Holiday Fun for the Socially Distanced

It’s going to be a difficult holiday season for anyone who’s used to getting together with family and friends. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging across America, many are choosing not to travel or to celebrate only with a handful of close contacts.

But that doesn’t mean that the fun has to end!

The most obvious way to celebrate is to fire up the phone, tablet or computer and have a videoconference with your loved ones. Yes, it can be disconcerting to keep your eyes on the screen for hours on end, but it’s a great way to keep in touch.

Add a #festive virtual background to your call, Good Housekeeping suggests, to keep the #holiday spirit alive. An added bonus? You can speak from a pretend winter wonderland, a professionally decorated drawing room or the set of your favorite Hallmark movie.

You can still engage in traditional holiday pastimes such as baking cookies, taking a drive to see the holiday light displays or sending letters to Santa without getting into too many strangers’ airspace, Postable says.

Another activity is to send the holiday cards you might not have had time to send last year. Even though this blog is going live with only 10 days until Christmas, nobody is going to complain if your greeting arrives a day or two late or send a New Year’s card instead.

Consider sending one of your cards to a local #veteran you know (or find one at a nearby chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Association or other organization). They are getting older and will need to stay isolated to protect their health this year, and a card might brighten their season.

If you find yourself beset with holiday #clutter after all of the virtual celebrations are over, consider bagging and boxing your unused and unwanted stuff and contacting ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. It will be resold to new households, and the proceeds will benefit veterans programs.

The Organizing Blog wishes you and yours a safe, happy, healthy and clutter-free holiday season!

Crafting Christmas Cards for a Personal Touch

Southern Living says you can make Christmas cards every bit as clever and stylish as those you’d find in a store, and “be able to add personal touches to each and every card.” Make French knots on a card to illustrate a string of Christmas lights or a red-nosed reindeer, for example, or use decorative holiday ribbons to form the shape of a tree. Use buttons and bows to sew a wreath onto cardstock, or use glue and felt to create a holiday scene. Now get those cards in the mail — your addressees will appreciate the thought and creativity you put in!

Print Your Own Holiday Greetings at Home

Fancy greeting cards can cost up to $5 each. If you want to save money during the holiday season, try printing your own. Simply add a greeting to ready-made kraft paper greeting cards using a computer printer, Earnest Home says, and use a hot glue gun to affix a miniature wreath of boxwood to it. Total cost? 35 cents per card. You can try sprigs of rosemary, pine needles or holly instead of boxwood sprigs to suggest the holiday season, too; just use your creativity to get into the holiday spirit.