TWV Podcast Episode 428 Quarantine Holidays

Welcome to episode 428 of The Whole View! This week, Stacy and Sarah talk about navigating the quarantine holidays this year and give tips and tricks for alternatives celebrating activities. Sarah and Stacy share what they have planned for their holidays and advise you to stay safe this year!

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The Whole View, Episode 428: Quarantine Holidays

Stacy welcomes everyone to the holiday season. And reminds us that the holidays may look a little different this year.

She goes on to say that this top has been at the top of her family’s mind.

She wanted to make sure that they share with listeners some of the ideas they’re talking about for this quarantine holiday season.

Stacy reminds listeners that everything in life is all about mindset. If you approach this as an opportunity for new traditions to carry forward, it can keep the holidays’ magic from being completely squelched.

She jokes one way to do this is to start celebrating sooner and shares she plans to put her tree up next week!

She shares she is looking at this as an opportunity to add to traditions her family already has instead of focusing on what she may be missing out on.

Stacy then reminds us that we’re definitely not going to feel good about it if we go in with a negative mindset.

Sarah loves the idea of using this as an excuse to extend the festivities (at home).

She shares a story of a neighbor who has Halloween decorations of skeletons dressed up as pirates in their front yard. But for eight days, she was convinced these skeletons were dressed up as Santa-elves.

She has now decided that blending Halloween and Christmas decorations is the most brilliant idea ever.

Stacy takes a moment to make a shout out to anyone listening in from Canada and hopes that you had an amazing Thanksgiving.

She apologizes for the off timing, seeing as both she and Sarah celebrate in the US.

Butcher Box

Stacy takes a minute before jumping into this week’s topic to make listeners aware that Butcher Box is offering a free turkey this year.

She lets listeners know that they are not sponsoring this show. But she feels it’s such a great deal she wants the audience to know out it.

If you sign up before November 15th, you can add a 10-14 lb, free-range turkey to your box.

You can visit Butcher Box for more info!

Stacy and Sarah have both taken advantage of many different grocery box services, such as Thrive Market and Hungry Harvest.

Stacy adds that it’s a great way to limit exposure within our communities as we continue to see increasing levels of Covid cases (which is higher than it’s ever been).

Sarah warns listeners that this means is the “height” of the pandemic hasn’t actually happened yet.

Stacy thanks Sarah for that dark moment.

Stacy adds that just because we are all “over it,” it doesn’t mean the danger is over.

She confides that she is very concerned for everyone’s loved ones going into this winter gathering season.

Stacy encourages listeners to review and follow the CDC recommended guidelines as they plan their holiday festivities. And to pay attention to any additional guidelines in their specific areas.

She also reminds the audience that she and Sarah are not experts. They are merely sharing what they and their families have decided to do, based on the guidelines that apply.

Halloween: Quarantine Holidays

Sarah takes a moment to say how the traditions we’re used to doing, like costume and office parties, aren’t very safe this year. (10:53)

So she feels it’s important to talk about what we can still celebrate.

Stacy shares that Halloween is her favorite holiday. And she admits that they have done very little to celebrate this year because she’s been a little upset “normal Halloween” isn’t happening.

Every year, she holds a costume party, which is how she’s met a lot of fellow paleo-people and made a lot of great friendships and connections.

Stacy’s Alternatives

Not having this tradition this year left Stacy a little heartbroken. (12:50)

But after a little research, she decided that this year, their tradition would be working through a “Halloween Movie Watchlist” with her boys, now that they’re old enough.

Stacy assures Sarah that not all of the movies are super-scary-horror movies. And that there are many “campy” and fun alternatives.

She also jokes that there are some traditional horror films on that list that she will not be watching, leaving Matt and her oldest son to check off the list for them.

Stacy also shares that she will be starting “You’ve Been Boo’d” today now that she’s fully prepared for which neighbors she’s decided to “Boo.”

Sarah shares a similar experience when he first moved into her house, where someone left a treat on her doorstep, rang the doorbell, and ran away.

Stacy explains to listeners that it’s a pay-it-forward game and is a fun, low-contact way to interact with others.

She also talks about holding a Halloween Scavenger Hunt or a Candy Hunt to get the kids outside and moving around.

