This past weekend was the strangest and eeriest of Halloweens. We decorated with webs and witches and big furry spiders in the front yard. But the doorbell did not ring. The Halloween with no trick or treating seemed like the kick-off to a holiday season of canceled traditions, and it was hard to not feel sad about it.
For many of us, not being able to gather with our relatives and friends these next months will be the toughest part. Some may have lost loved ones and are still not able to mourn together. But what if instead of canceling the holidays, we decided to celebrate in entirely different ways?
In our house, we’ll still cook that sweet potato dish, bake pies and watch “Elf.” But I’m looking for a few new traditions to replace some old ones – maybe a snowshoe hike, or a drive to a new place, or reading a story out loud together? We’ll need to find a way to go to church without entering a building and ways to connect from afar with the people we love.
I’m working on a show about rethinking the holidays, and I’d love to hear your great ideas of things you can still do, or things you’ll miss, and especially, new rituals and traditions that you're starting now. Let me know.
–Shannon