The holiday season is a time for families to gather and enjoy holiday traditions, some passed down through many generations. However, due to the pandemic, many families are finding creative ways to keep the holiday magic alive, despite the physical distance.

Here are a few ideas from some local families on how they are choosing to connect with family this holiday season:

“Traditionally we have large holiday gatherings, but this year we plan to cook a small meal at home and host a family Zoom meeting so we can see everyone. After our Thanksgiving meal, instead of the usual family shenanigans involving board games and football, we are going to decorate for Christmas. It will be a great way to spend time together and get in the Christmas spirit.” — Laura Shone

“My girls usually play board games with their aunt and uncle after Thanksgiving dinner. This year we are planning to FaceTime them and play a board game we both own. This will allow us to move each other’s pieces while we play. We’ve also planned some family movie watch parties. Depending on the weather, we hope to do an outdoor Christmas Eve with the grandparents. In anticipation of getting back to normal life, we have been making bucket lists of the people we will hug, the celebrations we will have, and the trips we will take.” — Amy Maupin-Eisenback

“It’s back to basics for us. We are cooking old family recipes, making presents for each other, and decorating our own wrap for gifts. We also plan to make several crafts, felt ornaments for a felt tree, candy cane planters, pine cone trees, pine cone wreaths, and of course lots of gingerbread houses and cookies. I want to save this stuff for the kids so they can tell their kids about the strange year we reverted back to the basics.” (Learn how to make a pie crust). — Sarah Adair

“We recently purchased an outdoor movie projector and love to watch movies on the garage. For the holidays, we will watch some of our holiday favorites on the big screen.” — Greg Horlander

P.S. For those limiting their holiday gatherings, learn how to use technology to communicate with older family members. 

If you’re a caregiver whose loved one needs more help, find ideas at TodaysTransitionsNow.com.