The holidays—a season typically defined by family and gathering—are looking incredibly different this year. With the ongoing spread of COVID-19, it has become much more difficult for people to see their loved ones.

The sudden and drastic spike of the virus is making many wonder if social distancing guidelines were properly followed throughout the week of Thanksgiving.

Many individuals have had these holiday gatherings planned for months. Even though health officials begged people to stay home for Thanksgiving, some individuals refused to cancel their plans. 

The CDC recommends when gathering to stay outdoors, remain six feet apart, wear a mask, and follow all safety precautions. The CDC also states that more than one million cases have been reported in the United States over the last seven days. 

Our first instinct when seeing a loved one is to hug and greet them. There’s no doubt this year has made interactions underwhelming.

“Since my family isn’t extremely big, our Thanksgiving was small,” junior Lauren Wilhelm said. “We didn’t follow the rules as much because we didn’t feel the need to.”

Lauren wasn’t the only person who thought it was tough to be around family and still stay six feet apart. 

“Once you haven’t seen certain people in a long time, it’s extremely difficult not to run to them and be up all in their face, at least for my family,” junior Andrew Como explained. “We tried, but it did not work out too well sometimes.” 

On the other hand, there are families who could not even risk being together.

“All of my extended family stayed home, and we all got together on a Zoom call,” junior Sonia Lofgren said. “Even though it was not ideal, we knew that it was better since we have a large family from different places.”

Like Lofgren, junior Brady Slade’s family made sure to take all safety precautions in order to celebrate the holiday.

“We all got together at my aunt’s house because it was the biggest,” he said. “Everyone wore masks and tried to stay the regulated six feet distance. It was nice because we felt a little more comfortable while still being able to celebrate and be together.”

While COVID-19 has ruined many plans for the 2020 year, fortunately, many can still find a way to connect and share special moments with the people they care about the most.