We’re on the last lap of 2020 and, boy, has it been crazy. In fact, crazy doesn’t even begin to describe what a horrific rollercoaster ride the year has been. Thankfully, we have one or two more good reasons to enjoy and have fun before the curtain falls on this year. Aside from New Year’s Eve, people around the globe are looking forward to Christmas. Sadly, not everyone can celebrate the holiday together with their loved ones. Thanks to technology, however, we can still get in touch with our families and friends. While you’re at it, spread some holiday cheers with some coronavirus-safe Christmas party ideas you can do.
Virtual Christmas Celebration
Skip the family reunions and office parties for now. It’s particularly risky for the old and sickly folks if they are exposed to the coronavirus. Everybody should just stay home and reconnect online. It’s a sad thought, yes. But wouldn’t it be worse if someone gets sick because you insisted on celebrating Christmas together?
Agree On A Theme
Themes make parties more fun. It also helps strengthen the bond among the group. Since you’ll be doing a virtual celebration this time around, make sure your theme is something that can be clearly seen on the screen.
The simplest perhaps is wearing something of the same color. Red and green are quite popular during this time though the motif is all up to you. Another cute virtual Christmas party idea is to have everyone wear an ugly Christmas sweater. U Look Ugly Today has a nice collection of unisex Ugly Christmas Sweaters. Pictured here comes with the classic “Merry Christmas ya filthy animal” line from Home Alone.
How about dressing up as your favorite character from a Christmas-themed movie or TV show? You’ll definitely have a laugh seeing everyone on screen wearing those things. If you prefer something simple but not as boring as color-coordinated shirt, add some Christmas accessories.
The Fuzzy Flashing Reindeer Headband from Perpetual Kid will give your Christmas outfit a little more sparkle. The plush antler headband comes with 8 colorful LED lights with 3 different flash modes. Also from Perpetual Kid, the Jumbo Flashing Christmas Lights Necklace will also brighten up your virtual Christmas celebration. It has 9 over-sized Christmas bulb lights with 3 flash modes.
Prepare the Same Christmas Feast
Christmas dinner, aside from the opening of gifts, is one of the highlights of the holiday season. Families and friends gather around the table to enjoy a nice Christmas feast. It’s the perfect time to catch up with each other and just show how much you love each other. Sadly, not everyone can enjoy this scenario this year.
You can still have a semblance of a Christmas dinner with the whole family. All you need is to agree on a Christmas menu so everyone can prepare the same thing. Just be quick, though. Decide on what you’re making right now so everyone has time to buy or order the ingredients online.
One traditional Christmas recipe you can do is stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. In case you can’t find a turkey since it’s this case to Christmas Eve, you can substitute it with a nice slab of ham.
Be careful when you do your grocery shopping, though. Make sure you have your face mask on and that you keep enough distance from other people. When you have to touch something, disinfect with a hand sanitizer. And make it quick. The longer it takes for you to finish your shopping, the higher the risk of infection gets.
You can opt for your ham and other ingredients to be delivered straight to your home. That way, you have less risk of exposure. That’s the beauty of online shops. Just remember to disinfect your package once you get it. Wash your hands after handling it, too.
The American Kurobuta Whole Bone-In Ham from Snake River Farms looks delish! It certainly deserves a spot at the dinner table. Here’s a brilliant idea. Have one whole ham delivered to each of your loved ones. This will help make sure you enjoy the same Christmas feast. It’ll also make for a great Christmas present.
Listen to the Same Music
Music apps such as Spotify allow you to make your own playlists. Create one and have everyone play it at their respective homes. You get to groove to the same beat, so to speak, even if you’re miles away from each other.
It’ll be also fun to sing along to the songs at the same time. You can do a virtual caroling with everyone joining in. Feel like dancing? Add some of your favorite danceable Christmas tunes in that list. Let the kids sing Christmas carols or dance numbers for everyone to watch. The adults watching can then send lotsa love and some money through online means.
Have Your Gifts Delivered
Online shopping is at a high these days because of the pandemic. Since most people are stuck at home, they depend on online stores and couriers to get the things they need from food to clothes to gadgets.
You can also do a Secret Santa. Elfster is a gift exchange website, which lets you, well, exchange gifts with other people without physically handing them. Obviously, it’s a great way to share your blessings and celebrate Christmas safely.
Read Christmas Stories
Remember the old days when your parents read you Christmas stories until you fell asleep? No? Your parents probably didn’t love you that much. Kidding! Seriously, though, wouldn’t it be a nice nightcap to have the grandparents read a book to your kids?
This is possible if you have a tablet and the old folks have their own device and internet service, too. Of course, they’ll need a book to read. If your children love fairies, you should check out The Fairy Merry Christmas by Teelie Turner. It’s downloadable so everyone can get a copy. While you’re at it, get The Fairy Merry Christmas: Paper Doll Activity Book, too. After reading the book, your kids can play with the paper dolls.
