Naughty and Nice ’20 No. 3: A COVID Christmas

1. Hosting a Christmas party

There have been plenty of Coronapalooza parties held over the year despite health experts explicitly warning against doing just this, because they very obviously lead to further spread of the disease. Several people dropped their guards during a time when cases were comparatively low throughout the year, and parties and gatherings helped put the country in the current bind where the spread is uncontrolled. It’s better to not be part of the problem and think you can get away with a Christmas party, even if you think you can keep everyone socially distant and masked.

2. Going shopping without a mask

Shopping out would be fine if everyone followed social distancing rules and guidelines and had some courtesy. It’s a pity we live in a very, very stupid time with plenty of very, very stupid people, so there are a lot of anti-maskers out there. There will be plenty of videos of people insisting on shopping without masks and providing conspiracy theories to justify it, if they don’t exist already. This will especially be the case in the United States, where some will claim it’s a First Amendment Right or some nonsense. Human beings are a wild species, and that’s putting it lightly.

3. Insisting on visiting your relatives

There will be relatives who insist on stopping by during the Christmas holiday to either drop off gifts, desire to see the family during what’s usually a festive time, or, goodness, insist on staying around for hours if not days, because that’s what’s supposed to happen during this time of the year. You just have to keep telling them “No, No, NO,” for fear of your and their safety. (I will not say if I’m speaking from a personal experience.) People travelling to spend time with family during Thanksgiving were responsible for many cases we’re seeing right now, and there could — or perhaps will — be another severe spread during this holiday because of people insisting on upholding traditions. They won’t read the advice in this post, so buckle up.

1. Shop from home

We are living within a pandemic, and cases are through the roof here in the United States. Why the hell would you go out to shop anywhere when you don’t have to? If you’re buying something for anyone you know and like or love (and you hopefully are), it’s much better to purchase them from the comfort and safety of your own home instead of risking potential infection by going to a store. That is, assuming your local stores are open with the new lockdowns brought on by the rise in cases. Even with restrictions, it’s still better to shop online. Just make sure you watch out for your packages when they arrive.

2. Turn the news off

COVID-19 cases have reached a new high in the United States, and the president of the United States and his party are trying to hijack democracy. Updates on events like this can put a damper on the mood, and make it tough to even get close to feeling the Christmas spirit. There are times when it’s better to just shut all this stuff off and engage in something that puts you in a better mood, like playing a video game or partaking in any other kind of hobby, or listening to Christmas songs. I still recommend reading or watching enough news to be informed, though.

3. Shop at indie businesses

If you do have to go shopping, do so at an independent business. The majority of big box stores will weather the storm of closures thanks to the pandemic; it is, instead, the indie stores that will struggle thanks to less people shopping in stores. This is a good time to give them business. But it’s best to do this when you don’t believe there won’t be many people there, something the store owners will make sure of if they want to prevent potential infections.

1. Having a large gathering or traveling

If you’re considering traveling or having a large get-together for the holidays with family or friends, DON’T. Stay your ass at home. Stay at home. Stay. At. Home. Good, now that we’ve established that, enjoy the holiday season.

Who are we kidding? You’re still going to have those holiday gatherings and Christmas parties, aren’t you?

Thanksgiving was a good indicator that people are unwilling to stay home for Christmas and other holiday celebrations. Be it a desire for normalcy, the urge to see family and friends again, loneliness, or a belief COVID-19 isn’t a big deal, people are not heeding safety recommendations. Fortunately, the CDC has updated their guidelines on how people should safely enjoy the holidays if they can’t resist the siren’s call of gathering with people outside of their immediate household.

When traveling or having a gathering try to keep the group small and take events outside, if possible. Make sure your guests adhere to social distancing guidelines. Try to keep your mask on when not eating. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Try to leave for your destination as soon as possible, so you can quarantine at least 10 days before the event as a precaution. If you’re expecting guests, try to have them do the same. This should be a no-brainer, but if you’re sick don’t go out.

2. Shopping madness

Black Friday always kicks off the start of various shopping sprees that continues right up until Christmas Eve in stores. For obvious, pandemic related reasons this isn’t a great idea. The more time you spend out in the community, especially in hot spots the greater your risk of picking up an infection. This risk is amplified in areas that don’t enforce masking and social distancing policies. The last thing you need is to be shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers that refuse to wear a mask, just to buy an item you could have bought online. This doesn’t apply to the PS5 or Xbox Series X or S as these consoles are extremely difficult to find online at MSRP. Your chances are virtually nil in person at stores– don’t even try until stock is plentiful in a few months.

For the love of everything sane, don’t wait to the last minute to do your Christmas shopping online. And if you have to go into stores, try to choose local stores that may be less crowded or go during non-peak hours. And have your older friends or family members take advantage of special senior citizen shopping hours.

