With only a few weeks until Christmas Day 2021, the shops and streets all over the UK are hustling and bustling with the festive spirit. The Christmas lights are being switched on and the sales have commenced. With this comes Christmas festivals and celebrations happening in each town and within each family. Whilst this is an exciting and magical time of year, unfortunately cases of people suffering with coronavirus are rapidly rising. This article is going to run through some of the fun activities that take place across Christmas, with advice on how to stay safe and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Christmas Festivals and Occasions
Every year a whole range of different events, festivals and parties take place across the UK. Invitations to the general public can come from goodwill festivals, nativity plays, charity balls and the day that the Christmas lights are turned on. These events are a celebration of the festive period and can help raise money and awareness for those less fortunate over the Christmas period. Christmas parties and evening meals will be being organised by work places to give thanks to the employees for the last year and to bring their team’s together. Of course not forgetting that each family will have their own Christmas traditions, from Christmas Eve celebrations to Carole-singing and parties at home. Christmas is a time for loved ones to come together and celebrate.
5 of the best Christmas traditions
- Counting down to the big day – Sure, you can buy an advent calendar based on your kids’ favourite activities and watch with joy as they get a new goodie each day. But it’s even more fun to make your own. Fill 24 bags, boxes or drawers with love notes, candy, small toys or ideas for good deeds they can do that day to spread good cheer. Or, keep special ornaments aside in a box and add a new one to the tree each morning!
- The Christmas Tree – Whether you prefer a real tree or a reusable one, decorating the tree is a nationwide favourite activity at Christmas. It is a great time to be with the family and to work together to make the tree look magical.
- Christmas Jumpers – You leave it in the back of the closet all year long, waiting for its day in the spotlight. Now it’s time to bust out your tackiest fashions and wear them with pride (and possibly a Santa hat).
- Secret Santa – This is a fun and great idea for giving gifts to your work colleagues or extended family, whilst keeping to a budget. Secret Santa gifts can range from thoughtful to hilarious, and are a fabulous way to bring everyone together.
- A bit of friendly competition – Organise a marathon of your favourite board games, or DIY holiday twists on classic games like Pin the Nose on the Rudolph. Keep a running tally of who in the family is most victorious, and that person is Champion of Christmas … until next year.
At Care first, we want to support everyone during this time to ensure that Christmas is not only joyous but safe. Here are some tips below to prevent the spread of Covid-19 this Christmas.
Ways to keep your Christmas safe from Covid-19 this year
- Gather outdoors or in a well-ventilated room – It’s not quite the cosy scenario we imagined for Christmas, but gathering outdoors where possible is much safer than piling into a warm, stuffy room with a group of people. Aerosol transmission is less likely to happen outdoors.
- Think twice about pre-Christmas COVID-19 tests – It might be tempting to just order a coronavirus test to check whether you’re infected before you meet up with loved ones. But testing is not a silver bullet and you need to be realistic about what results can actually tell you. NHS coronavirus tests are intended only for those with symptoms.
- Stay safe while shopping for the big day – Many shops have implemented systems to limit crowds, and allow elderly or vulnerable shoppers to shop at quieter times. Wearing a face covering, keeping your distance from other shoppers where possible, and paying attention to face mask hygiene and good hand hygiene will all help to minimise the risk.
- Stay vigilant on the hand and surface hygiene – Experts suggest having a hand sanitiser pump by the door for your Christmas bubble guests to use when they arrive and to make sure you apply this vigilance throughout the festive period with frequent hand washing. This is especially important if you’re preparing food for others.
- Avoid physical contact where possible – It’s understandable that you may to want to give those you haven’t seen in a long while a big hug or a kiss, but this year it’s best to avoid physical contact.
- Bring your mask – While it might seem a bit impractical or even just depressing to have the family sat around wearing masks on Christmas Day, the fact is wearing a face covering can greatly reduce the risk when gathering in groups indoors. Consider this especially if you’ll be seeing elderly or vulnerable relatives or friends.
- Consider a virtual or smaller Christmas – Nobody wants to cancel Christmas gatherings. But the simple fact is, the more you can do to minimise time spent in big groups indoors with people from outside your immediate household, the lower the risk will be.
More information
If you would like to hear more about this topic, please join our live Webinar on ‘Celebrating festivals and occasions this Christmas’ on Thursday 9th December at 12:00pm-12:30pm. To register, please use the following link –
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4600528593691672845
If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place. If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.
Please be aware that Care first is an external provider and the information in their webinars may not fully align with advice from the University on some subjects.