It was the morning of Christmas Eve. Me, my mom, and my two siblings usually fly to Arizona to see my grandparents but because of Covid we had to drive. It was about a 6 hour trip so not too bad. When we got there, the tradition of every year is my cousins come who I never get to see. But again because of Covid, they cancelled out. To me, Christmas didn't feel like it had in the past. No cousins, wearing masks, I just didn't get in the Christmas spirit. I tried to make the best of it with my grandparents and see the good in that it was Jesus' birth which helped me brighten up my mood.

The Christmas of 2020 was not too different from past years for me. On Christmas Day, my family opens presents and eats meals together, we did that again this year with little change. Christmas Eve, however, changed a lot. Normally, my family and friends would gather at my Grandmother's house to eat and talk. But, we could not do that in 2020. Instead, we only saw my Grandmother. Overall, Christmas didn't change much, the only thing different was the lack of people.

Usually for Christmas, we travel a lot. The last time we stayed home for Christmas was when I was in 5th grade and I absolutely hated it. We then decided that was the last Christmas we would stay home. We don't have family near us, so it was relatively normal to what I think most peoples Christmas are. We went skiing which was so much fun, but it was different. If you didn't live with them you could do on a ski lift with them. You also had to wear a mask, but it was actually pretty nice because it kept your face warm. I wanted to see my friends before Christmas, but I couldn't because of covid, but I did get to see them after Christmas, (outside, socially distanced, with masks). Usually, Christmas break seems really short because were are traveling and going on planes, or we are driving all over some foreign country. Even though I love traveling, it was nice to have a normal Christmas where we had presents and we made cookies.

This year, my Christmas was much different from any other that I have experienced. instead of having a big party at our house or our grandparents, our grandparents came over to our garage with masks on and they didn't come inside at all. We ate smoked chicken that my dad made on the barbecue. With my other set of grandparents, it was a little bit different. They allowed us to come over to their house and we ate dinner together. We had a Brent's Deli sandwich platter. All of my family was very generous with gifts, as usual. In short, I had a different Christmas from any other year.

It's the middle of our Oaks Christian Middle School break, which started on the 16th of December and would end on the 6th of January. Our family Dows the usual things during Christmas. Setting up a pine tree, placing ornaments of different shapes and sizes onto said tree, and setting up a chain flights to hang on the branches of the tree. Then our parents buy several gifts, such as video games, LEGO sets which you are able to build with small pieces by following a manual, and anything else that would interest the recipients. They would then rap the presents in either bags if they are lazy, or special rapping paper if they want to put effort into the gift. On the 24th (Christmas Day), we would open the gifts and have a cheerful Christmas with the family. At least that's how it always was before COVID-19... Nowadays, roughly the same thing occurs, but everything arrives much later, everything is done much slower, and there are a lot more coughs instead of conversations. There was no mass gathering, either. Everyone just stayed in their own homes to do it on their own or with anyone who lives with them. It felt eerier than usual, but everyone wished of 2021 not becoming 2020 part 2...

This Christmas I was lucky enough to spend with my family. I do not have any extended family so it was not hard for us to get together. One tradition that was affected by covid was that every year since I was very young, I have always gone to my best friend’s house for Christmas Eve. This year due to Covid my friend’s family decided to move away. They wanted to have less contact with the Coronavirus and they felt it would be safer to move. On Christmas and Christmas Eve I was not able to attend the mass at the church. This year we had to attend mass virtually. It was very different from what I am used to. I am used to seeing the alter and walking up to it to receive the Eucharist.

My Christmas was normal in the sense that we were in a pandemic. My family did follow the rules that governor Newsum sent out. We were only supposed to have 5 family members come over, but at my house in California, we had 11. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and my cousin with her husband all came over for Christmas. I live in a big house in California so we were the best house to host at. Me and my mom hate hosting so this year was torture. My chocolate labrador, Dania was very excited to have so many people over. The morning of Christmas was very normal. My grandma and my aunt made cinnamon rolls. Making cinnamon rolls is a tradition on Christmas in my family. I am the youngest in the family so I am in charge of handing out all the presents that were under the tree. In my family, we call that job the Elf. That job was a lot of work for me to do all on my own. After we upon all the presents, I helped make lunch. At night we watched the second Wonder Woman. In the middle of the movie, my uncle's mom died of covid-19.