1. A Small Christmas at Home

You’ve seen the skyrocketing COVID case numbers and the warnings that hospitals are nearly full or have a serious staff shortage. You’ve made the wise choice to stay home. Excellent. If you’re sticking to only household members no need to worry about social distancing or a mask. Small gatherings (five people or fewer) can carry some risk, but keeping them local is safer than traveling. All of the same guidelines I listed in the Naughty section still apply, sans the quarantine.

Zoom, Discord, or regular phone calls are a great way to hang out with friends and family virtually. It’s possible to play games together online and to even watch movies. You can directly livestream in Discord to friends and family in order to watch movies together. CyTube has been my go-to for months for easily sharing videos. In some cases it requires a server to upload video. Video links to YouTube and similar services can be directly shared through CyTube. Just give your server’s link to family/friends, hit play, and group watch a movie. Alternatively, gaming online works as well. If you’re going the console route just make sure your PS+, Xbox Live, and Nintendo Online subscriptions are active.

2. Think Ahead to 2021

2020 already started out as one hell of a bad year which was made worse by the pandemic. At this point, it might be worth putting all of your plans for the remainder of the year and early next on hold and just prepare to resume activities in mid-2021. The first vaccines targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus are here and the rollout is starting in various countries. It will take months for the vaccinations to be ready for the general population, but relief is coming. While spring and early summer plans might not be possible beyond local gatherings, there’s always late summer, fall, and holiday plans for next year. Start making your travel plans now including saving money, but have a backup plan just in case things go awry. Always check the fine print for cancellations and spend a bit extra on the travel insurance.

So here on the naughty side, I’ll talk about things you shouldn’t be doing this year, or even just things I wish you wouldn’t do, starting with:

1. Emergency Shopping Runs

During a time when we’re supposed to be hunkering down in our quarantine bunkers to hide from COVID-19, it makes very little sense to expose yourself more than absolutely necessary. As such, going out of your way to go shopping for just one item seems like too great a risk. Why not go without those baked beans for a day or two and add it to your weekly shopping list. …you have a weekly shopping list, right? It seems to me like you should be planning things a little bit better in order to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.

2. Planned and Unplanned Visits

Here in British Columbia, we’re currently under a social lockdown. That means we’re not supposed to be doing things like having parties or attending things like church and sporting events. This should, ideally, extend to family gatherings. Unfortunately, in order to stop the spread of COVID, we’re going to have to sacrifice our in person Christmas gatherings this year. Thing is, this isn’t the fault of the government, as many stupid people will try to claim. The responsibility for this falls squarely on those stupid people for disregarding the government’s recommendations thus far.

3. Cinema Trips

I get it, we want things to go back to normal, and businesses – especially ones that barely broke even during normal times like movie theatres – are hurting and would like to bring in customers like they used to. But for now, until the danger from COVID is passed, we can’t do everything we used to be able to, and that includes going out to the movies. It’s a small mercy that most of the films that would’ve been released this year that had the potential to sell out movie theatres were either postponed or have been announced to be coming to streaming services, but there were still plenty of films that were released to theatres.

Despite that even movie theatres have been trying to obey new guidelines to keep their customers safe and healthy, it’s probably even safer to just stay home.

And here on the nice side, here are things you should be doing this Christmas:

1. Skype Christmas

The COVID outbreak could not have come at a time when we’re any more connected than we are now. A large portion of the population has a device of some sort capable of running video calls and there are several services now capable of making them. Whether you prefer the tried and true Skype or the new hotness of Zoom (despite reports of security issues which seemed to indicate Zoom wasn’t great to use), it’s never been easier to still see your loved ones while isolating yourself and your family this Christmas.

2. Cyber Everyday

(Please don’t take the title out of context, please don’t take the title out of context…) Speaking of having infrastructure already in place, for a number of years, Black Friday was accompanied by a similar sale, Cyber Monday. Whereas the former is a largely in person event (although you can get Black Friday deals through on-line shopping as well), Cyber Monday is solely an Internet affair. (Please don’t take any of this out of context…)

Those who shop on-line have the right idea. Why go out in person to purchase a new video game system you don’t really need, when you can always place such an order over the Internet and have it arrive a few days later at your door? Well, if it’s available in the first place, but at least if it’s sold out everywhere, you’ve saved yourself a fruitless trip.

3. Jump in the Stream

It can be tempting to go out and take in a show, but during this holiday season, there’s plenty to watch on streaming services that’ll get you in the Christmassy mood. Netflix, of course, has the most in terms of Christmas movies and television shows, but if you ask me, Disney+ currently has the best selection. They have three different versions of A Christmas Carol (Jim Carrey, Mickey Mouse and the Muppets), the two good Home Alone films plus three others, and even very classic films like One Magic Christmas from 1985 and Miracle on 34th Street from 1947 (or if you prefer, they also have the one from 1994).

Of course, if you’re tired of Christmas, everything else is still available to watch. None of it disappears for a month just because there’s snow on the ground.