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Culture & Living
Amid the global pandemic, many people around the world have decided to celebrate Christmas alone instead of in large groups. To help make these challenging times just a little easier, here is Vogue’s guide to a socially distanced—yet magical—festive season
Spoiler alert—Santa Claus isn’t real, but unfortunately COVID-19 is. And for a lot of us, that means the holiday season is going to feel a little different this year. But don’t despair—Christmas is not cancelled. Wherever you are in the world, even if that’s locked down in your apartment rather than a log cabin in the woods, Vogue is on hand to help you have a weird and wonderful 2020 Christmas. Here are six tips to help make this festive season feel magical, even in these challenging times.
This year, millions of people won’t be spending the holidays with their loved ones. So even if you’re on your own this Christmas—you are not alone. Macaulay Culkin had a ball when he was Home Alone, and you can too. This might not be the year for long journeys home and big family gatherings, so why not make this the year for doing whatever you want?
If that means ordering takeout and staying in your pyjamas all day—wonderful. If it’s your first Christmas with friends—great. As sad as being separated from your relatives is, you can still love whoever you are with, especially if that’s yourself. You can argue with your aunt over dry turkey next year. Christmas 2020 is a blank canvas ready to be turned into anything you want.
In non-pandemic times, spontaneity can be magical. But this year, make a plan. As a veteran of unconventional Christmases, two years ago I booked a last-minute Eurostar train from London to Paris on Christmas Eve, not really taking into account that everything would be closed. My Christmas dinner that year was a tin of baked beans that I had to open with a screwdriver. This year, I have a power-point itinerary and my day is scheduled to the second.
Fill your day with the things you love doing and find a way to make them feel even more special. If that means having a lie-in, put fresh sheets on your bed and iron your pyjamas. If it’s soaking in the bath for two hours, try a new bath oil. If you’re spending Christmas in a social bubble, work out who’s bringing what. See every minute as an opportunity to be doing something that makes you feel good and ensure you have everything on hand to make that possible.
© Tony Amos
There’s a reason most restaurant menus don’t feature turkey. If eating a sad version of a family Christmas dinner is going to make you think about the Christmas you’re not having, don’t torture yourself. If you’re somewhere where restaurants are open, think about going out this year. A lot of restaurants will be opening up to provide takeouts, so save yourself the washing up and support a local business.
If you want to spend the whole day eating snacks, stock your cupboards with all your favourites. If you’re on a health kick, go to Whole Foods and spend a week’s rent on a macrobiotic power bar. ‘Christmas dinner’ is a construct. And this year, my friend, you are free. Free to eat and drink whatever you want.
Everything's better with a good soundtrack. So make yourself a special holiday playlist that doesn’t just feature Christmas songs, throw in other tracks that make you feel good. And if your plans involve watching a movie, do not, and I repeat do not, leave it until Christmas Day to decide what that is. Don’t spend your Christmas scrolling through a Netflix-search wormhole. Think about something you really want to see, decide in advance, and look forward to it.
If you really want to upgrade your viewing experience, match your snacks to your movie. If it’s a Christmas film, eat mince pies or make cinnamon popcorn. If your favourite film is The Talented Mr Ripley, drink prosecco and eat cicchetti.
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This has been a tough year. For a lot of people, the idea of buying or receiving any gifts at all feels a little strange, and for some of us, buying presents for our loved ones and having gifts to look forward to is much-needed pick-me-up.
There is absolutely no shame in buying yourself a Christmas gift. That could be something extravagant or a new beauty product you’ve had your eye on. Or it could be an ethical gift from somewhere such as NGO Choose Love, where you can buy real gifts for refugees—such as coats, sleeping bags or blankets—and they will be delivered to the people facing winter in the most difficult of conditions.
Finally, the most important tip of all: remember to look after yourself. If you are spending Christmas apart from your loved ones this year, it’s completely fine to feel sad about it. But you shouldn’t beat yourself up. 2020 has not been a normal year, and this is not a normal Christmas. None of us could have imagined what this year would be like, and we all deserve a massive hug for making it through.
And, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are being rolled out as we speak, and hopefully this time next year you can be surrounded by your family wishing you were at home in bed, watching Netflix.
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