As we have all experienced through this past year, the holidays are much different than they previously were. With COVID restrictions and the continued need to stop spreading the virus, the safest option is to celebrate at home, with the people you live and quarantine with. However, I think it is important to still make these days special, and celebrate the best way you can.

Being that St. Patrick’s Day was this past week and that I am a huge holiday lover, I insisted to my roommates that we have the traditional dinner of corned beef and mashed potatoes. I decided to take on the task of cooking for all seven of us, despite the fact that I am the most amateur chef, and that I have never cooked corned beef before in my life. Although it was quite stressful making dinner for that many people, we had a great time, and I am more than glad that I was able to make the day special for my friends. Here are some of the tips I have for celebrating any holiday at home!

(This is the face of a very stressed chef, about an hour before dinner was to be served.)

 

Planning Ahead

I began harassing my roommates to clear their schedules for March 17th about three weeks ago. I knew I wanted to celebrate the holiday, and I wanted to make sure each of them could make dinner (unfortunately, one of my roommates had an afternoon/nighttime clinical for nursing, but there was definitely an absurd amount of leftovers that she was able to enjoy when she got home). 

I have to say, I am proud of my organizational skills for this evening. I looked up all the recipes I wanted to use, went grocery shopping over the weekend, and was all ready to go when it got to be Wednesday. I started cooking early in the morning, so everything would be ready around dinner time. It actually made the day exciting from the moment I woke up, and it was definitely a big change of pace for what my normal weekday is like. I even attend class over Zoom while peeling potatoes. And yes, the camera was on. 

Focus on the Positive

As much as we all would like to celebrate the holidays as we normally do, I like to think of at-home celebrations as a different memory to look back on. For years to come, when the pandemic is behind us, my friends and I will think of the time that I spent all day in the kitchen and having a fun St. Patty’s Day together. 

My roommates and I always like to say that at least we have each other to spend time with. Otherwise, we all might go a little crazy. I am grateful to be able to be away at school, living with some of my closest friends, knowing that we could be stuck at home, all in different states (if you are my parents reading this – I’m just kidding! Miss you guys!). Even if things are a little different than normal, I am happy to just hang out at my house, and find ways to make our time together as fun as possible. 

Themes

I don’t care what anyone has to say about it – I love everything about themes. The dressing up, the decorations, and the special food are all right up my alley. You cannot deny that adding a theme doesn’t make any gathering 50 times more fun. If you’re having any sort of themed event, I am there, and I am going to go all out. 

That being said, part of my invitation to dinner included that everyone attending dinner must be in their best Irish attire. Let me just say, my roommates did not disappoint. Some of them even went to Marshalls and bought some fun t-shirts and green clothes. It was awesome to see everyone all dressed up, and excited for the day I planned.

I think the best thing to remember when celebrating holidays at home is that any day can be made special if you just put in a little extra effort. I am more than lucky to have friends that are as excited to spend time together as I am, and are willing to give into my shenanigans. As we all continue to stay safe and quarantine, I encourage everyone to do their best to celebrate any holiday, and make a fun day out of it.

 

Hi! My name is Emma, and I am a junior Communications and Writing student from Long Beach Island, New Jersey. I am so excited to be working with Campus Recreation this semester, and writing blogs for InsideRec! Becoming a part of the team has given me the opportunity to grow as a writer, and share my experiences with the URI community. In the summers, I am an ocean lifeguard, so health and fitness have always been a passion of mine. Besides going to class, I work at O’Neil’s Package Store in Narragansett, and I like to spend time with friends and family.