How I keep the holidays intimate during the pandemic

Granny isn’t coming around this year to help with holiday baking, my in-laws aren’t at the house visiting from England and there are no invites to go out for aunts and uncles to come view the kids in their school plays. We aren’t connected in our usual ways, however, we’ve adapted. Virtual Sunday night game nights with the grandparents, Friday night online parties with the siblings and cousins, and constant video chatting is now a thing in my household. Classic board games feel familiar and comforting, with the online versions being user friendly enough for everyone in the family and appropriate for the school-aged kiddos. We’ve created a new holiday experience with what 2020 threw at us.

While technology has allowed us to remain connected, maintaining traditions is what has kept these interactions special. Without festive sounds and smells the spirit of the holidays doesn’t quite come alive. I’ve gone the extra mile to incorporate our favorite holiday foods into each gathering rather than reserving them for one day. Our virtual parties are accompanied by the sound of parang (Caribbean holiday music) in the background, the smell of ham baking in the oven, or of garlic pork frying in a cast iron pot. We’ve been on a steady rotation, weekend to weekend, of the kids’ favorite holiday dishes.

As I make my weekly grocery trips during this season I’ve been keeping our virtual weekend get-togethers in mind and adding a few extras to the cart like festive floral arrangements, food, and drinks. When you use a PC Financial® Mastercard® to purchase these extras you will earn  PC Optimum™ points. You can then redeem the points you earn towards holiday crackers, table decor, cards and even gifts at Shoppers Drug Mart or Loblaw banner stores. The holidays this year will be different, but the spirit is what we bring to it.