“Can Holiday Cheer Help When Loved Ones Can’t be Near?”

It’s been all over the news recently that Governor Andrew Cuomo has prohibited gatherings of over ten people for Thanksgiving. Although this can be seen as a necessary precaution, that doesn’t stop families all around New York from feeling upset. After a year as eventful and stressful as 2020, it would be ideal to see family and friends, catch up, and eat great food with the people you love. If this is not possible, what can we do to keep the holiday spirit alive and keep up our mental health? My proposal is to decorate earlier for the holidays. 

Personally, nothing fills me with more joy than sitting by the fireplace, next to my lit Christmas tree while sipping on a steaming cup of hot chocolate. If we can’t be watching football with our extended family, we can try to feel their presence with ornaments and cookies. Seasonal depression is a very real thing and I think that 2020 is shaping up to be a rough year for our mental well beings. To fight the holiday blues, I think that hanging mistletoe and writing letters to Santa early can help make all of us feel better.

To convince you even further, I asked some of my classmates how decorating for the holiday season makes them feel. Sophomore Grace Wooding says that decorating for the holidays makes her feel thankful for all that she has and the fact that she has immediate family in her home that she can celebrate with. Decorating for Christmas, “makes me not as stressed because I’m not thinking about the pandemic.” She loves Christmas music and the memories that it brings back. Decorating also gives her a purpose and something to keep her occupied. Some of my other anonymous classmates expressed that decorating makes them feel happy and warm, which is important considering how lonely and depressing this year has been. The response I received the most was that decorating early for the Holidays makes them feel excited and it gives them something to look forward to. In my opinion, we should be trying to do anything we can to brighten up our days and make ourselves feel joyful. 

I know what you may be thinking, “I’m on board to decorate earlier this year and make my house extravagant, but my family is not up for it.” My solution is to decorate your room and make it your own holiday paradise. Whether it’s by adding a mini tree or lights, making your room festive can be the key to getting in the spirit. On Amazon.com, there is a small pre-lit Christmas tree for $28.99 and an 18ft set of Christmas lights for $15.00. These are just a few ideas to spruce up your room for the holiday season so that we can all get in a merry state of mind.

Just remember, we should focus on the things that we can control during these frustrating times, and one of those things could be our holiday decor! Make sure that you stay positive and get accessorizing!