Holidays in the Time of Covid-19

Wow, here we are….the end of 2020. Finally. Do I really need to recap the happenings of this year? Yeah, no. I will skip that.

We just wrapped Thanksgiving and are full steam ahead towards Christmas. In a very festive turn of events, our city is seeing record Covid-19 numbers, with over 600 people hospitalized in the OKC metro area. Our hospitals are busting at the seams. I don’t work in direct patient care, but I do work for a large health system, and I see the stress on the faces of our physicians, providers and administrators daily. It’s alarming and it is gut-wrenching.

The ask of people by the CDC for Thanksgiving was to stay home, but if you didn’t stay home - take precautions. Wear your masks. Stay 6 feet apart. Don’t gather in large groups. You know the drill.

The amount of people I saw on social media totally disregarding these requests was scary. People gathered in large family photos, holding huge Friendsgiving events, large church events. I myself struggled with the decision, and I understand the need, the want, to gather with people this year. There would have been a total of 9 people at our Thanksgiving gathering and while I missed my people, I knew that I was doing my part — my very best—to keep this virus at bay and keep my people safe. People say, “Well, we haven’t been exposed. No one is sick.” Well, that may be the case. But this virus is weird and it is still mysterious in a lot of ways, and some people walk around completely asymptomatic—spreading it to others unknowingly. And to me, that is scary. To risk my son’s health or my husband’s health for some turkey and stuffing just didn’t seem worth it.

As Christmas gets closer, we are once again grappling with plans —what do we do? Can we safely celebrate as a group? Is it feasible to maintain a 6ft distance from family members? What about going through the food line? What if family members don’t want to abide by safety guidelines? Many people refuse to “let the government tell them how to celebrate”, but this is not about government. This is about the health workers I see everyday and the limited resources we have in Oklahoma to take care of people. This is about my son, your kids, our grandparents, our parents, our friends. This is about the general care and kindness you can show by just doing your part - planning ahead, taking all precautions, staying home if you can —because honestly, staying safe and slowing the spread is the best Christmas gift you can give or receive this year.

What does your family plan to do to stay safe this year?