It was a nice Christmas…albeit far less Merry than normal
We had a nice Christmas despite the shelter-in-place order for all of California. The mandate came on the 23rd with hospitals filling up and doctors rationing care. Their plea to stay home, minimize contact, and to save lives was motivating enough for us to skip the normal merriment that accompanies this holiday.
We decided to forego the tree, nearly all the decorations (because it required us to go to storage), and a lot of the big gifts we would normally purchase and went very, very small. In fact, the decorations were just the hand-knitted Christmas stockings her Mom made for us (which she generously dropped off a few days before).
We did celebrate Christmas Eve with a dinner of caviar and vodka and opening a single, fun, gift. I got a spaghetti monster pasta strainer and I gifted some super-comfy PJ’s and socks to Kristina.
Though, I will say, waking up on the 25th was a bit more somber than usual.
The shelter-in-place order meant we weren’t able to see any friends or family, even our own “covid-pod” for the holiday. The overflowing hospitals were that bad.
So, we met with her brother virtually and played some BoardGameArena (“Age of Wonders” and “Innovation”) and later in the afternoon, did a Disney+ GroupWatch of the final episode of Mandalorian, Season 2.
[ BTW, the final episode is probably one of the best episodes in Star Wars live-action history. If you still possess any fandom for Star Wars, watch this series all the way through…it won’t disappoint. It brings so much of what made the original so heroic and magical back to the genre. ]
While the Disney+ GroupWatch function was interesting, it really didn’t work unless you were all on headphones or were muted (and not watching it together on a Zoom/Hangouts).
There were some sync issues throughout (about 4 times over the 50 minute episode), but not enough to actually be frustrating. It wasn’t like Netflix or Amazon where that occurrence would usually just get worse and stop entirely; instead, Disney+ self-corrected and was mostly trouble-free.
At the end of the night, I looked at the condo and did miss the colorful lights and festive decorations. I realized I didn’t actually need a tree…but I did miss the colorful decorations and driving down to Christmas Row to see all the amazing houses with their own extravagant lights and decorations.
More than that; however, I missed the collective merriment that comes with celebrating Christmas as a community of friends, family, and co-workers.
Instead, there was both the ominous foreboding of an outbreak being caused by group gatherings and the shame that came from admitting you were violating the quarantine to see your loved ones.
But that is the world a certain demographic want for us. A life or death struggle where everyone has to fight for survival with the strong being crowned the winners and the dead being called “losers” by the President of the U.S.
The human race has obviously been through this many times before. Yet, here we are again with one large swath of our country rooting for “survival of the fittest” and the other vying for the collective good and equality for all.
Maybe we’re deluded and delusional to think that we can all co-exist on equal terms?
But that’s not the Christmas spirit I grew up with. That’s not the message I heard from from my grandparents, who were much wiser than me.
My mom and Grandmother taught me that Christmas was about love, sharing, and giving. It was about bringing people together no matter what had previously occurred.
And maybe I’ve stifled my optimism too much these days…but there is a part of me that still hopes we can get back there. I truly believed that under President Obama and I believe we can get back there again.
From here, we have to do better.
Not just as individuals, but as social creatures.
If anything, for me, Covid has really brought home the importance of tribe, community, and family. We must do better at protecting the values that make it possible for us to have and share these special events.
Maybe next year, at this time, we’ll be rejoicing as we turn a new corner in American history. The holidays will be bright, the fireplaces lit, and the families joyful as they gather together to celebrate their mutual love, happiness, and good-tidings of peace and prosperity.
To me, that’s what Christmas is all about.
