Nicole Besta
reporter
The holiday season is in full swing.
This time, usually spent with friends and family, could be an unlikely scenario for some this year as COVID-19 continues to affect Texas.
However, some TCC students are planning to celebrate with their families and friends this year, with precautions in place when needed.
NE student Mena Chapman said she continues to be wary about spending time around friends but will be with family for Thanksgiving and Christmas as she doesn’t have family members who live separately from immediate family.
“Personally, I don’t think spending too much time around my friends would be beneficial when we are all possibly asymptomatic,” Chapman said. “My family is a different story because they are vaccinated and always keep track of each other’s symptoms on a daily basis.”
Chapman also mentioned that, while her fears of COVID-19 aren’t as substantial as they were in 2020, she still tries to spend time away from others and is socially distant if unaware of someone’s vaccination status or possible COVID-19 diagnosis.
NE student Jarred Gracey said his family plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas were in full swing this year, eagerly describing the dishes his grandma cooks for Thanksgiving.
Gracey had mentioned that his family plans hadn’t been slowed down by COVID-19, aside from the initial precautionary lockdowns, but that he doesn’t tend to spend holidays with people outside of his immediate family.
“I don’t recall how all of my friends reacted, but I wanted to get back to the usual hangouts when it was deemed safe to leave your house,” Gracey said. “We went back to usual gatherings probably as soon as there weren’t people inquiring about why you were out.”
NE student Ruben Moncivais said he will be spending the holidays working, as well as with family.
Moncivais said COVID-19 wasn’t playing a factor in how he will interact with family during the holidays, as it hadn’t changed any plans earlier in the year.
“During COVID-19, obviously, most people relied on the internet to have meaningful interaction,” Moncivais said. “This was easy for me to talk to people around the world and have friends and hangouts without having to spend mental energy or time.”
