The North Shore prepares for a socially distant Christmas

For Kimberly Conte Velentzas, Christmas this year is a lot more about giving then receiving. She was getting ready for the holiday season by preparing holiday baskets filled with nonperishables as part of the food relief non-for-profit, The Porch Pantry.

Personally, Conte Velentzas said, her family is expecting a quieter Christmas then their usual holiday celebrations. “We’re are Italian and Greek over here so sadly we will not be having the big Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve with everyone that’s normally here because we can’t,” she said. “Our families are too large and too far spread. It will definitely be a socially distanced holiday for us.”

Glen Cove resident Lynn Hurston James said that typically Christmas is a “big deal” at her brother and her sister-in-laws house, sharing food and laughter. She said she had hoped her family would be able to have that experience again this year.

“Cases are spiking again and it’s really going to be . . . I can’t say quiet because there are six kids in the house, so it’s never going to be quiet but we’re just going to be having a lot of food and a lot of laughing and talking and music,” she said.

With Christmas approaching, Dr. Bradley M. Sherman, medical director of Glen Cove Hospital, encouraged people to take extra precautions as Covid-19 cases are rising.

“There are more and more patients who are getting admitted to the hospital, so the surge we anticipated happening in the fall, looks like it’s here,” he said. “As a result, people have to be particularly cautious.”

As the weather gets colder, seeing family from a social distance outside may no longer be an option, Sherman said.

“One of the problems with families getting together is that when you’re in the comfort of your own home, there’s a tendency to be more relaxed around not social distancing, taking off your mask,” Sherman said. “When you’re in the living room, eating around the table, those are risks in itself, especially if you have family members that are traveling home from college or traveling from outside of the state, that’s a risk right now.”

Even if people get tested for Covid-19, they could still be putting their loved ones at risk, as the tests are only a snapshot in time.

“It will only tell you if you have Covid at the time you are tested,” Sherman said. “It doesn’t change what happens if you get exposed in the days subsequent to the test, so the timing of that is difficult.”

Taking precautions during this time is the responsibility of being a good citizen, said State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, who will be hosting a virtual discussion with Sherman and other medical professionals on Dec. 22. 

“We socially distance, we wear our masks, we wash our hands, use disinfectant and that’s how we protect our loved ones, our families and our communities,” Lavine said. 

Until life goes back to normal, Hurston James said she would have no choice but to take the necessary precautions after seeing all the loss of so many lives. To do otherwise, she said, would be like a slap in the face.

She did face some challenges over the year, running a home goods store in Farmingdale called Bella Pinque Cottage. “It’s been slow,” Hurston James said. “We took the hit like other retail and I couldn’t be open in what felt like forever. But the truth in the matter is, even with everything, everybody is healthy.” 

Glen Head resident Deborah Orgel-Gordon knows just how important it is to support small businesses during this time as the founder of the North Shore Biz Network. She said the majority of Christmas presents she bought this year were from local businesses.

“On Small Business Saturday I was out there, shopping,” Orgel Gordon said. “I have four nieces, all under the age of eight, grand nieces and regular nieces, so I am constantly buying local from AquaBrasil in Glen Head because she has a children’s boutique. I buy a lot from Artisan Jewels in Sea Cliff because they have very unusual types of gifts. All hand crafted by artists. I personally like to give something different.” 

This year especially, Orgel Gordon said, it’s especially  important to shop local because many small businesses have been struggling through this time and are nervous that with cases rising, they could be shut down again. “It’s really important to support them this year, even if it’s to buy gift certificates,” she said.

Founder of Cove City Arts, Nicole Loizides of Glen Cove, said she knows many artisans who have also been struggling and going without their usual patronage.

“I’ve been busy trying to support our local artisans in bringing them business and connecting them with our local community in the last few months,” she said, adding that she’s been working with the Sea Cliff Farmers Market that’s been operating from Village Square the last month. “It’s really important to support other artists with the voices that we have and the patronage that we have.”

The Sea Cliff Farmers Market will be open in Village Square on Dec. 19.