It was a dark, humid day in Westlake Village, California. as an avid member of the meme community, I was awake at 2:37 in the morning, looking at memes through tired, groggy eyes. I could hear my father typing away on his obnoxiously loud computer down the hall, endlessly working his heart out. My pet dog, Uma the pug, was snoring at the foot of the bed as I continued scrolling down the page, amusing myself. it got to a certain meme making fun of some "new black plague" originating in China, in its very early stages. I thought that couldn't possibly be true, as we are too advanced to be susceptible to some pandemic. fast forward towards the end of the year, and my entire reality. has been changed. you cant go into public without a blue, N95 mask covering your mouth and nose, hand sanitizer, toilet paper and water have all but disappeared from the supermarkets and grocery stores. I would sit in front of my computer, schooling from across a flat, lifeless screen. All because a warning went unheeded

December 24, 2020. The long, terrible year is slowly, but surely, coming to an end. Nobody was excited for Christmas. My family of five had zero Christmas spirit. Nothing. My 17 year old sister, named Ashley, and my 16 year old brother, named Max, slept in until about noon. I got my day started early when I randomly opened my tired eyes around 8 A.M. It was definitely early considering the fact that I had gone to sleep at 2 A.M. the past night. I went downstairs, greeted my Pitbull and Boxer. Rowdy-girl, the not so scary pitbull, was very mellow. However my puppy Boxer Archer loves jumping on me. We had just adopted him a week before. He was a young dog however definitely not a super smart one. Something special about my family is that we celebrate Christmas mostly on Christmas Eve, leaving present-opening for Christmas Day. Although we usually would begin cooking traditional family meals that have gone several generations back early in the morning, our lack of spirit caused us to barbecue steak and green-beans later that night instead. My siblings woke up (at last) and were also dull and spirit-less. Christmas Eve was just another boring day living through a global pandemic. December 25, 2020. Now my family woke up later than usual. Although in earlier years we would open presents at 6 A.M., this year we dawdled, made breakfast, and opened out presents around 9. I love dancing. I received a skirt for ballet class, 200$, hair supplies, jewelry, and a purse. I was very happy. Although it wasn't the best Christmas ever, I definitely had a good time.

On Christmas morning of 2020, we had an unsusually... boring Christmas. We would usually have family over for the holidays, or we would go and visit. This time it was the four of us, My father, mother, my younger brother, and me. My brother and I entered the living room where our Christmas tree was displayed, We had quite a few presents under our tree this year. So my brother and I took our turns and opened gifts. One of my Uncles would usually be so frustrated with all the wrapping paper on the ground when presents were being opened. He wasn't here his time, so everytime trash was being picked up my brother would say "It's the ghost of our uncle....." When the presents were opening my brother and I were bragging about what we got, and then our Christmas morning was essentially over. Since we didn't have family over thisyear we invited a few friends to come over since they didn't really have much to do either. They came over and we had quite a bit of fun the rest of the day. Although it wasn't as lively as Christmas with our family was. We then sat down to eat dinner which was prime rib, greens, macaroni and cheese, shrimp, and dinner rolls. We later on went to bed as nothing else had to be done.

During the December of 2020, my Christmas was different for me this year because I was socially distanced and I was careful when I was with family. First, when my family arrived at my cousin's house, my cousin and I decided to walk his dog and I went with him. We wore masks during our walk and we stopped by some houses to deliver presents. We had to be outside, socially distanced, and we had to wear masks to deliver the presents. After, we went back and ate lunch, We had sushi and some grilled chicken and it was great! We hung out and my cousins and I played video games together. Also, my dog played with their dog and it was great. I sang some Christmas carols but we had to be outside and socially distanced. We opened presents inside but we were very careful. I got socks, clothes, Airpods, Apple Pencil , etc. We did not give hugs or any other physical contact which helped us stay safe. Overall, this Christmas was very different than the others, because of how we had to stay outside, be socially distanced, and wear masks. I enjoyed this Christmas a lot, and I am thankful I could spend it with my family.

In the Christmas of 2020, there was a flu-like virus going around called coronavirus. For many people, it shut down their Christmases and they had to alter their plans, maybe they couldn't see a loved one or couldn't see their close friends. The McEnroes (my family and I) didn't let this virus stop them from celebrating the birth of Christ with loved ones. We sat down on the cold tile on Christmas Eve and listened as my older sister Kylie at the age of 20 was reading the famous poem, "The Night Before Christmas". When the morning finally came on Christmas day there was the same anticipation and magic in the air as there always was on December 25. We could see my grandma and parents shuffle their feet as we waited not-so-patiently at the top of the stairs. "Come on down!' said Mother, we got up and stampeded down the hard stairs with smiles bigger than our pile of presents.

