Dr Wong and Gan (top row, second left) meeting with church members over Zoom after Christmas online service yesterday.
KUCHING (Dec 26): Christmas celebration was very different for celebrants this year with the Covid-19 pandemic and the new normal, and will be etched deeply in their memories.
For Dr Wong Howe Tung and Gan Chuei Lian, they were not celebrating as there are only two of them at home, and to keep everyone safe, they did not meet up with others as Dr Wong is an ear, nose and throat doctor is considered high risk.
“We are medical frontliners, thus we cannot host or even accept dinner invitations to celebrate Christmas with others as we are in the high risk group. We do receive gifts of Christmas cookies, tarts , cakes and fruits to cheer us on in this festive season,” said Gan.
“However, we are happy that we can attend online church service on Christmas Day morning, an opportunity also to meet and catch up with other church members too via Zoom during this pandemic season.”
She said the true meaning of Christmas is bringing hope to mankind and they still sense joy in their hearts and spirits even though they cannot celebrate it in a large scale like in the previous years.
“It is also a wake-up call for us to seriously reflect the purpose of our lives, to value and appreciate our loved ones even more.”
Gan’s church member, Teo Chung Hock, said his family missed out on many church activities like caroling and children parties.
Instead, his family just celebrated it at home by having meals together and opening presents.
“We also sing Christmas songs together to bring cheer, especially for our children who missed going out. We also had a reflection session of this year and pray for one another for God’s guidance in the coming year.”
“We are still able to deliver some Christmas presents to our close friends to share this joyous occasion as it is not safe to meet up due to the pandemic.
For Lee Nah and Chiew Chung Yee, they are grateful that Zoom application exists so that families and friends can still communicate despite being physically apart due to travel restrictions, and they can still meet up online to celebrate Christmas together.
Lee said Christmas this year is different from past years with many people choosing not to hold gatherings to keep everyone safe.
“In spite of this disruption, we can still celebrate by being thankful for the many blessings we have . We should learn to appreciate more our families and good friends and the simple things in life . Be thankful that we can still meet and chat over Zoom to keep us closely connected.”
“This exceptional Christmas will probably be more memorable because it is different.”
All of those interviewed attended Christmas sermon online before meeting on Zoom to share well wishes and catch up with one another.
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