HOW TO (CONSCIOUSLY) CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS DURING A PANDEMIC

While the government plays "witch commands colors" and we, since last March, continue to understand less than zero, it is now clear to everyone that this Christmas will be profoundly different from the previous ones. Not necessarily worse, certainly different and under the banner of collective responsibility. To avoid falling into total despair and transforming ourselves into many and demoralized Grinches with masks, it is perhaps the case to develop a small guide or survival manual, which will say if you wish, to face a "pandemic" Christmas without losing the festive spirit Here is ours for you: Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Go-go decorations!

Christmas in "quarantine"? Don't panic! First rule to face all this head on: let's not lose the Christmas spirit! But how to do it? Simple: go-go decorations! Super instagrammable LED lights, candles lit throughout the house (being careful not to spend the holidays with the firefighters!), Snowballs containing Santa Claus with his 9 faithful reindeer and many other decorations that make you feel the warmth of the parties, despite everything. In short, there must be no differences between your home and Santa Claus village in Lapland!

Christmas menu = the panacea for all ills

What is that thing that, more than all the others, helps us keep our spirits high? Food, of course! Indulge yourself in your favorite recipes, recover traditions, try your hand at grandma's elaborate and succulent dishes for the first time, remove the word "diet" from your head for a few days, helping yourself with glasses of that wine that has been preserved for years for special occasions and tasty aperitifs that, alone, will be enough to satisfy you even before starting.

Support local businesses!

And if you are experiencing landslides in the kitchen and, in addition to Christmas celebrations as traditionally understood, you do not want to see your menu burn, rely on expert professionals who will be able to create an ad hoc banquet. Patisseries, delicatessens, restaurants, there are many local realities that you can turn to in order not to remain on an empty stomach. In addition, by doing so, you will help small businesses to cope with the unstoppable economic crisis generated by the pandemic!

P.S. What do you think about ordering some extra artisan panettone and having it delivered by your (unfortunately) non-cohabiting loved ones?

Video call me!

In the digital age, distances are shortened to the point (almost) of canceling out. Will you celebrate Christmas away from relatives and friends? Make an appointment on Skype or Zoom and you will have the feeling of being seated all at the same table. Cheer across the screen, open live presents, challenge yourself to an online monopoly match and show off your most embarrassing and fun Christmas sweaters! And, if at some point, you just want to get away from it, all you have to do is turn everything off and pretend the connection is down!

No chores No Christmas

What is Christmas without its traditional strictly handmade crafts? Arm yourself with waste products, hot glue and scissors with rounded tips and, together with your children, indulge yourself in handcrafted creations with which to decorate your home on holidays! The jobs can be an optimal solution to spend quality time with the family and, why not ?, creative and low-cost gifts for our loved ones!

With board games, time flies!

Christmas is: lights, gifts, panettone (vs. pandoro) and… board games. Whether it is bingo, boxed games, Neapolitan cards or a chess set, little changes, this type of playful activity now has a permanent place in what is the DNA of the Christmas holidays. And it doesn't matter if you will be few this year, challenge your family-roommates in endless matches that will keep you busy until New Year's!

You see: fun and educational board games for children

If you are completely alone ...

Sure, spending Christmas alone is not a pleasant thing (except for a few misanthropes), but we try to leave behind the depressing cliché of the person celebrating completely alone that years and years of heart-wrenching movies have given us as a legacy. If you fall into this category, first try to rationalize the situation. It is a week, after which everything will return to normal and the Christmas performance anxiety will have completely disappeared. Also, take the opportunity to celebrate with the person you (theoretically) should love more than anyone else: yourself. Dress up, pour yourself a glass of your favorite drink, order or cook your sinful dishes and enjoy them without anyone judging you or asking you to taste them, run a marathon of your favorite films (Christmas and otherwise) and, as previously suggested, if you feel alone, you can always call or video call distant friends and relatives. But most of all, enjoy your first Christmas without the intrusive - and, often, embarrassing - questions from third-degree uncles.

Let's stay human!

In the true Christmas spirit, let's not forget to think about those in need and try, each as we can, to do something to help. There are many needy families, especially now, given that the current situation is causing considerable damage to the Italian economy. If you know someone who struggles to get food to the table, don't look the other way, rather, try to think about how to lend a hand. For example, you could cook a few more portions of your Christmas menu and give it to those less fortunate. In addition, there are also anonymous alternatives to support those in a condition of economic hardship. One of all the suspended shopping, a solidarity initiative activated in many supermarkets for which it is possible to buy food in excess and let the insiders, at the end of the day, distribute them to those who need it most. In short, unity is strength, even at a distance!