December 23rd, all of my family is finally here and we are preparing everything. My grandparents are finally here and I am so excited to celebrate with all my family. December 24th, we have just finished wrapping gifts and oh my gosh it took so long. I also had to help my aunt out so I didn't finish until about 6pm. I have just gotten dressed in my black poka-dot dress with a short skirt and a puffy plaid jacket, with white fluff. We had the best dinner a beef stew, with potatoes, carrots, celery, chicken broth, beef, and some other stuff. We finished off the stew and had a desert of chocolate chip cookies. At midnight (can't believe we made it) we opened all the presents. I got a Looney Tunes sweatshirt, fluffy caramel colored shorts, canvases, paint, more clothes, and a French easel. In the morning I went to my grandparents house and enjoyed an early dinner. We then proceeded to open presents, and had a wonderful time. All in all Christmas wasn't as different as I thought it would be. All my family was there, we ate a lovely dinner, and had so many presents.

My parents and my grandparents had been texting about what we were going to do for Christmas with Covid-19. We had stayed apart on Thanksgiving so we were planing to do the same thing but we really wanted to be together on Christmas like every year. I woke up at 9:00 AM and went over to my parents room. We eventually went downstairs after everyone woke up but it was weird. Last year my uncle stayed with us and he was there when we woke up. We open our presents in the morning and then around 2:00 PM my grandparents either come see us or we go see them. This year we had to be on zoom and it was weird. When I went to sleep that night it did't feel like we just had Christmas.

During the pandemic of 2020 (covid-19), my Christmas was very different from the past few years that I had Christmas with my family. One of the reasons because my Christmas was different at this time was because we couldn’t enjoy going different places to enjoy with family except from home. Another reason about this topic, it was that my aunt family hang out together in my house, but it was awkward because we had masks on.

it shows how corona isnt that bad

My Christmas was the same for my family wakeup open presents family time. But we usually went to see my grandma on Christmas Eve, We would go inside and meet my cousins and Aunts and Uncles and especially grandparents. But this year we came when my cousins were leaving, this was planned we didn't want to much interaction. This just wasn't the same, no big family over occupying the living room, no complaining not much laughs either. Thinking about this I don't like sitting on the ground or complaining, I like laughs though. Now that I look back, I actually really liked that, and I realized that's what makes Christmas, well Christmas.

This year Christmas wasn't exactly normal with covid ragging everywhere and in a few places getting worse. Normally For Christmas, we travel out of state but without being able to get on a plane, as it would put us in danger of getting Covid. So instead we drove up to Lake Tahoe to see our grandparents, aunt, and uncles, as well as cousins. However, we didn't stay up there very long as we wanted to be home for Christmas. Besides that, we were home all of the time and I and my family had a little case of cabin fever so we spent some time with friends that we had been previously been exposed to. All in all Christmas this year was very different.

This Christmas was a lonely and strange one. My family usually goes to San Antonio and Austin Texas to see all my mom's family. Though, this year my family and I have to stay home to prevent the spread of Covid-19. It felt weird this year also because on TV everything is virtual and nobody is together. Finally, this year it felt that the 'Christmas Spirit' was less than in years past.

During the month of December, my family I had some very challenging obstacles in the way. One being we couldn't have anyone over for Christmas dinner not only that but have people over in general. Another thing that has to do with not seeing each other is everyone is mailing things and a result of this is packages and gifts not making it on time. Something else to do with packages and mail is manufacturers aren't working because of COVID-19. These are some struggles and problems I had this Christmas.

During Christmas of 2020, it was not the usual one, but still a great one. Instead of the usual traditions, of going to my family's house, we had to stay home by ourselves. One way we did meet up with family though, was through the app zoom. We all went up to zoom and talked for an hour or so. We were still able to open gifts with cousins, but outside, socially distanced. I really enjoyed Christmas this year, despite the unusual circumstances.

