15 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in 2020

In this the strangest of years, how do we celebrate the holidays? Between social distancing, quarantines, and the general sad Charlie Brown vibe of the whole season, getting together to celebrate as in years past ranges from impossible to impossibly depressing. Some folks are just skipping out altogether. For those of us looking for some reason to smile or even, gasp, experience joy, what to do when the old standbys can’t happen?

In my social circles, the topic of traditions has popped up frequently. Traditions that can’t happen because of restrictions. Traditions that have to change. It really throws a kink into enjoying the holiday season when you can’t follow through on traditions.

I know in my family we’ve been through tremendous change in the last couple years, so our holidays look and feel a whole lot different. In many ways, this is great! I’m thankful to have a family I enjoy spending time with. In other ways, it’s a little weird. Change is always a little weird.

So many of us are going through change right now. It can make us feel bummed out or even angry. What are the holidays without the traditions, right?

In the spirit of rolling with it, this year definitely calls for making new traditions. Sometimes, we need to mix it up. Whether it’s by circumstance or just a need for something new, bringing a new tradition into your holiday celebration can be a lot of fun.

But what should you do? One of the perks of long-standing traditions is that you don’t have to put a whole lot of thought into planning your celebrations. You know Grandpa will slice the ham, everyone will gather to watch Christmas Vacation, and Aunt Sally will bake too many sugar cookies.

When starting new traditions, you just need a little creativity and to lean into the newness. It will probably feel weird the first year or two. You just have to get past what you’re not doing and enjoy what you are doing. A little bit of gratitude can go a long way, so be thankful to have the opportunity to try something new with your loved ones this year.

A friend of mine was looking for suggestions from our group for her and her husband to spend Christmas Day by themselves for the first time. Feeling a little less than Christmas-y, she asked for ideas that didn’t necessarily revolve around Santa, gifts, or snow (they live in Texas). The list includes non-religious, non-Christmas specific ideas as well as more holiday-leaning fun, so no matter what you’re celebrating this December, you’re sure to have a good time.

Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash

15 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays… or Making It Through 2020

1. Bake a fancy dessert or a bunch of different cookies. Have fun decorating!
2. Get Chinese takeout, a tried and true Christmas tradition for many non-Christian families.
3. Hate-watch some Hallmark Christmas movies and turn it into a drinking game. A good one is here.
4. Cook a new recipe, something you didn’t eat growing up. Try my Roast Curried Butternut Squash Soup recipe.
5. Play board games. If it’s just you and a roommate, Mastermind is a classic two-player I grew up playing with my brother.
6. Make cocktails, the fancier and more ridiculous the better because you’ll have fun making them as well as drinking them.
7. Do a movie marathon like a series (I recommend the original Star Wars trilogy) or a theme (like Mel Brooks movies or British murder mysteries).
8. Do a TV special marathon with all the old holiday specials. ’90s sitcoms have some of the best. Even kids’ shows can be a lot of fun (especially if you’ve been making those cocktails!).
9. Donate your time to a good cause like a soup kitchen or similar charity. If you can safely volunteer in your area, there is nothing quite like giving back to make you feel the holiday spirit.
10. Have a PJs day like a snow day when you were a kid. Make hot cocoa with marshmallows, watch cartoons, play video games, eat PB&Js and Goldfish crackers, or whatever kept you busy on a snow day!
11. Find a drive-thru lights festival. Many cities and even some subdivisions put on annual displays of holiday lights. Pick a favorite Christmas playlist or tune into the local radio station for a coordinated soundtrack!
12. Treat you and your partner to a special date night. Make a nice dinner. Light some candles. Put on smooth jazz. Drink good wine. Maybe do something extra special in the boudoir… lots of room to explore there. Have fun ;)
13. Take a midday drive around your city. Christmas Day is so quiet and dead that it’s almost like being in the Twilight Zone. Which means no lines at the Middle Eastern or Chinese restaurants that are the only places open. I once spent a Christmas in Denver like this and finished with a breathtaking hike.
14. Do a Bob Ross painting day. Pick one of his episodes on YouTube and listen to the first few minutes. He’ll tell you what supplies you’ll need. Then set up a lil art studio with newspaper to catch the mess. Follow along as he paints and have fun. I did this with friends once and the paintings actually turned out pretty well!
15. Find 3 or 4 albums you’ve never listened to and listen to all of them straight through. New music can be really fun and exciting, especially if it’s outside your normal listening habits. I recommend Harry Styles’ Fine Line and Tessa Violet’s Bad Ideas for non-holiday music and Harry Connick Jr.’s When My Heart Finds Christmas and Ana Gasteyer’s Sugar & Booze for some Yuletide vibes.

No matter how you choose to celebrate (or not), I hope you and yours have a safe, happy holiday season. See you in the new year!

Find more from me at skylorjandrews.com or follow me on social @SkylorJAndrews. Look out for new content for writers, masculine-of-center folks, and more in 2021.