2020 will, in doubt, be the one year that people around the world will remember as the year when ‘normal’ life changed into a daily question mark about what the future will hold. Abnormal became the ‘new normal’ and life as we once knew it turned into disbelief, heartbreak, physical pain, regret, and the need for leadership with its heart in the right place.

The world read and exploited the coronavirus template’s guidelines the same way, with the same outcome. The ill-informed excuse “this came out of nowhere!” was null and void from the start. Lockdowns followed by “reopening of countries” in Italy, the US, Belgium, France, the UK, Germany, etc. allowed children to go back to school, and by doing so, played with their future, as well as that of the community they were living.

About that future…

Pandemics don’t care about family reunions.

And travelling.

Travelling during the holidays scares the living daylights out of my family and me because airports, airplanes, baggage handling, and public transport don’t sound like the most hygienic places these days. Equally, having to quarantine in a hotel two weeks upon arrival and two weeks after my return to Ireland is impossible.

So, there is nothing wrong with being heartbroken because you can’t spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with your family, but by staying away, you show them how much you love them. You don’t want to risk their wellbeing because you want to have them around for a good while longer. Plus, we will get creative using technology to do at least something, like eating a yule log ice cream bar and get Skyping, Zooming etc!

It is not an easy choice to make, nor to talk about it but the sooner you accept that this year will be different, the more time you have to plan a different kind of Christmas. If you’re like me and you draw a lot of inspiration from the outside world, it makes me feel stronger knowing that I will not the only one spending Christmas by myself. Whether you’re in Australia, Asia, somewhere in Europe, the Americas, or Africa, we will be going through the same thing. Let this be a strength that will make you say, “In 2020, I survived possible COVID-19 attacks, and I got through Christmas in one piece, so bring it on, 2021, let it be a celebration when medical research finds a vaccine that works for everyone!”

The reason to believe the novel coronavirus’s own path and intelligence:

Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says his kids aren’t coming home for Thanksgiving as Americans ‘sacrifice’ holiday gatherings to stay safe from coronavirus:

“My Thanksgiving is going to look very different this year,” he said in an interview with CBS News. “I would love to have it with my children, but my children are in three separate states throughout the country and in order for them to get here, they would all have to go to an airport, get on a plane and travel with public transportation.”

Expert, Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy:

“We have far too many examples where adult children with grandchildren came home for events over the course of the recent months when seven or eight days later, it’s clear there’s been SARS-CoV-2 transmission. And unfortunately, these events far too often end up with one of the people more at risk for severe disease dying. Grandma, mom or dad, aunts or uncles.”

“It’s happened with weddings. It’s happened with funerals. It’s happened with family reunions. And the holiday season is probably going to be the height of it, because it’s a tradition that almost sacred”

If you need help with telling your family, friends and other loved ones that you will not be there for Christmas, these are excellent articles to help you out:

How to Make Socially Distanced Holidays Actually Feel Special, Vice

If You Love Your Family, Cancel This Year’s Holiday Gathering, Vice

Covid means Thanksgiving and Christmas will be a bummer. Don’t make it worse by urging joy, NBC

How to Tell Your Family You’re Not Coming Home for the Holidays, Vice

As holidays near, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, putting families in a quandary about celebrations and travel, Washington Post

How to Talk to Friends and Family About Attending Holiday Gatherings During Coronavirus, The Active Times

What We Know About the Holiday Blues, Psychology Today

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