- POPSUGAR Australia
- Family
- How We're Making the Most of Our Son's First Christmas, in Spite of COVID-19
How We're Making the Most of Our Son's First Christmas, in Spite of COVID-19
Emilee Janitz
My husband and I welcomed our first child the week before Thanksgiving. When I had first found out I was pregnant 10 months ago, COVID-19 was just starting to make its rounds in the US. We never imagined the pandemic would manifest the way it did and that it would affect life as we knew it for this extended length of time. It was our hope that by the time our son was born around the holidays, life would be a little bit more normal.
Well, normalcy is not the reality we were all dealt, unfortunately, and many of us are experiencing a holiday season very different from those of our past. Growing up and well into adulthood, Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. Every year, I look forward to many festive traditions including days dedicated to making and baking cookies with family members and friends, singing in holiday concerts, participating in holiday plays, and – of course – celebrating largely with family on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Related: 14 Holiday Traditions You Should Start With Your Family This Year
When I envisioned my son’s first Christmas, I saw all of these traditions playing out in my mind. Baking trays of cookies with family members between feedings, watching the little guy being held by his grandparents in front of the Christmas tree, bringing him to his first Christmas Eve Mass, and more. Sure, he is a newborn and wouldn’t have remembered any of this, but my husband and I were really excited to share the magic of the holidays with our bundle of joy.
As easy as it is to feel down and disappointed knowing our son’s first Christmas will look so different from what we always envisioned, my husband and I are doing our best to remain positive and create memories in spite of COVID-19 and life in isolation. This is how we’re doing that.
Related: Dear Baby, After Our Loss, Your First Christmas Means So Much More
Emilee Janitz
We're Keeping (and Making) Our Own Traditions
We’ll miss inviting our family members and friends over for our annual Christmas Cookie Day and sharing meals during the various Christmas dinners we attend on both sides of our family. But we have reminded ourselves that Christmas isn’t canceled and have upheld as many traditions as possible while isolating at home. We decorated the tree as a family, made the cookies we look forward to each year, and have had our favorite holiday movies playing on repeat.
In place of some of our usual social traditions, we’ve also been looking to create new traditions, including going out for drives to look at Christmas lights and making salt-dough ornaments out of our little guy’s handprints.
Emilee Janitz
We're Bonding as a Family Unit
Unfortunately, many of our extended family members are unable to isolate at home. This means the only interaction our son has had with his family members aside from his parents has been through our mudroom window and the occasional wave from a safe distance outside. While it’s been sad not being able to spend time with extended family, we’re using the opportunity to bond as much as possible as a new little family of three (five if you count the dogs).
Since my husband and I both started working from home at the beginning of the pandemic, our relationship has never been stronger, and the love and bond we feel now between ourselves and our son is indescribable.
Emilee Janitz
We're Cherishing the Small Things
To keep from being dragged down by the obvious disappointments, we’re wrapping ourselves up in the small moments and cherishing them for what they are. The pandemic will inevitably end, and holidays will once again feel normal. Our son will never be this little again. We’re making a point to take the time to appreciate him and this phase of our lives, capturing plenty of photos and videos along the way. Will we have large family dinners and gift exchanges this year? No. But we will have baby snuggles and the sound of infant coos.
Sure, this Christmas looks different from those of the past and certainly from what I envisioned for our son’s first. But different doesn’t have to mean bad or ruined. For us – with a little extra effort and a change in perspective – different will mean special and memorable.