Opinion | As Omicron dashes Christmas plans again, here’s how we can still give meaning to the festive season
- Covid-19 has upended travel plans and traditions, added to fears and reminded us of how, after so many health crises, we are still failing to protect the vulnerable
- This Christmas, make looking to how we can help those in need, volunteering and donating to charities a tradition
The simple tradition of having our young and small family take a photo with Santa at the mall has fallen through once again. And yes, a virtual Santa misses the point. Every mother’s child cannot “spy to see if reindeer really knows how to fly” when Santa’s not on his way; he’s not here – he’s only creepily superimposed onto a photo.
At least in Hong Kong, we’ve still got our chestnuts roasting on the open fire – those chestnut stalls have been popping up now temperatures have dipped.
And that’s the thing. These traditions and rituals anchor us in the here and now, keep us connected to the past and comfort us with the simple certainty that there are things we can count on next year and the year after that. They are signposts, like the real-universe version of “marking” ourselves safe. The stability and predictability of coming together to do something simple but important gives us a connection to one another and to time.
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