As an #ERdoctor, there have been many Thanksgivings or Christmas’ that I was working in the ER, away from my family — And I know that while I’m accustomed to it, this year – for all of us – will be different because we’re really not able to have Thanksgiving like we normally do.
But I’ve realized one thing – when you’re working on #Thanksgiving, #Christmas, or any other holiday, it’s important to not just see it as something I “have to get through.” I actually now look for MEANING, for special experiences, for unique connections. Maybe it’s by doing something to brighten the day of a colleague – thanking them, complimenting their scrubs color, making them laugh. Maybe it’s by bringing a patient an extra snuggly warmed blanket, or helping them FaceTime with a distant family member. Maybe it’s just sitting with someone, holding their hand, letting them know they are not alone. I’ve found that these holiday shifts are sometimes my most meaningful ones of the entire year.
Truth is, I’m not the only one who works on #holidays – and I decided to reach out to other people who also work holidays – and had SO any AMAZING conversations with them on their experiences away from home for the holidays — and how they keep them special. (see my video post just prior to this one – where I spoke of other doctors, nurses, a freight train conductor (!), and military service members. (**Be sure to watch my video with photos and stories they sent me, in the post right before this!**).
So, this year, I challenge you to make this Thanksgiving memorable – but in a good way. Because let’s be honest – it will be memorable, that’s for sure – but it’s up to each of us, to choose how we remember it.
With that in mind, here are some ideas to make it special:
👉 Zoom or FaceTime with distant #family members while you eat (especially important if any family members are eating solo).
👉 Activities for a large Zoom or FaceTime with the entire extended family:
🦃 Talk freely, or go around the group sharing a memory from prior Thanksgivings when you were together (points here for the more funny, embarrassing, or touching memories).
🦃 This is also a perfect time for a FAMILY SLIDE SHOW over zoom (double points for making everyone watching cry happy tears)
🦃 or a FAMILY TRIVIA NIGHT, with trivia questions made specifically by other family members.
🦃 Alternatively, let the youngest members of the family (or perhaps all the grandchildren) each put on a mini talent show for everyone else.
🦃 Other virtual games: Thanksgiving Bingo, or Thanksgiving madlibs or charades
🦃 All donate to a shared cause (or two) together
🦃 All dress up according to a specific theme (ie the year the grandparents got married? 80s hair bands? Your favorite dessert)
👉 Family movie night in PJs and with hot chocolate
👉 Family game night – think Monopoly, Battleship, Cards Against Humanity (for older players), Charades, or Taboo. * Family hide and seek or sardines * Thanksgiving crafts (ie for people like myself who aren’t crafty, I’m specifically meaning craft *kits* 🙂 )
👉 Make a shared Spotify playlist with family members near and far, so you’re all listening to the same music
👉 Create a holiday care package with some of your favorite things, and that of a loved one – and send to them to open
👉 Baking together – and no shame if it’s the scoop-and-bake cookies.
👉 Pull out YOUR favorite holiday books and read them to your children (I read “The Night Before Christmas” to my daughter last night – and it was such a wonderful moment).
Maybe you try any of the above things I mention doing in the ER – because the truth is – just your being present for someone, can be a gift that changes their day. Yep – you’re that powerful.
How will you make this Thanksgiving fun and special – one that we actually look back on with fondness, instead of one that we just “got through”? How will you create NEW traditions – that you may even look forward to every year? Because as I’ve learned from my ER holiday shifts – it’s not the circumstance, but our mindset, that helps one another and makes every moment meaningful.
I’m grateful for YOU – for your support – for your messages.
All my love,
Dr. Darria
