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Celebrating the holidays during COVID

By Murphy Obershaw, A&E Editor

There have been a lot of changes in 2020 due to COVID-19. One of the biggest changes that we have yet to experience is how people spend their holidays.

With the holiday season coming up, people are starting to figure out their holiday plans, but for some Newman students, these plans may be different than what they would normally do to celebrate.

Those who usually would travel and get together with extended family members from in or out of town may not want to do so because of COVID-19.

Sophomore José Morales, who is originally from Texas but currently lives in Wichita, said that he is used to getting together with his immediate and extended family to celebrate Thanksgiving but will not do so this year.

“I’m actually not going to go home for Thanksgiving this year...Instead I want to stay here and still celebrate but kind of from far away and then not...expose myself, or my family,” he said.

Since he will not be with family on Thanksgiving, he said, he will spend the holiday working at Chick-fil-A and having dinner with his roommate’s family.

Morales does still plan on visiting family for Christmas and having a normal Christmas, though.

Freshman Sam Holmes usually celebrates two Thanksgivings, one with her mom’s side of the family and one with her dad’s, where her extended family gathers for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

This year, she will only be sharing a meal with one side of the family.

“My mom’s side of the family has already decided that we won’t be doing any family gathering...and then my dad’s side of the family...it’ll probably be about the same as normal because my family’s relatively small,” she said.

Despite her dad’s side of the family still gathering for Thanksgiving, Holmes said she thinks that they will probably prepare an easier untraditional meal to celebrate.

Holmes expects her Christmas plans to be similar to her Thanksgiving plans.

Sophomore Ariel Johnson’s holiday plans will not be too different during COVID-19 because she and her immediate family just spend time together.

She said she will spend the holidays at home hanging out with her family, watching movies and helping cook dinner.

PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, unsplash.com