Most people have things they look forward to at Christmas. For some, it’s the anticipation of opening presents on Christmas morning. For others, it’s getting together with family and friends. Or maybe it’s that delicious Christmas dinner. With just three more sleeps until Christmas Day, I thought I’d take a break from the last-minute preparations and reflect on what I’m excited about for Christmas 2021.

With the ever-changing COVID situation, I have had to revise this post several times since it was first written. Maybe I need to update the title to “Things I may or may not be excited about for Christmas 2021 depending on the new COVID restrictions that are added between now and Christmas Eve.”

Looking back at Christmas 2020

Christmas 2020 was definitely one for the history books. Although it was strange not to celebrate with extended family and friends, we made the best of our simple, quiet Christmas celebration.

On Christmas Eve, we went for a walk around the neighbourhood to look at the Christmas lights. It was a beautiful night, and the lights sparkled even brighter thanks to the snow that fell as we walked.

On Christmas morning, we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow—what Environment Canada calls a perfect Christmas. Although we’ve always spent Christmas morning at home as a family of four, this was the first year the four of us spent the entire day at home with no guests, and no family gatherings to rush off to. We opened presents, did a video call with my in-laws, enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner, and spent the evening watching Christmas movies.

All-in-all, it was a nice change of pace from the usual hectic Christmas season. I think there’s a message in there—one of those pandemic lessons we need to remember!

Looking forward to Christmas 2021

For a while, it looked like Christmas 2021 would see a return to some more normal festivities. Over the last week, the explosion of COVID cases thanks to the omicron variant, has put a big question mark on some of our plans. It seems the pandemic isn’t quite done with us yet. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

Going to Christmas Mass

I think 2020 was the first time in my life I didn’t go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It was a strange feeling and I had to be satisfied with watching Christmas Mass on TV. I’m looking forward to going back to church this year.

Singing in the choir

Speaking of church, I missed singing with the choir last Christmas. Our choir recently started up again and, although we have to physically distance and sing with masks on, it will give me great joy to belt out the old favourite hymns on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Seeing my Mum

Last Christmas, we saw my mum for only about five minutes in the lobby of her apartment building when we dropped off her presents. For as long as I can remember, mum has hosted a Christmas Eve gathering for family and friends. It’s a Christmas tradition I had hoped to rekindle this year, but my mum lives in a small apartment which makes any kind of distancing a challenge. I’ll have to settle for seeing mum on Christmas Day instead.

Spending time as a family of four

My daughter Laura graduates from college in the spring. She’s an adventurous type so I literally have no idea where in the world she will be next Christmas. I’ve got two weeks off work and I’m looking forward to spending time with our family of four while she’s home. It may be our last chance to do that.

Boxing Day with the in-laws

Another annual tradition is our Christmas get-together with my husband’s family. It’s always fun and a little bit chaotic. This year, we were planning to celebrate on Boxing Day, although I’m unsure if we’ll be going ahead thanks to the latest public health restrictions. It will be a shame if we can’t gather because we have a new great-niece to spoil. Babies always make Christmas extra special.

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If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t take anything for granted. As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. At this point, it looks like I may be able to enjoy four of the five things I was excited about. I’ll savour these things because I missed them last year. But, I definitely hope to recapture some of the peace and tranquility of Christmas 2020.

What are you looking forward to this Christmas? Share your thoughts below.