Keep It In the Family
Simply put, the safest way to celebrate Christmas is to do it at home with those you live with. You can still have a fun Christmas at home even without guests. Besides, you’re probably with the most important people in your life so you should be fine.
Prepare A Nice Christmas Dinner
Even with a pandemic hovering over our lives, you should still celebrate Christmas as you normally would. And by that we mean you should still gather with the family over a nice Christmas dinner while exchanging smiles and gifts.
Watch A Movie
Most families spend a few hours watching a Christmas-themed film. The aforementioned Home Alone film series is a favorite. Check out what’s available on Netflix and other streaming sites. Make sure you get suggestions from everyone so you can all enjoy some movie time.
Play Games
Christmas is family time. What better way to spend these moments than with a fun game. Some games popular with families that come to mind are Scrabble, Pictionary, Monopoly, Uno and Jenga. Whip out the family favorite and play a few rounds.
Since you’re stuck at home, you should make the most of every inch of space. Get the kids giddy with excitement by having a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt.
Lucky for you there’s an actual game called Christmas Scavenger Hunt. The game comes with 220 cards with holiday-themed items that players have to find. The Indoor Christmas Scavenger Hunt deck requires you to look for “treasures” that can be found in your home. The outdoor deck lets you explore the neighborhood to look for holiday-themed items such as “Santa Claus on a rooftop.” That’s not really a good idea right now, though. Nonetheless, the scavenger hunt game is a fun and safe Christmas party idea.
How about a Christmas version of the Easter Egg Hunt? Instead of eggs, hide your gifts, especially the ones you’d normally put inside their Christmas stockings. The children will have so much fun turning the house inside out just to find their presents. If you live in a homestead or have a large enough yard, you can take the scavenger hunt outside. Just make sure no one leaves the property so they’ll stay safe.
If you’re worried about the mess a Christmas Gift Hunt will leave, perhaps some good ol’ fashioned games will do. Make things a little (pun intended) more fun by playing the World’s Smallest Pictionary or the Official World’s Smallest Uno Card Game, both from Super Impulse and available at Perpetual Kid.
Small Christmas Get-Togethers
We’ll go ahead and add this here since many of you are probably seriously contemplating going out to physically attend or host a Christmas party. This is not the wisest thing to do.
However, some of you may feel the need to go out and see other people even for a moment. That’s quite understandable since the pandemic and being quarantined can take its toll on our mental well-being. If that is the case, you still need to take extra precautions before hosting or going to a Christmas party.
If you’re asymptomatic or have had contact with someone with the virus on your way to the party, you’ll be exposing everyone else. On the other hand, if one of the other guests has it, you risk getting infected. The risk gets even higher if the party is held in a confined area.
As for the length of time being exposed to a carrier, the 15-minute rule seems to be obsolete. It was earlier believed that infection is more probable in 15 minutes of exposure to be infected. However, more recent reports determined it takes less than 15 minutes to be infected with the coronavirus, especially if there’s very close contact involved.
Again, we reiterate that it’s not advisable to be in close contact with people other than the ones you are living with. Besides, there are other coronavirus-safe Christmas party ideas you can consider.
Before deciding on attending a Christmas party, there a few things you need to consider first. First, find out the infection rate in the area where the party will be held. If the rate is too high, you should politely turn down the invitation. The same goes if you’re planning to host a party. Don’t push through if the infection rate in your area is high. If there are high risk members of the family, scratch your Christmas party plans.
If you’re hosting, limit your guests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) insists that there should be at least 6 feet of space between each individual. With that in mind, determine how many people can be allowed on your property.
Avoid holding your party indoors where ventilation is poor. Use your yard. If you don’t have one, don’t even think about having people over. Set up your place in a way that your guests will practice physical distancing. The chairs, for example should be arranged at least 6 feet apart. Also, no hugging or kissing.
Make sure your guests understand that they need to practice the safety precautions as suggested by experts. Aside from keeping a safe distance, they should always wear their face masks and disinfect their hands.
You’re expected to follow these safety precautions if you’re the guest. That’s just the respectful thing to do. So don’t forget to bring your masks and hand sanitizers if you’re going. Ideally, you should wear an N95 mask. It works best in preventing the spread of coronavirus. However, frontliners need them more so you can settle with a surgical mask or a cloth face mask and a face shield. The Pirate Pirates Will Be Pirates Mask and It’s a Pirate Thing! Mask by tjpirate1 are available at RedBubble. They have two other pirate-themed designs. If you get all four face masks, you get a generous discount.
Prepare disinfecting stations where they can clean their hands, especially before eating. During dinner, you can’t wear your masks. Just make sure everybody keeps their distance from each other. Use disposable plates and utensils and ask your guests to throw them in the garbage bags you have prepared for the occasion when they’re done. Also, no sharing of food. Only eat what’s on your plate.
Hopefully, the coronavirus-safe Christmas party ideas we have listed here would help keep your holiday spirit high. Of course, we also want you to prioritize safety. Speaking of, check out Gentleman Pirate Club to learn more about staying safe in the face of a pandemic and other disasters.
