Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2020

18 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.VOICEofMPpodcast.com well-loved classic or a Hallmark romance. You can still do this at home with your family, or invite friends and loved ones to watch with you. With the concentration on social distancing over the past few months, multiple options to have virtual movie viewings have popped up. You could chat over a standard video call, like on Zoom or FaceTime, and press play on the movie at the same time. Or try using a streaming service that lets you watch movies together, like Netflix Party or Hulu’s Watch Party. SEARCH FOR THE BEST LIGHTS You might already include holiday light road trips in your typical seasonal plans. Drive through your neighborhood and rank the light displays that you see. Do you prefer classic white lights or yard inflatables? What are the craziest decorations you can find? Which neighborhood would you award with the most Holiday spirit? Check Google before heading out to see if there are any notable drive-through displays elsewhere in the Lowcountry. James Island County Park has already announced their annual Holiday Festival of Lights will be social-distancing friendly this year, or you can drive to the beaches to see beach houses decorated for the holidays. Boost the holiday mood by putting your favorite festive songs on the radio and grabbing a travel mug of hot chocolate or apple cider to take with you. Bring along your seasonal PJs and warm blankets to make the car a little cozier, or have carol sing-alongs while driving between houses. SUPPORT LOCAL CHARITIES There are more than enough indulgences during the holiday season, but if you’re scaling back on the celebrations this year, you might decide to donate extra funds to the less fortunate. You can find plenty of charities located all over the world to give back to, especially around the holidays, but local charities focus their aid on members of the Mount Pleasant community that need help. Organizations like Toys for Tots — which has a Charleston chapter — and the Charleston Basket Brigade give toys and food to local kids around the holidays. If you have kids of your own, get them involved in giving, too. Even if volunteering in-person may not be the safest this year, talk to them about the charities you’re giving to. Let them know about the work that each organization does and why it’s important to help others. They might start looking forward to donating. These are just a few ideas to make your holiday celebrations safe for 2020. If you have other fun family traditions, think about how you can move them online or make them social distancing friendly. One benefit to virtual celebrations is being able to include people you might not otherwise see, due to distance or circumstances. Although it may seem like the season isn’t quite the same this year, a few new traditions will make your holidays a little brighter.