There might be a seemingly never ending pandemic around, but at times we need to put it away for a day and live a little. This is definitely the case when you have kids who could care less about viruses and quarantines. And while safety is important, so is life, especially for a 5 year old around Christmas time.

Given all that I was very happy about how Orange County’s international community approached Christmas and an obligatory visit from Santa Claus. Sure, it was different than any other year, but there still was a celebration and a good one at that. We didn’t have a huge ballroom rented for the celebration, there were no dances for adults and no indoor Christmas tree, but who needs those things when you live in southern California?

However, living in southern California last year was quite challenging. The entire state took matters extra seriously and placed everybody in almost total lockdown – no gyms and parks, no beauty salons and restaurant eating, no family and friends gatherings, no beaches, and no so many other things we always took for granted. The entire country went through various stages of lockdowns and quarantines, but it seems that California took it a few steps further and for longer.

So while we stayed extra save, fun was pretty much non-existent. Too bad some of us said and decided to organize a celebration for kids. All the action took place in a park in Newport Coast, so the risk was extremely small. We all felt safe and enjoyed this outdoor gathering immensely.

Normally we would’ve had a few hundred people attending such Christmas party, but this time we met with just the closest friends, about 20 of them. Sometimes it’s good to choose quality over quantity. All our kids know each other and attend weekend school together, so they definitely didn’t care about a huge number as long as they had each other.

We made sure Christmas party was as it should be – decorated Christmas tree, Santa Clause with full bag of gifts, games for kids, and a small party with refreshments for us. Masks were optional, but fun was mandatory and kids definitely nailed it. . When it came to Christmas tree decorations, I had my part covered with beautiful ornaments from Personalization Mall with kids’ names. I also selected gifts for my kids from Personalization Mall, because COVID and resulting quarantine made me appreciate quality things in life over quantity.

It was such a great experience to watch kids tell Santa Clause their dreams and recite little poems, to play Merry go round around pine trees, and simply run with friends. It was like somebody turned back the hands of time. Watching kids and socializing with friends gave us all hope that one day life will get back to normal and when that day comes we will value that normalcy much more than before. Maybe it’s true that we have to lose something to appreciate it. In that case it’s good that we lost our life for a bit as long as we’ll get it back.

My five year old came home full of positive experiences and gifts, and memories of that party stayed with him for a long time. Regular Christmas might’ve not left such a strong impression, but this party did and I am very happy about it. Huge thanks to our community and likeminded people, who are ready to live a little, just like we are!