As we cross the threshold into December, we also plunge into the busy holiday season. During normal times we would be gathering with family and friends, welcoming people into our homes, joining the throngs of shoppers in the stores, and indulging in our favourite comfort foods. But, as with everything in 2020, this will be a different sort of season for us as we do our part to control the spread of the novel Corona Virus, while at the same time preserving our sanity and our treasured traditions.
In recognition of the reality of our current situation, we’ve rounded up some cleaning and entertainment tips to help you navigate your way through the next few weeks with minimal risk to everyone in your accepted bubble, and some semblance of normalcy. We hope you find these both achievable and helpful for you and your family!
Step 1: Manage Your Environment
During these times of uncertainty it’s important to focus on what we can control, rather than what we can’t control. This means maintaining a healthy environment in our homes by staying on top of daily cleaning and disinfecting. We’re revisiting some of our COVID cleaning tips this week to help with this process:
For general cleaning, use warm, soapy water and clean from the least dirty areas to the more dirty areas.
Focus your efforts on high-touch areas by wiping these down with an anti-bacterial wipe or alcohol solution at least daily. These include light switches, tables and countertops, door knobs, toilets, appliances and all personal electronics. This is especially crucial after putting away groceries (which can also be wiped down).
Consider using a wipeable cover on your electronics to protect the surfaces from cleansers and disinfectants, and always follow manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Use throw blankets on couches and chairs and launder these regularly along with all other washable towels and materials.
Have hand sanitizer readily available in every room of your home and ask your family to use it as they come in.
ECO-TIP: Make your own reusable wipes from thin cotton towels, and launder as normal after every use.
Step 2: Use Technology to Connect with Loved Ones from Afar
The silver lining of this current situation is that we have access to technologies that previous generations did not have during similar pandemic situations. Rather than trying to have everyone over for the holidays, this year may be a time for virtual gatherings. Although you can’t share food, it’s still better than not connecting at all. We highly recommend these socially-distanced ways of connecting with your family and friends this season:
1. Zoom chats
Zoom is a video-conferencing application that remote workers have been using for years, and this technology exploded this year. It allows multiple people to login to the same virtual meeting room from a phone, tablet, or laptop, and socialize from the comfort of their own homes. You can order some local food, pop a bottle of bubbly, and soak in the sounds of each other’s voices. This also works well with our next suggestion, which is a website that allows you to play cards over the internet with up to 8 people!
2. Playingcards.io
Visit https://playingcards.io/ to set up your own private room and choose your card game! This website doesn’t support video chats, but you can connect via Zoom as well so that you can chat while you play. There are suggested card games (including the hilarious and politically-incorrect Cards Against Humanity), but you can also choose a custom game to play with your group. The added bonus is that if someone starts getting a little too competitive for your liking, you can just mute them.
3. Houseparty
Download this app, round up your crew, and buckle up for some good times. With games like “Heads Up” and “Chips and Guac”, you will keep yourself and each other entertained for hours. All games on this app are played face-to-face via video.
Finally, as giving is such a large part of this season, we want to encourage everyone to shop local and shop online as much as they can. Enjoy this beautiful December weather we’ve been having by getting outside and avoiding the crowds inside.
We wish you all the best for a Happy and Safe Holiday Season and we hope you’ll be inspired by our tips to stay healthy and Covid-free during the coming weeks! We’re all in this together. Xo