A different holiday season: St. Joe’s families share how they celebrate safely
The holidays are normally a time to mix and mingle with extended family and enjoy festive cheer with close friends.
With Hamilton in the grey “lockdown” zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 framework, and a provincewide shutdown soon in effect, many will be marking the season differently this year, including healthcare workers at St. Joe’s.
We asked a number of families who work at St. Joe’s how they will celebrate safely, and find new ways to make the season merry and bright.
Dr. Rajendar Hanmiah, Physician, General Internal Medicine, Preeya Hanmiah, Respiratory Therapist, Respiratory Services, and their children, Arjun, 6, and Shreya, 8
The Hanmiahs have switched out their usual holiday plans, but are still finding ways to make it the season the most wonderful time of the year.
“Normally, we host a large family dinner with our cousins and make a weekend of it – a 10-year tradition that is a highlight for the whole family,” Dr. Rajendar Hanmiah says. “Of course, this year we won't be having our usual in-person dinner, but we still plan on having a virtual family gathering.”
As well as connecting with loved ones online, the Hanmiahs have been making the most of being together by watching movies, playing board games, and drive-by light displays with snacks and hot chocolate in tow.
“This year, we have rediscovered the simpler pleasures in life with our children,” Dr. Hanmiah adds.
Lindsay Heisey, Registered Practical Nurse, COVID-19 Unit, and Spencer Erb, Registered Nurse, Operating Room
For partners Lindsay Heisey and Spencer Erb, the pressures of working on the front line during COVID-19 coupled with losing loved ones this year has made getting in to the spirit of the season tough.
“Not only are we missing big celebrations, but we're also missing family members who are no longer with us,” says Heisey. “Spencer and I each lost a grandfather since the start of the pandemic, so we've become familiar with navigating through difficult times.”
Heisey says an outpouring of love, support, and appreciation, including from colleagues at St. Joe’s, has helped the couple get through a hard year.
“We'll be holding on to that until we can safely celebrate with our families again,” she adds.
Ekram Johar, Registered Practical Nurse, Schizophrenia Services, and Ketmeia Nuru, Food Services Supervisor, Nutrition and Food Services
For sisters-in-law Ekram Johar and Ketmeia Nuru, celebrating Eid to mark the end of Ramadan earlier this year was void of traditional get-togethers of festive meals to break the fast.
In-person gatherings were replaced with drive-through festivities at the mosque, and drive-by greetings to one another’s homes to exchange gifts.
“It was about celebrating while keeping each other safe,” Nuru says.
While wearing masks and keeping a physical distance from others made the holiday different, Johar and Nuru were still able to honour the true meaning of Eid.
“With the family avoiding the typical large gatherings of the holiday, it left more time to focus on worship and spirituality,” Johar adds.
Mark Shea, Painter, Building Services, Richard Shea, Food Service Helper, Nutrition and Food Services, and Erin Stevenson, Registered Practical Nurse, 6 Surgical
Being from a big family, Erin Stevenson says she and her uncles, Mark and Richard Shea, are going to miss making fond memories together this holiday season.
“We usually all get together on Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house with our extended cousins, aunts, and uncles,” she says. “This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are not able to celebrate in person.”
Even so, Stevenson says her family members are looking forward to making new memories in their household “bubbles,” and celebrating as a group again when safe to do so.
“It’s too bad Santa couldn't lend a little bit of magic this year and keep COVID-19 away, but there's always next Christmas!,” Stevenson adds.