While it’s true that there’s no place like home for the holidays, many families are wondering whether home is the safest place to host a large holiday gathering this year. Many people are advising against a large party gathering this year, due to the pandemic.
There’s much risk involved in gathering inside a home with large groups. You’ll need to take into consideration who is high risk and low risk for the virus while planning this year’s holiday gatherings. Discuss concerns with your family so that you can plan a modified holiday gathering this year.
While you can opt to host a virtual holiday party via Zoom, there are some safety measures to put in place for an in-person holiday gathering this year. We’re sharing some of the best tips to help you modify your holiday gathering so that you can enjoy the company of your family during these current times.
Evaluating Indoor Holiday Gatherings
This is when living in warmer regions of the world will come in handy. You can create cross ventilation for indoor holiday gatherings by opening a door and window adjacent to each other. This will provide ample ventilation to reduce the risk of anyone contracting the virus or other sickness during your festivities.
You’ll want to seat everyone a distance apart, perhaps 3-6 feet. This will help reduce the risk of contracting the virus if anyone happens to be asymptomatic. Have multiple utensils available so that no one is sharing the same silverware or plates. Keep appetizers in the kitchen and have one person serving them so that multiple hands aren’t reaching into the appetizer dishes to get their treats.
Make sure your selected room in the house provides the space and options necessary for social distancing and ventilation. If you don’t have a large enough space indoors, you may consider going outside for the holiday gathering this year.
Evaluating Outdoor Holiday Gatherings
Many people have switched out their indoor holiday gatherings for outdoor festivities. This is said to be safer than cramming into one place indoors with the family. You’ll have more ventilation from the air outside and be able to place people further apart.
The downside to an outdoor holiday gathering is that it’s not possible in the colder weather regions of the world. If you have snow on the ground and looking at freezing temperatures, well an outdoor party isn’t going to be realistic. If you can host your holiday gathering outdoors, we highly recommend you adjust your plans to do so.
Set Some Holiday Gathering Rules
Now that we’ve covered the basics of where to host your holiday gathering this year, perhaps it’s time to set some rules. You’ll need to modify how you handle every aspect of this year’s holiday gathering for maximum safety. Consider having family members wear masks, and not show up if they have any flu or cold-like symptoms. Have a backup plan for any family member who was going to attend so they can be with you virtually via a Zoom video chat.
Since you’re hosting this holiday gathering indoors or outdoors, you’re the one who can be in charge of setting any rules you feel make everyone safer. The ability to distance the guests so that everyone stays a good distance apart, and modifying how you serve food and drinks will go a long way to ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy the company of family during the holidays without the risk of getting super sick.
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