This year’s Christmas season will look very different from previous years. As the world continues to battle a pandemic, people will be limiting their gatherings and cancelling their annual travel plans to visit relatives and friends. The festive season will undoubtedly be underscored by a grim reality that not all of us will have a reason to celebrate.
Despite these challenging times, it is still possible to continue some traditions and perhaps start new ones. In any year, we would be greeting one via text messages or casual social media posts. We probably hardly put thought into how and when we greeted our friends and loved ones because seeing them in person over the holidays was always a possibility.
Now that we know how precious time together can be, this year might be the perfect reason to send out specialised greeting cards to the people in our lives. A greeting card is a tangible, thoughtful gift that can help bridge our socially-distanced gaps this Christmas season. Here are the five people you might want to show your love and appreciation to this year by way of a Christmas card:
- The health workers
Since the start of the year, most health workers have been at the forefront of our battle. You may have a health worker in your family, or you may have needed the help of one at some point. They probably haven’t had a vacation day in months, and they probably won’t be able to take one for months to come. Whether you know them personally or not, write out a message of thanks to a health worker who held up the frontlines so you could stay safe at home.
- The colleague you only see on Zoom
If you find yourself exhausted and stressed by Zoom calls and working from home, your colleagues are probably feeling the same way, too. None of you expected to be working this way this year. Nevertheless, you both stayed in your jobs. You persisted through the challenges to keep your business afloat so it could support other people and keep them gainfully employed. Thank them for their commitment and commiserate with them, and write them a promise that you’ll share an after-hours drink at your favourite pub together when this is all over.
- Your family member overseas
Immigration policies vary in each country, making international travel nearly impossible. You may have family members working overseas who wanted to be home with you for the holidays. It may not be at all possible this year. Worse still, they may be spending Christmas by themselves in a foreign country. Don’t forget to send them a hug and kiss by way of a paper greeting, and be sure to spend the day with them virtually, too.
- Your children’s tired teacher
Some of the people who bore the heaviest burdens this year are teachers and educators. Almost overnight, they had to learn to adapt to the socially-distanced situation and find creative ways to deliver instruction online. If you were pulling your hair out of online schooling frustration, your child’s teacher probably was too. Some of them used their own resources to help your child get the support they needed. The system isn’t perfect, but thank them anyway for trying.
- Your lonely neighbour
While you used to go out and engage in casual conversation with your next-door neighbour over mundane things, these instances are now few and far between. You might have your family at home with you, but they may have spent the past six months alone. Remember them this holiday season and send them a warm meal and a gift along with it.
After all the awful things that happened this year, Christmas is going to look dimmer. You can make it just a little bit brighter by sending special Christmas cards and heartfelt messages to the people around you who need it the most.
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