Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Philippians 4:4-5
In this season of pandemic, and racial tension and what I heard someone refer to the other day as “the Great Pause”, there have appropriately been calls for reflection and repentance. It is so important that we not just get through this time, but be transformed by it.
However, there is also a place for celebration in this season. As we begin to meet outside at a distance, we are excited to experience the human connection we were created for.
Here are five ideas that I, or friends of mine have tried:
- Virtual Travel Potluck Dinner.
Maybe the thing I miss most about the restrictions of this season is the inability to travel internationally. I invited some couples to think about where they’d like to travel when it’s allowed and to bring a dish representative of that place. If it’s a place they’ve already been, I asked them to come also with a memory to share. If it’s someplace new to them, I asked them to share what they’re looking forward to seeing.
One couple brought ceviche in individual mason jars (Covid considerate!) because they want to go to El Salvador.
I found all different sizes and types of mason jar at Target.
2. S’moregasbord gathering around the fire pit.
I LOVE the idea of all kinds of creative adaptations of s’mores! This picture from Country Living is amazing, but not very socially distance friendly, so my idea is to tie up a variety of ingredients in individual bandanas that folks can use as napkins, and tie them around their marshmallow fork. I can’t wait to do this one in September as the weather gets cooler!
3. Onesie Scavenger Shower. Our daughter, Maggie, was set to host a couples baby shower, but they couldn’t gather in person due to Covid restrictions. Instead of cancelling the whole thing, she wanted the expectant couple to have a special experience.
She asked each couple who had been invited to the shower to decorate onesies and take a picture of themselves. Then she created a Onesie Scavenger Hunt for the expectant couple, with clues sending them to different spots that were meaningful to them. At each spot they found two onesies and a picture of the the couple who created them.
4. Photo Scavenger Hunt on Bikes. The husband of a friend wanted to celebrate her well on her birthday so he invited 15 of her friends to surprise her, showing up at their house on bikes. He used the app Goose Chase to create a Photo Scavenger Hunt that sent three teams of five around our town to get pictures at different sites and text them back to my friend’s husband and kids at “command central” to get points.
5. Pizza and Podcast. This idea that I’ve posted about on Instagram, works well virtually or in person. Just send out a podcast suggestion and host a discussion (outside with distancing or on zoom) around pizza. Easy Peasy! I heard about this idea from Bailey T. Hurley and you can see more of her ideas here.
**One bonus idea that’s not a gathering: Weekly Themed Group Playlists to keep you going through Covid.
Daughter Katy has a group of friends who name a playlist master and a theme every week. Each person in the group contributes a song to go with the theme and sometimes they try to guess who’s contributed which song.
The playlist master sends out the curated list at the end of the week. Sometimes the themes are timely, like Social Distancing (Ex. “Stop, in the Name of Love!”), or Social Justice (Ex. “Blowin in the Wind” by Bob Dylan). Others are just great escapes, like Pop Divas (ALL the Lady Gaga and Adele) or Best Covers (“I Will Always Love You”)
What creative ways have you found to celebrate this season?
