The holiday season is coming up quick; excitement is in the air, and students are ready to take a break from busy schoolwork and countless Zoom calls. From catching up on TV shows, some much needed sleep or seeing family, plans are limitless. But unfortunately due to COVID-19, some plans are getting canceled and traveling is very limited, especially for virtual students Emma King and Camryn Tucker. With there being so many restrictions, things look a little different this year, but both students have some ideas in mind. 

Tucker, 16-year-old FHN junior, was pretty excited about her birthday during fall break. She wasn’t too worried about the lack of traveling, because she didn’t plan on leaving town. 

“I’m planning on celebrating with my mom and step brother, because his birthday is coming up as well so we’re going to join the parties together,” Tucker said. “But I don’t think I’m going to be traveling far. If I got the opportunity I totally would, because I’m a lunatic.” 

Her plans for the holidays, however, aren’t necessarily going the way she originally wanted them to. Because of COVID-19, Tucker doesn’t know if she will be able to spend Christmas at her aunt’s with her mom and grandma, as usual. 

“My family and I hadn’t really placed any plans into stone, but it’s a tradition for us to visit my aunt’s house every Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we’ll have to see about that. We’ve all been social distancing though, so I’ve seen some aunts and uncles recently,” Tucker said. 

Tucker also talked about how COVID-19 has strengthened her relationship with her family. He barely got to see them before the virus outbreak, but it has impacted how they value time together. 

“I feel like our relationships have gotten better in a weird way. I definitely spend more time with them now than I did before,” Tucker said.

For King, another junior who attends Francis Howell North, things are a bit different. She can’t travel at all considering the fact that her mom works as a preschool teacher, so she doesn’t want to risk bringing the virus to the kids, and her boyfriend has cancer, so he’s highly susceptible.

“I have to social distance in order to see him, otherwise his mom wouldn’t allow me to come over,” King said. 

Nonetheless, King still had fun plans for the holidays, and is hoping to spend a lot of time with her boyfriend. Her parents remain cautious about social distancing. 

“I have some small but enjoyable things planned like going to a pumpkin patch with my boyfriend and decorating a Christmas tree with my grandparents,” King said. “My parents don’t really let me hang out with my friends either, because they do not know where they’ve been.”

Though a pandemic isn’t easy for anyone, some students have managed to find a silver lining. Tucker added that she is “thankful for the opportunities” COVID-19 gave her, because she got a job out of it. King is “grateful for the extra time” she’s been given to spend quality time with her family.