“I feel like it’s our responsibility to stay home and stay safe,” Morlan said. “I haven’t seen my parents in Minnesota in over a year, my dad (who is in a nursing home) more like two years, but I feel like it would be selfish to go see them and risk them getting sick.”
Angie Morlan and her husband, an Air Force retiree who now works as a defense contractor, moved to Beavercreek from England this summer with their 13-year-old son.
Before their time in Europe, the family lived in Colorado. Angie Morlan’s parents would drive in to spend the holiday with them.
This year, the Morlans will video chat with her parents and friends from England.
“I’m so thankful we have the technology to do that, because I know so many people are feeling isolated and lonely right now (because of COVID),” she said.
Morlan plans to play the organ at Kettering’s Emmanuel Lutheran Church’s Christmas Eve and Christmas services and, like always, read the biblical story of Jesus’ birth with her family.
“We’re trying to keep the wonderful traditions our own family has going despite what’s going on in the outside world,” Morlan said.
Don and Becky Bradam normally gather with a group of about 20 family members for Christmas, but will be dining alone in their Riverside home this year.
“We’ve got a couple teachers and nurses in the family and we decided to not take the chance,” Don Bradam said.
Typically on Christmas the family spends the whole day together opening presents, eating a few meals and catching up with loved ones from out of town.
“It’s real hard. My wife is in tears over this. She can’t be with her mom this year,” Bradam said.
Bradam said he and his wife normally buy gifts for everyone in the family, but have decided to wait on that until they can gather again.
They also wanted to avoid the risk of picking up coronavirus while shopping for Christmas presents.
“We’re on hold,” Bradam said.
He and Becky have not eaten at a restaurant in about seven months and haven’t seen some friends for almost a year.
“It’s frustrating to see people having parties and they’re not wearing masks,” Bradam said. “It upsets me. This has changed our lives completely.”
Coronavirus daily hospitalizations topped more than 500 in Ohio earlier this week, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Over the last 21 days, Ohio is averaging 388 hospitalizations a day.
Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore said Christmas plans with his big, blended family have changed completely this year.
Instead of gathering with his wife’s family on Dec. 23 and Christmas Eve, the family will be dropping off gifts to everyone. Gore said his wife Toni has bought more presents this year to make up for not spending time with their loved ones.
He and his wife will have dinner with his two step-sons and two grandchildren.
Four of the five adults who will be there have already been sick with COVID, so Gore said he feel safe getting together.
The decision not to see the rest of the family was a difficult one.
“My parents have already passed, so my wife’s family is my family. My in-laws are my parents,” Gore said. “When the people you’re close with get older, you treasure that time at the holidays with them. This is one less memory you get to make with them. But we’d rather them not get sick and not take that chance. We just can’t take those risks.”
Gore said he and his wife’s personal Christmas tradition for the past decade has been to spend Christmas Day going to the movies. This year, they will be watching movies at home.
“People have the right to make the decision for their family,” Gore said. “It’s not right to judge what other families are doing though. Everyone’s family is different and our situation might be different from other families’.”
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