PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As with so many things this year, the coronavirus pandemic is making this holiday season very different. Whether it's social distancing keeping you from seeing family, or restrictions preventing holiday traditions, it can be difficult for people to adapt.
And while the holidays can be stressful for many in a normal year, COVID-19 adds a whole new layer.
Stress is something Moorestown, New Jersey resident Lisa Hawbecker is familiar with. The schoolteacher and her 12-year-old special needs twins are at high risk of contracting the virus, so the pictures with Santa and hayrides are no more, and the gifts she ordered for her kids haven't arrived.
"Trying to explain to my children why we don't have Christmas presents on Christmas morning is not an option," she said. "It's difficult to explain to the children why because they don't quite understand COVID. They don't understand the seriousness of it."
On top worrying about whether her kids gifts will arrive in the mail on time, her job is also raising her stress level.
"It's high for me because as a teacher, I can't be with my students," she lamented.
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"I think it's different because there is massive surge currently of COVID cases which is scary in and of itself but then it's also taking a toll on our traditions and the things that we hold dear, the things that we look forward to," said Penn Medicine clinical psychologist Thea Gallagher.
Because of these factors, Gallagher advised it's important for people to create new traditions this holiday season.
"Thinking of ways that you can enjoy this holiday season in a maybe more simple way," she suggested. "Being with your nuclear family, enjoying holiday movies, making cookies, doing things that bring you some of the joy of the season that it usually brings you."
And Gallagher said the best way to find joy, is to bring joy to others by reaching out to someone who might be alone this holiday season.
"It's always makes us feel better to reach out to other people and to give to them. It's also important to ask for help and to ask for help and support when we need it," she said.
For those having trouble coping with the holidays right now, Gallagher urges reaching out to a professional for help.