Tradition of gifting can be adapted this year

The idea of opening a holiday gift decked out in a mask, gloves, a face shield and other protective gear kind of takes the magic out of the moment. And poor Santa Claus will have to wash his hands at every house he visits.

It’s a grim reality that COVID-19 will impact holiday gift giving this year. After all, it’s done a number on most of the major holidays in 2020 already. People may be inclined to just skip December and put up their January 2021 calendars instead.

But wait. Before the Grinchy virus steals more of our holidays, mental health experts advise us to remember what the season is all about: hope, giving to others, joy and miracles. The first gift of the season may have come Nov. 9, when pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced the success of its coronavirus vaccine.

“Remember we may miss some things this year, but we’ll have next year,” said Sandy Young, manager of admissions and social service at John Muir Medical Center in the East Bay.

However, Young is one of the first to admit that a mere pandemic is no reason to skip holiday gift giving. In fact, she said, many people can use this unusual holiday season to not only avoid stress but take the time to find the perfect gift.

“First off, many people should be online shopping to avoid crowds,” she said. “But you may want to start a little early, since the mail and delivery companies will be overloaded this year with online shoppers.”

Scouring the Internet for unique gifts for people can be a lot more fun than squeezing into crowded department stores with harried employees, she said.

That’s something psychiatrist David Kan of Lafayette and Stephanie Leong, the Kaiser Permanente Infection Prevention Program Manager in South San Francisco, both agree with.

“The key to successful gifting...