She also recommends checking out virtual alternatives for parties and contests.

Stacy also mentions that you very well may love a new idea you try out and want to continue it in future years as well.

You can refer to Stacy’s post for more ideas for alternative Halloween activities.

Staying on Track During the Quarantine Holidays

Stacy mentions that as we get closer to November, that’s where we start to move away from the “fun for the kids” holidays and into gathering seasons with Thanksgiving and Christmas. (21:49)

She adds that this is when we’re going to be drawn comfort food while in quarantine.

It becomes even harder to not give in to all that comfort food when we’re not feeling our best or getting enough sleep.

Stacy adds that making healthier choices is easier this year since there won’t be as much pressure from family or work parties.

If you don’t make it or buy it, it’s not in your house.

Stacy suggests that whatever it is you want this year, come up with the plan now.

You don’t need to wait until New Year to make a resolution. And that you can decide what your holiday season will look like this year.

Stacy shares that her mental health is very tied to physical activity, and that is why she started going on her daily walk.

Her other workout methods weren’t doing enough for her. Plus, autumn is her favorite month!

So she decided to go out and find new paths through the neighborhood she doesn’t normally go down.

Sarah shares that she also walks for about an hour every morning, rain, or shine.

She shares the secret to this habit is her high-energy dog is only well-behaved if she gets that long walk every morning.

Sarah also has realized some of the inclement weather walks she’s been on this summer have been (surprisingly) her most fun walks.

The Importance of Mental Health

Stacy tells us that sometimes self-love doesn’t feel great in what we’re telling ourselves we need to do, but we feel so much better after. (32:14)

For Stacy, physical activity is definitely an act of self-care and self-love because she feels so much better after.

She adds getting more sleep and giving herself a break to her acts of self-care list.

Stacy reminds listeners that beating yourself up when your to-do list starts to slide. Telling yourself negative things isn’t helping anything.

It’s important to remember this going into this holiday season because it is statistically one of the worst mental-health seasons.

Adding the added stress of a global pandemic isn’t doing to make anything any easier.

She shares a quote that’s stuck with her:

“Whoever needs to hear this right now, you’re staying home, and self-isolating might have saved a life. You don’t know that, and you can’t point to it, but you are worth congratulating yourself for making that sacrifice for others.”

Stacy reminds you that even when something goes unplanned, to give yourself a break and move forward.

Practicing Gratitude

Stacy also admits, thanks to Sarah, she’s gotten back into gratitude. She jokes that she refuses to call it meditation, however.

Sarah shares that her almost-eleven-year-old is the one that struggles the most with the physical isolation of Coronavirus.

They have worked really hard to schedule video calls and such to try and help with feeling connected.

Her daughter is also very empathetic towards what’s going on in the world and with others.

Sarah shared they often practice gratitude to help alleviate some of the stress the pandemic causes.

She cites equal-footed boding with their new puppy is one highlight of being stuck at home.

She goes on to say that this doesn’t mean they don’t get frustrated. It’s all about acknowledging the challenges and that we’re not alone in facing them.

Connecting Virtually

Stacy points out that we do a lot of connecting through social media and phone calls. But that’s not really the same as a face-to-face connection. (41:20) 

She reminds us that as we go into this quarantine holiday season, we need to get better at continuing to connect with others without the aspect of physical touch fully.

Stacy says that it’s going to be different from the first few months we were doing this because our body and minds are tired.

We have to make calculated and intentional decisions for how we make those connections with others.

Sarah’s Quarantine Holidays

Stacy hands it over to Sarah to share what she’s planning for her holidays. (42:43)

Sarah’s family decided to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving this year. They are considering celebrating both this year.

She loves that the holiday revolves around spending time and being thankful. It doesn’t have a lot of the stress associated with other holidays.

Plus, she loves cooking.

She shares that they had a freezer malfunction, which caused their turkey to thaw.

So they decided to celebrate with all their Canadian relatives this year and eat the now-thawed turkey.

Sarah also tells the audience that her mother has been doing these “Zoom dinner parties” where they cook the same meal and then eat together over Zoom each week.

She shares that due to most of her family still being in Canada, they’ve gotten pretty used to the separation over the last 15 years.

Sarah has loved how much time they’ve been able to spend virtually with her family long-distance. And they plan to continue doing so in the future as well.

