With the holiday season coming around for the 3rd time since COVID-19 arrived, the world is still experiencing its effects. Though, some have started to re-adjust, with families becoming close again and celebrations going mostly back to normal. Festivals and shops have since reopened, but the usual holiday spirit may have gotten a hit that will take time to heal from.  

Through summer and eventually the holiday season, contact with other people had been restricted due to COVID-19, making family gatherings and reunions scarce. As some have lost family members through the pandemic, the holidays can be trying times to keep up spirit, but the world has bounced back in certain ways since the first wave.   

Initially, many celebrations and festivals were cancelled. Even the state’s signature Disneyworld parks closed, leaving many families without a popular holiday vacation spot. Employees were furloughed or laid off completely, and the job market at that time made it difficult to seek out funding for decorations or gifts. With shops shutting down and families separated and some isolated or sick, holiday spirit ran at an all-time low. “It really kept me from going anywhere,” says 10th grade visual artist Valeria Rivera Santos. Travel restrictions were harsh for certain countries as well, limiting the number of people from foreign places who could have a reunion.   

After the pandemic, festivals are still encouraging people to stay a safe distance apart. An abundance of hand sanitizer stations and more disinfecting equipment have been scattered around in nearly every booth in festivals. Additionally, with the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, more precautions have been added. Some events have limited requiring masks for those who are vaccinated, and as groups of people decided to have that vaccination rise in numbers, more people would be allowed into celebrations.  

However, with another holiday season coming around, changes have been made. “The world has just worked on keeping us safe from the virus in terms of bouncing back by slowly reopening shops and public areas,” Valeria continued, speaking about her experiences while working through quarantine. Although the marks of the pandemic will remain, humanity has found a way to overcome it, becoming resilient with holiday spirit and trying to keep up a good attitude.