Sunny Hills students have had to adjust to how they celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones amid the COVID-19 crisis, and now they must do so again this month during winter break.
“Usually around Christmas time, my whole family gets together, and I’m pretty sure we’re not going to do that this year so I’m really going to miss it,” sophomore Rebecca Tualla said. “But I’d rather be safe than sorry. I don’t want to endanger other people, and it would just contribute more to the pandemic.”
That leaves Tualla with only one other option, which is what many have been doing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March: drive-through or drop-off visits.
“I plan on delivering their gifts to their front door since it seems the safest,” she said. “It might suck not being able to hug them when I see them, but it’s the safest thing to do.”
According to a Nov. 16 CNBC online article, more holiday shoppers are looking for personalized gifts during the COVID-19 crisis than in the past.
“A lot of times, the holidays can just be about excess,” Signet jewelry CEO Gina Drosos said in the article. “This year is more about consideration, thoughtfulness and really asking yourself why you’re making this purchase and who are you supporting.”
But for many students, they plan to shop for something more practical.
“I would get my friends something they could wear like clothes or accessories,” senior Shawn Grays said. “But for myself, I really want a PS5.”
Designer safety masks or scented sanitizer bottles may be a bit too practical of a gift.
“I wouldn’t get my friends masks or hand sanitizer because they already have a lot,” freshman Yubin Kwak said.
Many students in particular are realizing they no longer can organize Secret Santa gift exchanges with their friends; nor can they exchange holiday treats like candy canes or chocolates.
“I’ve done Secret Santa in the past at the church I go to,” junior Joshua Jung said. “But this year, I’ll probably wear a glove or sanitize the gift and put it in a Ziploc bag so my friends know my gift is safe.”
Junior Ellen Kim plans to continue what she and her friends have been doing since the lockdown to stay connected with each other.
“Sometimes, my friends and I have a game night, and we’ll play Skribbl.io or Among Us,” Kim said. “So we’ll probably do that more over winter break.”
The coronavirus pandemic will especially disrupt travel plans for students and their families.
“I’m going to miss going to [South] Korea because my family lives there,” said Jung, who moved to America three years ago.
This story originally appeared in the Dec. 14 print issue, which can be read here.
