa. Or your family Thanksgiving was just a video call. This year has been different in a lot of ways. It can be scary when things change. But there’s still plenty that we can do to make the holidays special this year in the midst of a crisis.

Let’s look at some ways to have fun this Christmas!

Family Matters

Okay, so you can’t gather with your uncles and aunts and second or third cousins, but that doesn’t mean your Christmas will be blue. You can still talk to your family in a bunch of different ways. You can write letters or emails, send a Christmas card, or chat with family over Zoom. Having family around during the holidays is really about telling people that you love them. You can do that in a lot of ways!

Even though extended family might not visit this year, you still have the people you live with. Sometimes our parents or our siblings can be annoying. You might think that this year has forced you to spend way more time with them than you want. But 2020 has also forced us to appreciate our families a little bit more. 

The first step to making your Christmas special is to make sure your family knows that you love them, and to enjoy knowing that they love you too.

Learn Something New

Why do we put trees in our houses for Christmas? That’s pretty weird. And why is Christmas in December? What are those carolers singing about? And what on Earth is “Yule”?

We ask questions so we can grow and learn new things. It might seem like the more answers you get, the more questions you have. And sometimes your parents and teachers might not even know the answer! 

Ask a question this year and see what you can learn. There are so many cool new things out there just waiting to be discovered. When you learn something new, like when the Christmas Star was last seen, you can share it with your family and friends. That’s a good way to make your Christmas special.

Celebrate

Last but not least, celebrate! It’s Christmas! There are lots of traditions you can still do, like watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or reading the Night Before Christmas. Drink some hot cocoa and eat a cookie. And don’t worry! No matter how tired you are with this topsy-turvy year, Christmas will still arrive.

Maybe make some new traditions too. Learn to cook a new dish. Donate canned goods to a local charity. Maybe play a family game or draw your name on a piece of paper to let Santa know where to put your presents Christmas Eve. 

Learn about your family’s history and holidays. A celebration isn’t just fun for you today, it’s a way to connect to everyone else who came before you.

Final Thoughts

Christmas this year isn’t going to be like last year, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be just as special. Just because something is different doesn’t mean it’s bad. Most of the time it means there is something new to learn, and something to celebrate!

So, you don’t have to pout or cry. Christmas is special because you spend it telling the people you love that you love them. One last thing: did you know that after December 21st, the days start getting longer again? No matter how strange this year has been, you can still count on the New Year: a new year for a new You!