Stacy expresses how much she loves the idea of making the same meal and have a “dinner party” over a video call.

Stacy’s Quarantine Holidays

This Thanksgiving is Stacy’s mother’s 60th birthday. And that for her father’s 60th, the family had gone on a European cruise.

So her mother was hoping for a celebration that was also a big deal.

Stacy still wants to do something special for her mother, since her big deal party won’t be happening as she’d hoped.

Stacy lives near a bunch of state parks where you can rent cabins.

They’re planning to have each family rent their own, cook Thanksgiving dinner, and then figure out a way to be together outside to celebrate the quarantine holidays.

She lets the audience know that they are keeping an eye on the situation and the CDC guidelines.

They are also playing with ideas of isolating beforehand and planning the smartest way to be together.

She also expresses that it’s all up in the air and may not happen the way they want it to at all.

Stacy circles back to how important it is to be kind to yourself. If your intuition is telling you something isn’t right, listen to your gut.

She also says she’s constantly thinking of the worst-case scenario if one of them catches it at a store. And who they could potentially spread it to.

Stacy reminds the audience that you have to do the best with what you know.

Covid Reminders for the Quarantine Holidays

Sarah shares that she knows people who have had everyone tested before a gathering. They are also self-isolating before hand.

She also reminds listeners of proper masks to buy and wear. And best practices outside of masks that we should all be doing.

Sarah also explains that there is an ebb and flow to covid cases. Some days consistently show more cases due to when people go in for testing.

She says not to just look at today’s numbers. But to look at the seven-day reports and compare those numbers to get an accurate view.

Stacy reiterates how important it is to be safe when forming a “pod.”

And that infection can happen when we’re not expecting it.

She says that she thinks people are learning since we’ve been doing this for a while.

But she does underline that it’s important to plan to set yourself up for success and safety.

Stacy tells listeners that to have successful quarantine holidays, you will have to think outside the box, keep it virtual, and/or keep it small.

She also expresses how much she likes the idea of small gatherings for quarantine holidays because of their intimacy.

Stacy believes the most important thing is to keep an open and positive mindset. And that creating new fun traditions isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

New Year’s in Quarantine

Stacy expresses how fed up she is with the idea of gaining the “quarantine 15.” (1:02:01)

Sarah reminds readers of a prior episode, where they talked about how damaging the stigma of being overweight is to mental health.

She says to expect so much media attention, posts, and stories about the

“Quarantine 15” and that all it does is add to the shame and guilt and feelings of inadequacy.

None of us are living our “normal” lives, and that is reflected in our bodies.

Sarah says that she refuses to allow someone else’s perception of how she should be managing her life during a pandemic to make her feel shame about her body. That is not okay.

She will not be trying to lose the quarantine 15 after the quarantine holidays.

When it comes to achieving a healthy weight that centers on healthy choices, Sarah recommends habit resolutions are far more effective for success.

They also allow us to have a positive, self-care mindset. It always allows us the grace to figure out the give-and-take.

Final Thoughts

Stacy also warns against fake detoxes.

Stacy shares that one of her resolutions is to get more sleep. She also plans to be more active and work on other habits she’d like to improve.

She also reminds listeners that the clock strikes midnight in 2021 is not a miracle time.

She recommends not thinking all the problems associated with the global pandemic will magically end next year.

2021 will most likely be off to a rough start, and attributing everything bad to 2020 is just setting up for disappointment.

Sarah talks more about the pitfalls of resolutions that may result in biting off more than we can true.

She encourages thinking about manageable steps and progression and making sure we’re setting ourselves up for success.

Sarah also says it’s important to focus on being able to do the best we can in the situation we’re in and give ourselves the grace to not be perfect.

There is not going to be such a thing as perfect for the holidays- this year or next year.

Stacy thanks listeners for sticking with them through 2020.

She hopes that she and Sarah have helped set you on a positive personal path to approach each of the major quarantine holidays coming up.

Stacy invites you to pop over to Patreon for their episode recap and their unfiltered thoughts.

She also reminds listeners of the Butcher Box deal for a free turkey to kick off your quarantine holidays.

Stacy thanks listeners for their support and love!

Thank you for listening!