For many people, the holidays signal chances to have special time with family members and friends. But what can we do when we’re restricted by the pandemic from gathering together for Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanza?
“Although physical distancing is required for our health and safety, that does not mean we have to be socially removed from those we care about,” says Virginia Tech’s Rosemary Blieszner, Senior Fellow in the Virginia Tech’s Center for Gerontology. “Keeping in touch with loved ones is important for our mental health and happiness.”
Blieszner says that showing affection and feeling that someone cares about you is essential for physical health as well. Research shows that people who are socially involved have a reduced risk of illness and a greater likelihood of living longer.
Blieszner has some ideas for kindling that warm, close feeling during the holidays and all year round, pandemic or not.
Video calls or phone calls with family and friends for catching up, storytelling, poetry reading, drumming, or singing. Have those on the call each give a reason they feel grateful or tell what they remember and appreciate about their ancestors.
Quick emails or text messages to let someone special know you are thinking of them.
Make and mail a simple card with a holiday greeting.
Start a round-robin newsy letter, recipe exchange or photo album. Invite family or friends to add their part and pass it on through the mail.
Using email, each person adds a line to a poem that someone starts, builds a story paragraph by paragraph or draws a new panel in a collective cartoon. Then send it on to the next person on the list.
Hold porch or driveway catch-up conversations.
Try old-fashioned Christmas caroling – on the front sidewalk, at the end of the apartment building hallway or on a video call.
Let local family and friends know that you’ll be doing drive-by greetings on a certain day and time so they can come outside. Give them a wave as you pass by.
Visit with someone special through the window or storm door.
Find an on-line travelogue, museum tour or inspiring musical piece. Encourage others to watch or listen, then talk about it on the phone or on a video call.
Create a virtual book club. Invite family or friends to read the same good book with you, then talk about it on the phone or on a video call.
Rosemary Blieszner is Alumni Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and Senior Fellow in the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech. She has taught courses in adulthood and aging and conducts research on families, friends, caregiving, and resilience. She is co-chairing the Steering Committee for the university’s 150th anniversary in 2022.