The holiday season, a time to rejoin with family, chances to meet Santa Claus, and in all enjoy the “most wonderful time of the year,” has all been taken away as this Covid pandemic has been the grinch to this year’s holidays. As Covid cases rise, more people are being advised to stay home for the holidays to keep from spreading the virus or even contracting it. As many are already stressed about the pandemic, these stay at home orders add more stress as families worry about losing their holiday traditions. 

An Eaglecrest student, Walker Guthrie explains his past Christmas traditions, stating, “My family is weird, so we open gifts from our non-direct families like my aunts and cousins on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day that’s when me and my mom open gifts from each other. I’m going to miss it, this year just doesn’t feel the same.” Guthrie describes how his holiday this year is “nerve-racking, spiritless, and boring because it doesn’t feel like Christmas. When I think of Christmas, I usually think of happy colors. This year, it kind of feels grey.” 

 Eaglecrest freshmen Nahom Solomon explains, “Covid has already ruined my freshmen year and now is taking away the holidays.” Solomon explains his family’s Christmas traditions and how they will be different, stating, “Every year on Christmas Eve, all my family comes to our house and has Christmas dinner and then we all start watching Christmas movies, and after the movie we all say we are going to sleep downstairs but end up going to our beds. This year it’s going to be different because my aunts and uncles can’t come over, which hurts our family’s traditions and makes it so I can’t see my family during this holiday.” Solomon describes how this pandemic has led to “less family time and depression,” which is how a lot of other students are feeling during these times. 

As we have been dealing with Covid for almost a year now it’s sad and stressful to end the year with the holidays being canceled. Not only are families’ holidays and traditions being cancelled but numerous businesses rely on sales from the holiday times, such as Parade of Lights and Zoo lights, which will have to look different this year because of the pandemic. Taking the Denver Zoo Lights for example, The Denver Zoo has set strict protocols limiting the number of people that can be inside the Zoo while also making sure families are separated from others. As for the Parade of Lights, it will consist of different floats set up downtown that families can visit whenever they would like instead of the traditional two day parade. Numerous other businesses such as small family owned businesses and places like the museum are closed for now since Covid numbers are rising. 

So although this isn’t a typical holiday season, business and families are doing what they can to make this holiday season the greatest of them all. This pandemic has been the grinch of this holiday season but maybe even Covid’s heart can grow three more sizes.