Christmas is a lovely time of year. With the snow on the ground and joy in the air, the Christmas spirit is all around. However, there are some new risks so consider this year, leaving many unanswered questions. How is it going to be different from the previous Christmases? What precautions should be taken with COVID? This year has been chaotic, to say the least. The last thing people should have to worry about during the holidays is a COVID case, so what should one do to lessen the risk of putting that worry onto someone else’s plate?

There are many things to do to prevent COVID, among them being the use of a mask, avoiding gathering in large groups, staying inside and ordering gifts instead of going out to buy them. Though it is the Christmas season and gathering in large groups and shopping is essentially a tradition, there are many safer ways to enjoy the holidays this year. Otherwise, the impact Christmas will have on COVID cases is going to shut things down for next year.

Busy streets and sidewalks are a typical Christmas scene, but this has not been a typical year, and it should not be treated like one. COVID cases are going to spike up no matter what, but there are ways to slow down the spread. Not everyone is going to be considerate of their family members, their neighbors or their friends, but that does not mean everyone has to be inconsiderate. COVID is a nasty virus. People should know the effects the virus has and should start taking it seriously. 

Just walking by another person is all it takes to spread the virus, so wear a mask. It is as simple as that. By protecting oneself sooner rather than later, the chance for a vaccine to be more effective will increase. After summer holidays like the Fourth of July, COVID cases spiked, and it has been proven that the colder weather makes it easier for the virus to spread. In other words, if it spiked during the summer holidays, chances are it is going to spike two times worse during the winter holidays. People need to recognize the importance of taking proper precautions.

Overall, the simplest answer here is to wear a mask, but that is not the only precaution one could take. Do not go out for Christmas if children can not go to school because of COVID. Going out to Christmas shop is extremely unnecessary when there are so many different options. This is the age of technology, so use technology to order food, groceries or gifts instead of shopping in-person for them. There are many gray areas when it comes to COVID, like how self-isolation is supposed to work, how social distancing works or how being six feet apart with the mask off is only okay for 15 minutes, which was not known to most school systems until after Thanksgiving. The surest way to ensure safety is to wear a mask and stay six feet apart.

This year, with everything that has happened, a virtual Christmas is seeming like a better option than going face to face or just having Christmas with immediate family members. It is the safest option, and it could be just as fun as having a face-to-face Christmas. There are online trivia games to play with the family, there are video calls and there is even a way to send gifts to family without seeing them in person. Of course, not everyone is going to want to video call or do things virtually, but they also are putting themselves and everyone around them at risk. There are many options to have a safe Christmas, so why make it dangerous?