This year for Christmas, it felt the same. There was only a subtle difference between the holidays of last year and this year. On Christmas Eve, my dad and I went to Costco to buy necessities lacked at home. All of the shoppers needed to wear masks, which is different from previous years. However, the current guidelines have been initiated for many months already, so I have already adapted. Every Christmas morning, my little brother and I would wake up to find presents from "Santa" under the Christmas tree. This year, I received a crochet kit and polymer clay kit. I gave my mom a watercolor butterfly and heart hair clip; I gave my dad a Christmas-themed fortune teller. After the exchange of gifts, I spent the rest of the day playing and fiddling with my new gifts. Most of my Christmases, including this one, are the same.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything for all of us. Christmas Vacation was especially different for me and my family this year. I'll start by describing our normal Christmas Vacation. The first week after we are out of school, my family and I normally head up to Mammoth Lakes CA to snownoard and ski. We go up there for about one week to geet us in the Christmas mood. We always stay at our Aunt's place in the village. It's really fun to go exploring and finding a bunch of new things. Once we come back from Mammoth we pick up our christmas tree from a lot in Thousand Oaks CA called Christmas Ranch Tree Farm. When we get home we decorate the tree while watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The next day is Christmas Eve. On that day we decorate and bake cookies. That night we read the story of Jesus' birth and T'was the Night Before Christmas. Our Grandma also comes over almost every Christmas Eve. On Christmas day we wakeup at seven, open our stockings and presents while my mom records it all on a device. After the opening of the presents we eat cinamon rolls. The rest of the day we hang out with out friends/neighbors looking at our new stuff. After that we head over to a big parter over at our Aun't house with all our extended family. That is our normal Christmas. This year however we didn't go to Mammoth. So we had nothing to do for the first week. I ended up doing a ton of mountain biking. On Christmas Eve we baked and decorated cookies like normal bu tour Grandma didn't come over so it felt odly emty. On Christmas day everything was normal the first part of the day (other than our Grandma not being there). However, we had no party later in the day so the whole Christmas was just our household which make it feel vary lonely. This Christmas was very different than the last few years.

This Christmas was very different from any other Christmas. I am a 14 year old girl and I live with my parents and my two sisters. Every year my family goes skiing right after christmas for about two weeks but this year we couldnt go. My family and I stayed home for christmas eve and christmas. On christmas eve we had a home cooked meal and played boardgames together. The next day it was a very quiet christmas, we didnt do much, we made hot chocolate and opened presents from eachother. My birthday was the 28th right after christmas and it was very similar. I was kind of sad over the holidays because we couldnt see family and we couldnt travel.

This Christmas was unlike any other. I woke up on Christmas Day knowing that I wasn't going to be able to see my family because of the current regulations in my city. It was sad because we have many traditions we partake in each year. On Christmas Eve, me and my family, including my grandma, aunts and uncles, and cousins, usually eat a delicious seafood feast, made up with crab, oysters, clams and linguini, shrimp, and other seafoods. It is a tradition that we have held up for many years, and it pained me that it didn't happen this Christmas. On Christmas Eve, my family also exchanges presents with each other with our extended family, and our living room felt so empty this year without the laughter and joy that my family brings to Christmas. On Christmas Day, we usually have delicious meet-filled ravioli that we make homemade weeks before Christmas. Because of the current circumstances, we were not able to make the ravioli, nor eat it. This is one of my favorite parts about Christmas, and I was devastated that it didn't happen. On Christmas Day night, me and my family usually go to the other side of my family's house to eat delicious food and exchange presents. My grandmother and grandfather on that side of the family have been very strict with COVID and didn't allow us to come over. It hurt me, but I understood because these are very hard times, and I did not want to put them at risk. Christmas is usually my favorite time of the year, joyous and merry and filled with family and cheer. But this year, Christmas was a solemn and lonely time; it was very hard to get through the holidays without my family by my side. This experience has taught me to be more grateful, and I am, I am grateful that my family is alive and healthy. To end this, I would like to say, we always have Christmas next year, and the next year, and the next year, etc. We need to keep our heads held high during these tough times.

On Christmas I did not travel because of covid. Instead we stayed at my house. I woke up and opened my presents right away. I got a lot of gift cards because my parents weren't able to go out and get my gifts. after opening my gifts I went outside and hung out with the kids in my neighborhood. one of the kids got a full suspension rocky mountain mountain bike and another got new grips for his bike so we went to this dirt area near my house and all of us built a big gaper and then just hit that jump for the rest of the day.

this Christmas was defiantly different this year. this year I couldn't have my grandma come over. I also I realized this year Christmas is not all about presents and family its about this little baby our savior christ. this year all of our presents were delayed because we were barely getting shipments from china so that slowed down everything. luckily almost all of our packages came but over all it was a great Christmas.

Christmas was a bit different this year because of Covid. This year was the first year of Christmas split because my parents had gotten divorced this year. On Christmas Eve I went to my dad's house and we opened up gifts, but because of Covid it was just my main family and we didn't have much company come over. The next day I went to my mom's after getting a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks and we opened presents at my mom's. The same thing we opened up gifts and that was about it, and the rest of the day was pretty normal and we had tacos for dinner. Christmas was on a Friday and on Saturday and Sunday my cousins came over and we went to the outlet malls and hung out at home and had a good weekend. So it was pretty quiet comparatively to other years but despite the virus we were able to have a good few days and a good Christmas.

