Holidays Bring 'Lights Of Hope' Amid Virus-Altered Traditions

ACROSS AMERICA — Families that typically celebrate Christmas together celebrated apart this week. Church services shifted online. Gift exchanges were low-key and traditions were altered.

Around the world, no one's holidays were left untouched by the coronavirus.

But not all changes mean sacrifices.

In Bismarck, North Dakota, Patricia Hager delivered homemade caramel rolls for breakfast to family and friends. It seemed like every time she opened her door this holiday season, someone had left smoked salmon, baskets of nuts, or cookies.

“This year Christmas love is expressed at the door,” Hager told The Associated Press. “I’m glad that people will probably be with us next year with the vaccines. I can give up anything for that.”

The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated five Masses at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, with attendance capped at 130 people, compared to a pre-pandemic capacity of about 3,000. All services were live-streamed.

Pope Francis delivered his Christmas blessing from inside the Vatican, breaking with his traditional speech from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica to tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square.

Citing a cause for optimism, Francis said the development of COVID-19 vaccines shines “lights of hope” on the world. In a passionate appeal to leaders, businesses and international organizations, he said they must ensure that the most vulnerable and needy in the pandemic be first in line to receive the vaccine.

Still, the holidays were tough for many, bringing to an end a year marked by hardship and heartache.

For Robin Sypniewski of Middlesex County, New Jersey, this wasn't a year of lavish gifts. Sypniewski was furloughed twice from her job serving school lunches. Now she's on reduced hours as her husband retires next week as a trash collector and her daughter wrestles with student debt.

Sypniewski bought her daughter pajamas, compared to a diamond bracelet last Christmas. Her husband got a $20 plaque describing his Polish heritage, compared to a tablet computer last year.

“The bills have to be paid this month and next month. With the reduced hours, it’s tough,” she said.

READ MORE: A Pandemic Christmas: Services Move Online, People Stay Home

The Latest

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States approaches 19 million, more Americans are saying they're eager to receive one of two newly-approved vaccines.

Over the past few weeks, as the vaccine went from a hypothetical to a reality, new surveys show attitudes shifting among Americans.

In polls by Gallup, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Pew Research Center, the portion of people saying they are now likely or certain to take the vaccine has grown from about 50 percent this summer to more than 60 percent, and in one poll 73 percent — a figure that approaches what some public health experts say would be sufficient for herd immunity.

This is good news as the nation continues to reel from the devastating effects of the coronavirus. Millions who celebrated Christmas this week did so alone or while struggling to make ends meet.

Some were worried about paying rent next week. Others celebrated the holiday with empty bellies, thanks to the pandemic’s economic toll.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump spent Christmas in Florida playing golf.

The holiday came just two days after the president torpedoed a $900 billion stimulus package passed by Congress. The package, which passed after nearly 8 months of back-and-forth negotiating in Congress, is set to include $600 direct payments to cash-strapped Americans. It also provides an extension of an eviction moratorium, additional unemployment benefits to Americans out of work, and food aid.

Earlier this week, Trump assailed the provisions in the bill, telling lawmakers to "get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items from this legislation and to send me a suitable bill." He also called on lawmakers to increase direct payments for most Americans from $600 to $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for couples.

While Democrats attempted to call Trump's bluff on Thursday by proposing a vote on $2,000 payments, the move was blocked by Republicans.

Failure to sign the bill, which arrived in Florida on Thursday night, could deny crucial aid to millions of Americans on the brink.

Congress, which recessed for the holiday on Thursday, is scheduled to reconvene on Monday afternoon.

• Republicans Block $2,000 Virus Checks Despite Trump Demand
• Stimulus Package In Jeopardy After Trump Makes New Demands

The back-and-forth in Washington comes amid a holiday when more people are being hospitalized with the coronavirus than at any other point during the pandemic. According to the Covid Tracking Project, 118,948 people were hospitalized the day after Christmas with coronavirus-related illnesses.

Meanwhile, California this week became the first state to surpass 2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to multiple reports. The milestone comes about six weeks after the state hit 1 million cases.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said hospitals are under “unprecedented pressure” and if current trends continue the number of those hospitalized because of the virus could double in 30 days.

This prediction could prove catastrophic to already overwhelmed hospitals.

As of Thursday, California had record numbers of COVID-19 patients in the hospital and in ICUs, at nearly 19,000 and nearly 4,000, respectively. Friday figures showed no increase in hospitalizations and there were a few more ICU beds available, for a total of around 1,400 statewide, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Meanwhile, an explosion of coronavirus cases and deaths is also hitting Southern states with a perilous force, according to the New York Times. Six Southern states have seen sustained case increases in the last week: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Texas.

Also on Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new order from President Trump requiring travelers from the United Kingdom to airports in the United States to test negative for the coronavirus no more than 72 hours before their flight departs.

The requirement comes after British authorities recently announced the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19 that spreads more rapidly than strains currently reported in the United States.

• UK Air Travelers To US Must Test Negative For COVID-19: CDC

Newest Numbers

At least 1,148 deaths and 151,745 new cases had been reported in the United States as of 3 p.m. ET Saturday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows new daily cases have fallen 12.9 percent, new daily deaths fell 5.3 percent and COVID-19-related hospitalizations are up 0.1 percent.

As of Saturday, 47 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days. Currently, only Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont Washington, D.C., Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands are under that threshold.

As of Saturday afternoon, the United States had reported more than 18.88 million cases and more than 331,100 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or Washington Post.

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