COVID Christmas

“It’s a funny Christmas for those of us who are retired, because the immediate thought is that you want to do things because you might not get to do it again, but on the other hand, do you really want to risk somebody getting sick, or making somebody else sick?,” she said. “I think the answer is that I’d rather make it to 2022 or late 2021.”

More to gain by waiting

Thorne noted she has no other underlying health issues, so she has a lot more to gain by waiting rather than being impatient, but she said she understood the longing parents of adult children might have to see their children if it’s only once or twice a year.

“We want to get over this virus and not have it affect our lives in so many other ways, so giving up a Christmas dinner or a Christmas visit isn’t the end of the world, but I do think it’s going to be hard for some people,” she said. “I do think it’s hard if you’ve got somebody in the family who is sick and you’re not sure whether they’re going to make it another year.”

“I’m staying home,” said Virginia Graham, also of Brookhaven. “I have two grandchildren and a daughter and her husband, and they’re kind of concerned. They don’t want to expose me to anything, because I’m 75, almost.”

Graham said that in years past, her family would celebrate a pre-Thanksgiving gathering called “Grahamsgiving” that attracted about 30 family members. Not this year, though, and Thanksgiving itself was celebrated via Zoom.

“That’s basically what I’m going to do (for Christmas),” she said. “I’m going to do a drive-by to drop the gifts off and that’s about it. It’s terrible. I hate it.”

Graham said it is tough because her family usually sees each other a lot, with a big Thanksgiving dinner and Kwanzaa celebration. But some younger members of the family have been exposed to COVID-19, she said, and there is an additional worry with her multiple sclerosis that she is in yet another vulnerable bracket.

Marita Green, 80, of Swarthmore said her children and grandchildren who live in different states also will not be coming over to her house for a traditional breakfast and gift exchange, nor will those living nearby.

“I will mail out the recipes for what we usually made for breakfast and send presents to the Pollyanna,” said Green. “We’re going to do a ‘Secret Santa’ thing, people drew names for it and they’re supposed to text or send pictures or a Christmas card to kind of make it a little bit more fun. But we won’t be getting together.”

Green said she has 14 grandchildren who get along, so it is normally fun to have them all gathered for the holidays. But fears of virus transmission, quarantine restrictions and other considerations have nipped that in the bud this year.

“Best gift ...”

“The best gift you can get is to live through it and not get COVID,” she said. “That really is the best gift. Suppose you had to go to funerals instead of parties, you know?”

Thanksgiving for Green was likewise sidelined. She and two other households in the area made fancy deserts, took them to one of the houses with a covered porch, took pictures of them, cut them up and took them home, she said.

“We didn’t eat them there or anything, so it was very safe,” she said. “We had fun with it though.”

Green said she has made “a bubble” with a daughter who lives nearby so she is able to go to her house from time to time and plans to spend at least part of Christmas Day there. She hopes that maybe by next summer more family members will be able to accompany her to the shore or some other destination, but that all depends on a vaccine.

“I don’t really think this is going to be over until people start listening to what they’re saying about wearing masks, keeping social distance and all that other stuff,” she said. “I’m trying to adhere to what they’re saying about avoiding gatherings, but I think this is going to be around for quite a bit of time. I don’t even think the vaccine is going to do anything because I wonder how many people are going to get it.”

The United Kingdom has already begun administering doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with a reported 95% efficacy rate, and expects to have up to 4 million doses available by the end of December, according to CNN.

That vaccine requires strict temperature and handling controls, and must be delivered in two doses three weeks apart. The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is recommending the first recipients be residents of care homes, followed by those over age 80, and health and care workers, CNN said.

“I’ll wait until the spring to get the vaccine,” said Graham. “I’m kind of nervous. I want some other people I know to get it and then see how it is. I’m not really that anxious to get it. I listen to the scientists, I don’t listen to politicians, I listen to the scientists to see what they have to say about it. I probably will get it, but I’m not going to do it right away.”