4 Tips to Celebrate the Spring Holidays Safely During COVID-19

Days are longer, temperatures are warmer, and COVID-19 vaccinations are steadily increasing in the U.S. It’s a hopeful season for Passover (this year, March 27 – April 4), Holi (March 28-29), Easter (April 4), Ramadan (April 12 – May 12) – or whichever spring holidays are circled on your kitchen calendar.

But the risk of COVID-19 is still very real for the many individuals who still need their vaccine, especially with new variants in the community.

Here are ideas to make this year’s spring holidays special and safe for your family – and fun for kids.

 1. For safe spring holidays, keep up the pandemic precautions.

While the CDC has relaxed some of its guidelines for those who’ve been fully vaccinated, odds are many of your adult family members still need one or both shots (plus two weeks after their final shot to develop the greatest level of immunity). In Connecticut, individuals 16 and up will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 1, but there’s still no approved vaccine for children 15 and under.

So if you’re celebrating the spring holidays with anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated, stick to your COVID-19 health habits: Wear masks, keep your distance, wash your hands properly, and stay home (or attend virtually) if anyone might be sick.

2. Limit the size of your gathering.

For now, the CDC also recommends that you keep your gatherings small. If you’re celebrating indoors, keep the group to just your immediate family or one other household. If you’re outdoors, you can include several households – just be sure to mask and keep your distance.

3. Enjoy (or brave) the spring weather.

In New England most years, it’s anyone’s guess whether the sun will be shining or some final snowflakes will be falling when the calendar turns to late March and April. But this year, the safest way to gather in a group is outdoors, where there’s a much lower risk of spreading and catching COVID-19.

Try these tips to make your outdoor event a success.

• If anyone in your group hasn’t been vaccinated, the safest way to socialize is still to have everyone bring their own everything (BYOE) – from food and beverages to utensils and a picnic blanket.
• Add a theme. Ask your child to choose a theme in advance to share with guests. For example, for Easter, the theme might be pastel colors – and guests can come dressed in their finest.
• Have a signature recipe. To create a sense of a shared meal, even when everyone’s bringing their own, provide a recipe for guests to work into their menu, like lemonade with a fun twist or one of these simple dip recipes.
• Plan some conversation starters. From building a group playlist to making springtime resolutions, here are six ideas to get you started.
• Put your child in charge of decorating. Of course, you’ll be there to supervise and help! Engage your child in coming up with ideas for making your outdoor space more festive. At a park, that could mean using garden stakes and colorful streamers to mark a perimeter around your group. In your backyard, that could mean hauling out the Christmas lights.
• Set up distanced activities. To keep kids and adults entertained, choose a few outdoor favorites – whether that’s bringing a Frisbee or setting up a bean bag toss. Just pick activities where it’s easy to keep a distance.
• Help your guests prepare for the weather. Think ahead to keep everyone comfortable. Depending on the forecast, this might mean having blankets and extra coats on hand, making sure everyone brings their umbrella – or, fingers crossed, reminding everyone to load up on sunblock.

4. Have a virtual back-up plan.

If it’ll be pouring rain or gusting sideways on your spring holiday celebration, use these tips to turn it into a virtual event.

From our Connecticut Children’s family to yours, happy Passover, Holi, Easter, Ramadan… and spring!

Related links

• Return to Play Kit
• 4 Ways to Celebrate a Socially Distanced Baby Shower During COVID-19
• 14 Ways to Celebrate Your Child’s Birthday During COVID-19
• 14 Ways to Celebrate Your Child’s Graduation During COVID-19