By Katlyn Marotz, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Even though cities have been opening back up and vaccination rates have increased, COVID-19 has still proven to impact and disrupt holiday plans for Indian Trail High School students.
And now with a new omicron variant coming out of South Africa, the pandemic could curtail holiday celebrations once again.
Indian Trail senior Mireya Kubisiak said this year and the last year’s festivities were affected by COVID-19. Her family would usually go to both sides of her parents’ family for Thanksgiving, and to her grandma’s for Christmas Eve and celebrate Christmas at her home with family.
“Last year, we weren’t able to have any Thanksgiving celebrations at all. We all stayed home because a lot of my family is older,” the 17-year-old said.
“With most of my family vaccinated, besides the younger kids, there will be smaller gatherings this year,” she said. “I still plan to make tamales with my grandma and mom for Christmas.”
The economy has changed since the pandemic as well, affecting some family budgets.
“Inflation due to COVID-19 has made getting presents more expensive and buying the food for Thanksgiving more expensive,” Kubisiak added.
“It has also made students worried about a potential situation like last year, where everyone was virtual for the holidays.”
According to an October 2021 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index for urban consumers (CPI) jumped 0.9% from September to October. And over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 6.2%.
And the CPI for food increased to 4.6% in September 2021. The price for dairy and related products increased 0.6%, fruits and vegetables increased 3%, and nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased 3.7%.
Teens are watching how COVID-19 may impact the upcoming holidays.
“I hope not,” she said. “I think that once the economy settles and more people get vaccinated, we will be able to go back to some sense of normal.”
Kubisiak misses seeing her family more often, especially her grandparents. But COVID-19 vaccinations being available has made it easier for her to see them.
To prevent exposure to the virus, all of her family will be vaccinated, she said, and Kubisiak will be taking COVID-19 tests to stop any spread of the virus.
Yulissa Chavez, an IT senior, also had her holiday plans disrupted by the pandemic. Some of her holiday plans include helping cook Thanksgiving dinner, Black Friday shopping, and looking at the Christmas lights in downtown Chicago, Ill.
“Not as many family members feel comfortable coming over and being around a large group of people,” she said. “So my family usually ends the night earlier than usual, and we cook a lot less food to eat.”
She said the biggest impact from COVID-19 for her was not being able to see her family as much. She misses the normalcy before the pandemic, and not having to fear getting the virus.
Currently, the United States of America has 196.2 million fully vaccinated people, and there have been 776,703 deaths as of Nov. 30, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Meanwhile, Chavez and her family will try to prevent the spread.
“(By) wearing masks when we go out, getting tested, social distancing, and staying home when we have a cold,” Chavez said.