Usually, my family gathers and we have a big celebration at my aunt's house. In 2020, we had an awkward Zoom call! It was definitely not Christmas without my family, but I am still so grateful for my parents who I got to spend the holiday with. We opened gifts and cooked lots of yummy food together. Cooking is a big deal in my family. It's something I've grown up doing and have grown to love, so it was nice to be able to share that with my parents this Christmas. I'm hopeful that I can celebrate Christmas 2021 with my entire family!

My brother, parents, dog and me always go to Ohio to spend Christmas and new years with our family. This year, it was different. First of all, we had to wear masks on the airport and plane, and the seats were spaced out. When we went Christmas shopping we had to follow Covid rules to stay safe. Also, we usually go to our family's church for a new years celebration, but we skipped this year and went to see another part of our family in Kentucky for new years, because it was not safe. Sadly, the holidays this year were different, but at lease we were staying safe and keeping other people safe.

If this year was normal, we would have flown to Gurnee, Illinois, and spent Christmas with our Grandparents and aunt on my mom's side. We always enjoy this, as we get to see her Bernese mountain dog named Jasper. However, due to Covid 19 we had to stay home. I enjoy staying at home, because I feel more relaxed then having to go different places and feeling rushed to do things. My dad normally prepares Beef Wellington, A traditional English dish. It consists of sirloin steak brushed with mustard, crushed mushrooms, and then wrapped in pastry and prosciutto. It is truly delicious! This year we decided to mix up because this year has been pretty mixed up. This year, we had lobster fettuccine with Filet Mignon! My father is an excellent chef, and comes up with ideas out of nowhere! My mother helps plan and execute them, and she is my dad's sous chef. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner, and I am blessed to have such an amazing life!

Covid-19 didn’t really affect me for Christmas. During Christmas, I dont usually have family over or do any traditions. Sometimes my grandma comes over and celebrate Christmas with us but this year she was guaranteed not to come over. It felt weird that nobody was going to come over for sure because sometimes my mom and dad dont tell me that my grandma is coming over and it would be a surprise, but this year i knew for sure.

Over my Christmas break, I had a very similar Christmas to a normal one. I got the gifts that I had wished for and I went to San Diego. This has been a tradition in my family. We went and stayed on a marine core base and stayed in cabins on the beachfront. We went on bike rides through Pacific beach and we had pizza from Big Bob's Pizza. We had a great experience, however, we had to wear our masks everywhere. In every store, restaurant, or town, everyone was wearing masks. Aside from this minor inconvenience, my family and I had an incredible time over Christmas break and in San Diego.

my crizst maz chenge because insted of meeting with FAM i was VIbiNG AT HOME and that was diff 😂 lmao. Another thang that changedddddddddddddddddd is i had to vibe at hawm insted of going to somewhere like hawai wheir it is hawt. ThIs was very unpoggers and was not epicnessPOG.

My winter break in the year 2020 was drastically different compared to the other years. I usually take a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Shenzhen, China, sleep and watch at least 2 movies on the plane, and arrive at the destination all tired and jet-lagged. My dad would welcome my family and me and promise to have a good dinner tonight when we got home. I would see all the skyscrapers in the city on the way, sometimes being too tall to see the top just from the car window. I would admire all the lush green hills, for LA, had brown hills with dried out bushes and dead trees. When we arrived and rang the doorbell, my grandparents would open the door and say how much they missed us. This year was different though. Instead of packing clothes and gifts for my relatives overseas, I stayed at home, playing card games with my family. Instead of getting together with grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins and having a big Christmas dinner, we made steak, mashed potatoes, and a pie while listening to Christmas music. Instead of playing my first round of golf for a new year at Mission Hills in Shenzhen with my dad and mom, I played with my mom, getting ready for a golf tournament I had in two days. I missed my overseas family and was able to see them over facetime and in photos. But this Christmas was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. My family got playing cards and different board games to play. We would laugh at each other when they had bad cards, or argue at each other when they wanted to trade property with each other in Monopoly. This Christmas was different, but I enjoyed it like always.

When this pandemic began, I thought nothing of it. I would just go to school regularly, go out to eat, watch movies etc. Fast forward to now, January 6th, 2021, and we are all quarantining at home still. Thanksgiving, and Christmas did not feel like a regular holiday. Though going out to some places, felt more at ease as if this was the new normal. Going on vacation, rules are very strict, and there is not many things to do. Though everything ended up fun as expected. Now there is a vaccine and everything can only get better from here.

