What Are You Doing For The Holidays in 2020?

Most of us, if not all of us, are happy to be in the home stretch of 2020. It's been a year like no other. A pandemic that won't end. The crippling effect it has had on the economy. An August derecho that destroyed homes and lives. Perhaps the holidays in November and December could add some much needed family time to the ugly equation. Not so fast. 2020 isn't quite done with us yet.

As COVID-19 continues to spread like wildfire in Iowa, indoor gatherings with groups of people are being discouraged. And that has led to some tough conversations and decisions among families. Sure, we all want to gather and celebrate the holiday season. But at what cost? Can your grandparents or parents risk getting coronavirus? That was the question that my family has been discussing recently and yesterday, we came to a painful decision.

For the first time in, well, forever perhaps, there won't be a family Thanksgiving dinner on my side, or Holly's side of the family. I talked with my in-laws and my parents yesterday and we discussed our concerns about getting together later this month. In the end, we decided that we didn't want to risk spreading the illness to those who might have trouble fighting it off. Holly and I both have parents with pre-existing health conditions that COVID-19 might prove to be too much for. Why risk it. We ruled out Thanksgiving, and decided that unless something drastically changes, Christmas wouldn't happen as normal either.

Yes, I'm disappointed. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I love sharing the day with family and great food. But this year we'll have to make a new tradition. We'll have a dinner for just our own family. In the end, making sacrifices like this are necessary. No holiday gathering is worth losing a loved one over.

Thanks a lot 2020.