COVID Christmas

This year the COVID pandemic changed how people spent Christmas. Social distancing rules made the gatherings smaller and/or more creative. 

I tend to regard all gatherings with a bit of dread and a whole lot of anxiety and every year have to drag myself into the spirit of Christmas.  

Sure I like Christmas music (played in December), Christmas movies (yeah Grinch  & Scrooge!), food (mandarin oranges and dark home-made fruitcake), Christmas light displays, and snow. Snow! Love the snow! This year it came all at once, in one night, burying birdbaths and feeders. 

But there's also the anxiety of buying gifts, making small-talk at social gatherings, and generally being with people. Not any of my favourite things.

Personally, I thought this COVID Christmas was going to be a cake-walk.  Everyone had to stay home in their restricted bubbles. I could spend Christmas at home, alone. No stress! Well, until King Kenney made a decree at the last possible moment (that I chose to ignore) that single people could invite one person into their homes.

Then interesting things happened. 

There seemed to be way more Christmas displays set up in my neighbourhood, and a month sooner, too.  There was the giant inflatable Abominable Snowman from the movie Rudolph, a trio of friendly penguins waving at passerby's, and subtle little ornaments some easily missed but a delight to find. 

One Sunday morning near Centre Street Bridge, a family dressed in Santa suits greeted pedestrians and traffic with cheerful smiles and waves and wishes of Merry Christmas. 

On Christmas Eve afternoon my community association organized a Drive-By Santa, on a firetruck! Santa on a drive-by got me out of my safe little no-Christmas cave. Although, later I would wonder at the wisdom of someone my age chasing a firetruck through snowy streets during a mini Chinook. (Couldn't move much the next day or two. Still, worth it!)

Still, as always, my intentions to photograph one thing turns into me seeing much more. 

Like the lady who stood at her front door and honked a bike horn at Drive-By Santa.

Like the family that built a mountainous snow fort, big enough for a kid to snowboard down one side.

Like the small group that gathered in front of an elderly woman's front door to serenade her with Jingle Bells. 

On that epic snowy Monday evening, I spent a few hours on a Zoom Christmas party with some lovely grannies.  This Christmas I even baked fruitcake cookies and oatmeal bread and smoked ham. Some I shared without the usual tinge of insecurity.  

A most unusual Christmas, indeed. But, as usual, a Christmas that turned out pretty okay. Hope your's was pretty okay, too.

COVID-19 Summer

In spite of COVID, this month I actually took photos of performers; the John McCaslin Trio at Tigerstedt Block and Jeremy Gignoux at McHugh Bluff.  Something I haven't done in a while, even before COVID. For the most part, though, I stay pretty close to home, only venturing out to do groceries, go to work, and see the odd community pop-up event. It was a treat capturing the weed grazing goats in their pen near McHugh Bluff. 

Otherwise, my cat and my patio garden have been mostly my main subjects. All that I see. Every summer-thing that usually happens is cancelled or online due to COVID. 

Nothing New - Until COVID-19

It's been over a year since my last blog posting. Sorry. Laziness on my part. Also, nothing new happened in 2019.

There were protests,

cosplay,

one year with Lana,

the usual events,

and some street photography.

But for the most part, there was nothing new to say about the photos I posted.  This year, 2020, started out the same way.

Then COVID-19 hit. Businesses closed. Homes closed. Signs went up in windows.

  

Self-isolation made photography a little more challenging. Thinking the lockdown was only going to last a month or two, mid-March, I created a "During the Time of Isolation" album on Flickr.  That title might change to "A Year of Isolation." Or more depending on how soon a vaccine becomes available. Or COVID social distancing procedures become the new normal.

It started with a flurry of cooking and projects to fill the time,

perfect pancakes - a first

doily crocheted out of embroidery thread

homemade yoghurt

getting to know local wildlife from the inside,

and walking around the neighbourhood once or twice a week.

In the beginning, things were put in windows to make walks interesting for kids. I did my part.

Protests are extraordinary.

Nature seems to be a bit testy, as well, with June rains turning into hail-storms more often than usual; clobbering my attempts at container gardening and freaking out flowers not protected by trees.

 Lana is getting used to being hugged several times a day. Sort of.

Then there are things I can't take photos of. Grocery shopping is too stressful for me to pull out my camera, what with having to pay attention to duct-tape arrows in the aisles and unintuitive self-checkouts. There's rewatching hours of television shows and movies on video. There's socializing through social media and email. Testing negative for the virus is a phone-call celebration with friends.

This summer will be different when/if I get called back to work. I haven't seen anyone from work since mid-March. I'm thinking we're all looking greyer.

To be continued...

Links:

• COVID-19 - Wikipedia
• 100 days into the pandemic, we’ve moved from anxiety to complacency, without much reason to do so - Globe and Mail