This year has been anything but normal with the past nine months being something none of us imagined would happen in our lifetime. 

The holiday season is not immune to this change in lifestyle, and the effects of COVID are being seen again as many states reimpose lockdowns/restrictions this holiday season to discourage travelling during the holidays and to slow the spread of COVID.

Many have had to face the saddening choice of canceling family plans in what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. Many CG students say that this will be a holiday season they never experienced before.

A poll on the Trojan Times Instagram page asked CG students whether COVID-19 has affected their holiday plans, and 81% of poll takers said it has and only 19% said it hasn’t. This was an unscientific Instagram poll, but still it shows just how much COVID has changed our lives this year, particularly during the time when many of us travel to see family and friends.

“My family was planning on going to our cabin in Wisconsin for the holidays before COVID,” senior Samantha Whyte said. “However, we feel it would be irresponsible of us to do that currently so we’re just going to stay home.”

This was a sentiment shared by many CG students. Many feel as though it would be irresponsible to travel during a time in which COVID spread is as bad as it has ever been during the whole pandemic. With the cancellation of plans for many, the holiday spirit usually felt at this time of the year is diminishing.

“It doesn’t really feel real. It’s not as much excitement as past years,” sophomore Amelie Dorches said.

COVID has definitely put a new spin on what the holidays look like in this “new normal” and has made the holiday season much less jolly than it usually is. There are no more big crowds at ice rinks, no visiting grandma and grandpa, and no more long lines for holiday shopping.

On the positive side, there are still things you can do this holiday season with your immediate family in your hous. You can still watch your favorite holiday movies, bake cookies with your family, put up Christmas decorations, and have Christmas dinner.

So yes, things may look bleak this holiday season in the time of COVID, but don’t let it discourage you from doing the things you still can do. Some hope in this bleakness is that this “new normal” may be coming to an end. Last week, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in the U.S., and this week many frontline health care workers became the first in the nation to become vaccinated. 

This news is the first hint of hope since the beginning of the pandemic, and it appears that this is the beginning of the end in defeating this deadly virus. All we can do now is make the most out of what is given and enjoy the holiday season while being safe and considerate of others’ health.