The most wonderful time of the year looks different in 2020 for so many reasons. As the holidays are approaching, it’s more difficult now than ever to compare our day to day lives with what we might have expected to experience.
Social justice movements were the headlines of the summer. COVID-19 truly upended all of our expectations for 2020, regardless of our resolutions and 2019 year-end promises. All Americans have been affected by the pandemic, which is to say that their year-end plans for this year have been, too. While Christmas isn’t necessarily “cancelled”, it will look different this year — much like other experiences throughout 2020.
So, what will Christmas look like come December 24th, 2020? Christmas tree specialty retailer Treetopia asked that question to the public in order to find out how people are choosing to celebrate this holiday season.
Their survey findings might surprise you!
Many People Won’t See Family or Friends
Over 70% of the respondents in the survey said that either they weren’t traveling to see friends and family or friends and family wouldn’t be traveling to see them. Last year, more Americans travelled for the holidays than ever before. According to AAA, 4.3 million people travelled for Christmas last year.
If individuals were travelling, most said that they’d be doing so via their car. 43.2% of respondents said they would be traveling by car, whereas 15.8% said they were going to be flying to their Christmas destination.
What’s wild about these numbers is that records are still being broken this year when it comes to the number of people travelling, even if 34 million fewer people are expected to travel for Christmas.
Traditions Still Matter… A lot
Even though many people responded saying that they wouldn’t be seeing friends or family for Christmas, their holiday traditions are still really important to them. Cooking family recipes, decorating, and watching holiday movies were some of the most popular responses when it comes to Americans’ favorite holiday traditions.
Fortunately, many of the holiday traditions are still viable. The biggest difference, according to the respondents, from other holiday seasons to this one is that shopping for gifts, hosting holiday celebrations, and visiting friends are all activities people will not be able to do. Thankfully, online retailers have helped make sure that everyone’s able to ship their gifts in a safe, socially distanced way.
May your Christmas season be merry, bright, and above all else: healthy.
Happy Holidays!
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