Turkey Bits
Do the 2020 holidays right with safety, technology and good communication
Dr. Fauci says no. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it’s complicated, but, basically, no. Governor Kate Brown says no, and she wants Oregonians to call the police on folks who say yes.
So how are you going to have a COVID-safe holiday season? Keep on doing what we do in the Comm Program at Southern Oregon University: adapt, persist and improve.
It probably means fewer grandparents and hometown friends, and more pajamas. But for those who are staying safe at home this holiday season, here are a few more ways to bring your family and friends virtually to your celebrations.
Host a virtual party: It’s really hard not being able to visit with family and friends over Thanksgiving, but video call apps like Zoom, FaceTime, Skype and WhatsApp allow you to engage with your loved ones virtually. Zoom and FaceTime have the added bonus of adding multiple people in different locations, while Skype and WhatsApp are optimized for one-on-one conversations. To host your virtual party, pick a date and time and send the link to your friends and loved ones.You can even involve food and drinks, so send recipes to your guests!
Host a watch party: If you’d rather watch something than chat about how terrible 2020 has been, check out the multiple apps that allow you to stream a show or film with your friends at the same time. Netflix originally popularized this idea with its party app, a Google Chrome extension that deploys a chat window while the film is playing. You can also host watch parties on Amazon and Hulu with their own extensions. Metastream provides similar functionality for Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and Twitch. The Verge has a great list of all the watch party apps.
Play online games: Traditionally a lot of holiday celebrations include gathering together to play a game of charades, a board game, or tackling a puzzle. For example, the group game Mafia (otherwise known as Werewolf) recently launched a new online version called Among Us. “Play online or over local wifi with 4–10 players as you attempt to hold your spaceship together and return back to civilization. But beware…as there may be an alien imposter aboard!” (innersloth.com, 2020). As a team, players must discover who is the imposter before the entire crew is murdered! The app is free to download on Apple and Android. For those who want more of a puzzle, try a virtual escape room. Ranging in difficulty from easy to really hard and with a variety of themes from Harry Potter to Minecraft, virtual escape rooms challenge your detective skills while maintaining your safety. Call up a friend on Facetime or Zoom and do the virtual room together! And don’t forget the reliable social fun entailed in the Jackbox Party Pack.
Whatever you end up doing, make sure you are following the CDC guidelines. If you host a party in person, do it outside. Ask your guests to bring their own utensils and plates. Make sure people are serving themselves food one at a time and not crowding around the table. It’s a different type of holiday season this year, but as long as we do all we can to stay connected to the people we love, we can still have fun!
Story by Autumn Micketti (@mountainmusicwoman), Community Manager for the Communication Program at Southern Oregon University.