On December 23, I received an email from my youth group leader, saying that her daughter had just tested positive for COVID-19. I had been displaying no symptoms, but my mom and twelve-year-old brother had been feeling a little sick, so they were tested the next day. A man came to our house with full protective gear and used a mouth swab instead of the more common one in the nose. Since we were trying to be responsible, when we went to Christmas Eve mass, we sat in our car in the church parking lot and listened to the sound using the radio. My youngest brother, at age five, was quickly bored. When we went home we had dinner. It was Mexican food. My mom had set out all of our nice silverware and china. Over dinner we received the results of the tests taken earlier that day, which were positive. My mom began calling people and friends we had been in contact with and later went to bed. My brother tried to wake me up several times in the early morning, but I was actually sleeping well for the first time on Christmas Eve and told him to go away. When I finally did get up we went into our living room and I saw that I had gotten a new bike. It was a really nice one too! Later we picked up gifts from our grandparents. It was a sad sort of Christmas; our Christmas dinner was eaten in the living room in front of the movie Soul. It had just come out on Disney+.

In the year of the plague, Christmas celebrations were different. Less fun, less social, and less exciting. Every year for Christmas, my family and I usually eat dinner at Buca di Beppo with family and friends. Not only would we be unable to invite family and friends, we also were not able to eat at the restaurant because all restaurants had closed recently before the holidays. Fortunately, we ate a delicious Christmas dinner that my mom made for my family and I. My mom usually never makes Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner because of our usual annual traditions, but she got the opportunity to this year because of COVID. We were still able to see my uncle, aunt, and cousins for the holidays and play white elephant with family friends. Christmas Day was very similar to last year - opening presents, eating Christmas dinner, and spending time with family. Conclusively, Christmas celebrations were different, but it wasn't too bad after all, considering my family's Christmas traditions aren't all that festive anyways.

The Christmas of 2020, Covid was still going on. I woke up the morning of Christmas very excited, made myself eggs from a chicken, and bacon from a pic. I also had fresh squeezed orange juice. After that my 3 siblings came downstairs and had some of the breakfast that I had made. Eventually my parents work up and we got started ripping open presents. after that we drove to visit family and exchanged gifts. we had soup and meat from a cow and drove an hour back home. We got up at 8:00 am the next morning and started driving to Lake Tahoe, l beautiful lake in Northern California. we Gott caught in a snowstorm but all was worth it when we finally got there. This Covid Christmas was not that bad. As a family we found ways to make Christmas fun and enjoyable, despite the tough times we were living in.

Christmas day was different for me because we didn't have any extended family over. Our extended family usually brings food and we play board games and stuff. I always just hang out with my cousins too. My mom says they love spending time with me so I decided that I wanna spend even more time with them than i already have been, except not recently due to covid.. This time, most of what I did was just boring stuff. I did still hang out with my family but it was just less festive and we all felt a little more exhausted. I did grill short ribs though, they were really good and I'm actually really glad I did that. But I really burnt some to a crisp and they just crumbled apart if I tried to pick them up. I couldnt see if they were cooked well or not because the fire was too big. I also built a robot which was one of my Christmas presents and it took me about 3-4 hours to do, I still have to try and program it though and assign which buttons do what on the remote controller it came with. I think I'll do that this weekend since I really wanna figure it out, I've just been a bit too lazy with it and never got to programming. But other than that i just talked about football and food with basically everyone. Although it was exhausting, it was still fun to do since it was different.

This year's Christmas was pretty similar to a regular year Christmas. We always spend Christmas Eve with my mom's mom, sister, and her husband and daughter so my aunt, uncle, and cousins are Sam who is 19 years old, and Sarah who is 17. Every year we switch off whos house we have Christmas Eve at this year we had it at my aunt's house. We always get all dressed up and eat prime rib for dinner then open our presents from each other but not our presents from our immediate family. We also always bring our dogs so this year we had 4 dogs on Christmas eve my dog Elli, my cousin's dog Sadie, my nanas dog Max, and Snorkel who was a dog my cousins were puppy sitting. We also always go to the Christmas Eve church service which we did not go to because the churches were closed because of the virus. We did not social distance or wear masks and we have been with each other a lot over the quarantine. Then we left at around 1:00 am and went home. Next on Christmas morning we woke up at about 9:45 and went downstairs to open presents and eat breakfast. Halfway through opening presents, we stopped for Breakfast and we always eat cinnamon rolls and bacon. Then we continue to open presents and chilled until 5:00 when my nana, cousins, aunt, and uncle came over with the dogs. My nana made her clam chowder like she does every year and we ate dinner and hanged out. They left around 10:00 and we went to bed. This year's Christmas was very similar to a normal year's Christmas.

