2020 has been a really hard year for everybody, but on the bright side, Christmas is coming very soon.

Distanced holiday fun will be in store for the whole community to be safe and still have fun this Winter Break in Granville by creating fun ideas and having everyone try them.

There are many ways to make the holidays fun this year, and it will be very important to read through some very important rules. Plus, there are a couple of lists that are filled with great holiday ideas that can be done while socially distanced.

The fun time during Winter Break is the exciting part, where everyone can do whatever they want, relax and unwind from all the hard work in the past.

Spending time with family is a wonderful thing around the holidays. “Winter break is a time for family,” IS teacher Ryan Schwaiger said.

Time with the family around the holidays is very important, and there is fun for that.

“My daughters and I will probably do a lot of baking and watching Hallmark Christmas movies,” IS teacher MJ Burgess said.

The fun around the holidays, from a student’s perspective, is a little different, but they do the same things as everyone else.

“I like to sit in front of the fire and watch TV with my family,” sophomore Drew Coffey said.

Time with the family is fun, but time with friends is also important.

“For fun, I’d like to organize some socially distant hang-outs with friends or hang out with my dog,” junior Ethan Ginise said.

The holidays are going to be very different this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be very important to follow some safety rules and changes in plans for the upcoming holiday, given by the CDC.

Family gatherings, small gatherings, or any kind of in-person activity can be a potential spreader of the coronavirus to all guests.

“Our time with family will be done with much greater caution,” Schwaiger said.

Even though there are a lot of things that are unable to happen this year, there are plenty of great holiday ideas and activities that can be done socially distant. Good Housekeeping and Minted include a list of socially distant holiday ideas that everyone should try.

Families always get together for many reasons, but it will be played out very differently this year.

2020 has been a hard time, and families want to reconnect after being apart, but it gets more upsetting when families cannot get together from different households.

It hits hard on young children when they want to see their other family members, but they are unable to, and it makes them upset.

“We are still in the process of making arrangements to even see grandparents on both sides. Most drastically, my kids will not get to spend the night with either family at any point; it is a drastic departure for our family,” Schwaiger said.

Older children and adults understand better why they cannot get together, and for some, they are all right with it, even though it is upsetting.

“Usually, all of us are home for Christmas, but this year will be less of us. I’m expecting it to not be the exact same, but still very enjoyable,” Ginise said.

Getting together with family happens during the holidays, but getting together with friends, is also fun.

A lot of friend gatherings still happen, in today’s unprecedented time, but some will not do much around the holidays.

“I sometimes get together with friends and hang out, but I won’t be able to this year,” Coffey said.

Teenagers really love to hang with their friends all the time, but getting creative in hanging out another way can still be fun.

“I usually spend time with friends by going to their houses or having them at mine, but this year it will have to be virtual via Xbox or possibly a socially distanced meeting,” Ginise said.

The hard part about the holidays and the pandemic impacts is what is missed the most.

Several factors include getting together with “all of our family at one time,” chilling with “friends and family,” and the normal and celebratory “nature of the holidays.”

It will be hard to celebrate the holidays this year, but it can still happen, in a safer way. The holidays are always important, and this year will be a year to remember.

See what you know about holiday safety and fun ideas by taking this quiz

Quiz created by Luke Dixon