Virtual Holiday Suggestions By Cheryl Meyer Cheryl M Health Muse

How to be creative and have a very fun virtual holiday

1, Dispel all the negative feelings about the year so that you have a clean slate

Take long walks in nature. Could be in a beautiful spot, a park, your neighborhood When you take the walk use all of your senses, see the sky, feel the air on your face, feel the texture of a tree, notice the vegetation, smell the scents and make note of each
Laugh- look at yourself in the mirror and laugh for a full 2 minutes. Impossible to stay low if you hear laughing. You could also invite your friends to Laugh Yoga, and find instructions on Google
Dance- put on music that you love, get out of your head an into your body, and dance like nobody is watching.

Remember 2020 is just a moment in time, and this time will pass.

If you have lost someone dear this year, write them a love letter, hold a little ceremony and release your loving words to the universe
Make a list of all the things from past holidays that you love, and figure out ways that you can still do them. You can make the same foods, you can make gingerbread houses, you can still get out all your Christmas tree ornaments and decorate your Christmas tree. Chanukah is over, but you could have still lit the Menorah. You can still make your favorite Christmas cookies. You can still exchange Christmas presents. They don’t necessarily need to cost a lot of money. You could even offer gift certificates for future services, like mowing the lawn, food shopping for a loved one, errand running etc.

You can still pile into the car and drive around and enjoy Christmas decorations and lights on homes. And don’t forget the hot chocolate when you return home.

Send loved ones a card from Send Out Cards. You add the photographs of past special holidays, they make and address and mail the card. Customized for each person who receives it.
Check to see if any drive-in movie theaters have opened in your area and go see a holiday movie or another movie all piled into the car.
Have a holiday movie night with popcorn and infused fruit water with the entire family in your living room.
Instead of taking your kids and waiting in a long line to see Santa, you can make an appointment to virtually visit santa. Jinglering offers this service. Jingle ring also have virtual backdrops and has a similar service to zoom.
Plan multiple holiday gatherings via zoom or similar platforms

One of the advantages of zoom parties is that you can record them. We threw a grandson’s birthday party via zoom, copied the video and sent it out to relatives that could attend and to relatives and friends that missed it. Our grandson will have the recording for years to come. When the party was over, he made a play date with a cousin to play Pokeman and was happy as a clam.

Send invitations through EVITE. They also have a Zoom like program, free for up to 12 people. Evite have lots of invitations to choose from that are cute.
Have a gratitude virtual call together, where everyone shares the things they are grateful for from this year.
Plan a holiday menu and have each relative’s family make the same menu and then put zoom up on the tv in the living room and eat the dinner together.

Each family can suggest a dish for everyone to prepare.

Hold a virtual cocktail party with friends. I have healthy appetizers in several blogs on my website, https://cherylmhealthmuse.com. Homemade crackers, dips, cookies. Everyone can bring a cocktail of their choice, or you could pick a drink for everyone to make like a cranberry martini. Have each person do a toast.
Have a holiday story call where each person shares a funny story about themselves.
Have a family story telling call where each person shares a funny family story from holidays past
Have a party that does religious traditions. Each person could be assigned to read a passage from the Bible.
Pick out some fun holiday story books, and have each family buy a couple of them. Read a couple of the books out loud on a call. Assign the readings in advance. Or play Holiday Share a Story. First person begins the story with one line, and then the next person picks it up and gives one line to continue the story.
Have a Christmas Carole party. Get music ready in advance with music and words. And sing together as a group over zoom.
Throw a potluck for people in your immediate community. Someone divvies up the dessert and delivers it to each home, someone or several make holiday veggies, some make appetizers, some make potatoes, several are assigned the turkey or the ham. Buy bamboo serving boxes. Put it all on a spreadsheet with how many family members, any allergies and then deliver your dish to each home. While you are delivering, others are delivering to you.

Schedule a zoom to enjoy your potluck dinner together.

If you are in a warm climate, organize a back yard or a park picnic. Set up the food on a distant table so that you can go family by family and stay distant from each other. Set up card tables in a circle so that you remain distant for eating, but you will still be all together.
Have themed zoom parties. Organize where you all wear silly holiday hats, or silly holiday sunglasses. Ugly Christmas sweaters, themed makeup.
Hold a scavenger hunt. Each family chooses 4 items, and one person coordinates the entire list. Send the kids off to find t he items (while the adults have a cocktail party maybe.) Have prizes for the Kids that find the most and bring them back to share on zoom.
Have a secret Santa party with a $ limit. Maybe $10-15. Give out a number for which gift you get and another number for which gift you give. Open them online and then send them out after the party. Or mail them out a head of time, and open them one by one together.
Google and find holiday games to play together.
Bake Christmas cookies together via zoom from each kitchen.
Set up your TV in your living or family rooms for the zoom call. If you have older relatives, set it up ahead of time. With echo or Alexa you can ask the tv to turn on and or to call or sign into zoom. Send presents ahead of time but open them up on a zoom call.
Order food out. Whole Foods Prime Now will deliver deli food. Specialty Food catalogs ship. Everyone can receive the same thing. You can get whole turkeys, seafood from Legal Seafood, Good belly offers the best of the best from biscuits to pies. Wm Sonoma has an entire turkey dinner available to come by delivery. You could order from local restaurants and do curbside pickup.
Remember that some families are food challenged. If you can give food or $ to someone less fortunate.
Have a recipe swap party with girlfriends.