Christmas was really differentiations for me this year because usually my family and I would be in Mammoth. Mammoth is a great skiing mountain. I am a skier and a snowboarder I love to do both because they are both so much fun. I am very skilled in both. I am a black diamond in both so that means I can do any trail there is, like runs in the trees, icee runs, and rocks. This year I just stayed inside because we were not allowed out of the house. being stuck in a closed place for over a year really is not good for your health.

My family did what we always do for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we all went to church. Our church, Calvary, in Westlake Village, California, had 2 in person service so we went to the one at 3. We had to wear masks and social distance, but you had to do that everywhere. Being inside a church was a weird feeling because we haven't been in the church for about 10 months due to Covid-19. Then my grandma, mom, aunt, uncle and sisters, went to my aunt and uncles house for dinner. We were suppose to get beef Wellington but the butcher messed up and gave us steak, which defiantly worked for me. We played games like scene it and 80's music trivia. Then my sisters, mom, grandma and I left because to was 10 pm. My grandma slept over on Christmas Eve like she used to when we were littler. We woke up the next day and my sisters and I opened gifts from "santa" and my mom. We then went over to my aunts and uncles for a brunch and opened gifts from each other. It felt pretty normal all together but when we go out into public it is not by far.

for Christmas the year, it was definitely different. Since I have divorced parents, I was spending this year with my mom. On Christmas Day, we would usually wake up at 8 or 8:30. but this year we ended up waking up at 9:30. it went by very fast. we went in the living room and opened our presents. then we had bacon and eggs while we watched the grinch. the day went by very fast and before we knew it, it was already 6:00. we had our Christmas dinner, which was, steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberries. just a standard traditional Christmas dinner. then, I FaceTimed my friends to show them what I got. I would usually go over to my cousins house but this year we stayed home and didn't see anyone. I ended up taking a shower and then going tom bed at around 11:15.

My Christmas was hardly affected at all by COVID-19. The only difference was that I did not get to see my mom's sister's family. The only reason I did not see them was because they were extremely paranoid about the virus.

I care about my work environment. It's the place where I can focus, work and study. In college, I loved having the freedom of multiple locations being open to me to go and work. If my dorm was too loud, I could go to the library. If the cafeteria wasn't packed, I could pull out my laptop and get some homework done. But COVID-19's changed that, to the point where I only have one place. In my room, in my old desk I used back in high school. With everyone being home, it's loud, and the walls are thin. I can hear the TV blaring my dad's news in the living room, my brother playing his guitar in the next room over, my mom playing her music in the kitchen and our parakeets' chirps from the dining room. It's loud, and I can't focus. Yet this is where I must work, the only place I have left. No more physical classes, no more library, no more independent living. Back at home in my old desk.

In March of 2020 the state of Idaho enacted a stay at home order. As a teacher I began teaching from home and my husband (a second year medical student) began attending all of his lectures from his office. In my mind I thought, "wow, we're going to get to slow down for a moment." I was so wrong. As a teacher I felt well prepared to move my students online. We already had the tools and platforms in place to make the transition go well. However, I wasn't ready for the overwhelming anxiety that came with the idea of walking away from my computer at the end of the day. Needless to say we continued on with our busy life from the confines of our 3rd story apartment. I continued my grad school class and teaching online while my husband continued studying and preparing for his first board exam. Over the summer I interned with JOTPY. The 12 hour / week commitment to the internship seemed doable and I was ready to be working on something. I'm not entirely sure what happened over the summer but I seem to have been so busy that it quickly turned into a whirlwind. The pandemic was supposed to have this major impact on what I was doing but I found ways to stay exceptionally busy. All of this to say I didn't have time to really reflect on my summer and internship experience. Looking back all I can say is wow. I was cleaning out my desk area last week in preparation for the return to work and grad school and as I was flipping through my notebook I found this page. This page represents a night from this summer that is hard to forget. I was busy working through my curation assignments in preparation to take the weekend off. However, about halfway through my assignment my curation group (shoutout to group 4!) starting chatting via Slack. We we just 4 students who were assigned to a group and we hadn't really chatted before. Suddenly we were talking about everything under the sun while all working through our curation assignments. I don't know that I have more to say on it except that it was fun and joyful. As 2020 turned to 2021 I started to reflect on the year that turned life upside down and I realized that it brought so much joy. While my husband and I have been blessed with our continued health throughout the year we acknowledge those who have not.

Reading this on the NPR (National Public Radio) News Application

Coronavirus hit me as a senior in high school. It began as an exciting two-week spring break and then continued to alter my life and everyone else's with no end in sight. I acknowledge that I was lucky in the ways coronavirus affected me as I did not lose my job, any loved ones, and was lucky enough to stay healthy along with my family. However, coronavirus and its related restrictions did hit me in ways I never would have imagined. It started with the loss of graduation, the loss of closure at the end of my senior year, worsening mental health, and questioning everything that was to come of my future. I had a plan: a plan to graduate along with 400 other students, a plan to travel in the summer, and a plan to go to college. These plans that seemed so certain were all uprooted instantly. Instead, graduating high school seemed like a formality, not a celebration, college at UW seemed so uncertain and financially difficult that I questioned attending, and traveling became a walk to the park. In the first few months I found myself sinking into a depression, my body and brain shutting down. I felt lost. As time passed, I began to find purpose and to find enjoyment in little things I never would have months prior. In the first few months, I found myself trapped in my house with little interaction, falling into a rut of depression and anxiety. I slowly began to find enjoyment in small things that got me out of my head. About a month into isolation I found myself scrolling through years of photos and videos reminiscing on my pre-covid, pre-mask, and pre-isolation self. I instantly began to print these old pictures creating photo journals and I made several slideshows of photos I had taken or found throughout my life. I created a video of my senior year of highschool full of photos and videos portraying the amazing times I was able to be a part of. I watched myself grow in these photos along with some of my closest friends and family. At first, these old photos made me sad, made me feel so alone, and then the photos made me appreciate everything I have been a part of. Looking back on the past, I realized how much I took these moments for granted. The small things such as going to restaurants, attending school in person, playing sports, etc. While looking back at the many adventures, I appreciated every photograph, every laugh, every cry. I realized how important the small things were. This is when I discovered my love for photographs, collaging, and slideshows. Creating these photo journals and slideshows gave me a reason to get out of bed and made me feel like I had a life in a time like it felt like I was completely lost. I had a five-month summer ahead of me, the longest break from school I have had since I was five years old. These photographs allowed me to spend time and energy on something that distracted me from reality. Slowly, the reminiscing and creation of these collages of my pre-covid life led to a sense of longing, a longing to be rid of this pandemic. I then found a job and instead of dreading a shift, I looked forward to it as it gave me a sense of purpose. I would document my coworkers who soon became some of my closest friends. I took photos of us at the break, spilling mop water on the floor, and going on drives to buy us all coffee. I then used the photographs to document the time I was in instead of the time I had once lived in. As restrictions started to lift I began to see my friends again but not in the same way. We would sit in our cars in parking lots, at parks six feet apart, or wearing masks on each other's front yards. I photographed all of this. I made videos of us blasting music as we sat in our cars not being able to hug or embrace each other. I wonder how these photos will age. These moments I have captured are of unimaginable times. I will view these in years looking back as the best and worst times of my life. Slowly I was able to create my social bubble of work, family, and a few friends. ll of these people became my support system, my family. Through these last few months, I and those around me have gone through more than I have experienced with anyone else. This includes loss of employment, loss of income, loss of family members, and loss of mental health. I started to create collages and photo journals to give to those around me. When sharing these pictures with those around me it brought smiles to our faces as we reminisced about our memories together or laughed at the altered world we live in today. I found that when I got to my darkest points I found solace in my photos and the sharing of these photos. Later in quarantine during July a few of my friends and I decided we were going to explore Oregon in every aspect we could. We hiked beautiful mountains, swam in the lakes, went to the beach, and watercolored in parks. I documented all of this along the way. Now instead of looking back on what I missed pre-COVID, I look at what I found during COVID. I found my family, my escape, myself. I found that I have captured more memories during these last nine months than at any other time. I have done more for myself and with those around me than I ever have. These photos and videos have been my way of illustrating the positive effects of this pandemic in my life. A couple of years ago I may have looked at these photos and videos and thought why masks? Why social distance? Why so much time spent with my family inside? Now, they bring a smile to my face. Yes, COVID19 has taken many things but it has given me many things as well. And one day I hope to show what it gave me through my photos.

Kennesaw State University notified faculty and staff on January 4, 2021, that the university would serve as a distribution site for the COVID-19 vaccine to students, faculty, and staff according to CDC guidelines. All employees and affiliates not slated for the first wave, which includes people over age 65 and designated first responders, will fill out a survey on January 14 to indicate their interest in receiving the vaccine and enable them to be added to the vaccination schedule. Although I am only 36 years old, I am teaching in person this semester, and I am eager to get the vaccine.