Holiday season in 2020 comes with many questions and awkwardness attached, since most people around the world are limited by the realities of COVID-19.

During the pandemic, many kinds of traditional gatherings or celebrations have been impossible. But it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom during the holiday season as people still trying to remain vigilant and find new ways to celebrate, wrap the past year up and then look ahead to 2021 with optimism.

In this episode of "The Chat Room," we invited guests from different parts of the world to have a virtual reunion and to share their ideas on how to ring in the new year. 

Holiday season in COVID-19 era

COVID-19 hasn't gone away so there are difficult decisions ahead for everybody.

Some may complain that these holidays are overwhelmed with the weirdness that families and friends have no chance to hug each other, as any gathering brings heightened infection risks.

Like millions of people around the world, Hu Zhanwei, a respiratory physician in Beijing, China, who was a front line worker in Wuhan in January 2020, found that he may not able to reunite with his family in eastern Shandong Province this year as he was on duty.

Brandon Roberts, an emergency department doctor in the U.S, tried not to waste a single minute of his only day-off to relax at home and spend time with his family before getting back to work.

Lu Xinqing, a student at Sciences Po in France, cancelled all her travel plans. 

"If there was no COVID, I would travel all around Europe," she said. "There are so many countries I want to go." Now she is in Germany with her boyfriend and his family, at least her holiday has not been ruined by the pandemic.

Lawrence Lo, a food and wine critic based in the U.S., is quite optimistic about what is happening now. "Despite that we are in the pandemic, I'd like to take an opportunity to just enjoy the outdoors." Lawrence shared an eggnog recipe that he taught his friends via online cooking classes.

Marta G. Cavalvant, an infectious diseases specialist in Brazil, also thinks the holiday season this year doesn't need to be doom and gloom. She said that 2020 brought her the chance to spend precious time with her husband, doing the simple things like reading or talking.

It's time to wrap 2020

Nobody can deny that 2020 has brought many complexities and uncertainties, but it also has been full of emotional and physical challenges.

"2020 is going to be leave on the history book," Roberts says. "The touching stories you see, particularly as a physician, are unfortunately when you are dealing some of the very significant patients. You really see the families support each other and the nurses, the physicians… everybody cares about those people.”

Roberts chose the phrase "random acts of kindness" as best characterizing 2020 because he said small things were the most touching parts of the year.

Hu, as a former front line physician in Wuhan at the beginning of the year, said the most memorable moment to him this year was when he was touched by a thank-you letter to him from the first batch of discharged patients at the beginning of the battle against the coronavirus.

He also mentioned it was a cheering and unforgettable moment when he first took a sneak peek of the spring view in Wuhan after the mission was completed. He was so touched by the message that nature delivered to him that: the winter has gone.

Look ahead to 2021

Welcoming the new year may feel very different this time after the challenges of 2020.

To stay healthy in the coming year, Roberts and Hu said people still need to follow the local rules or guidance since people need to acknowledge that the risk is still with us and we have responsibilities not only to keep ourselves but also the community we belong to safe by making proper choices. 

Hu still recommends people hunker down and keep holiday gatherings to a small group. Cavalvant emphasized that people still need to wear masks at the beginning of 2021.

All three physicians noted that since multiple vaccines have been rolling out in many countries there is a chance to put the pandemic behind us.

Looking ahead to 2021, Cavalcant set her New Year resolution to include going outdoors. Just like most people stuck at home, she wants to be inoculated because she regards it as a way she can restart her life. 

However, Hu is struggling with his health condition and body weight. He set his goal as to leave himself more spare time to exercise in the coming year. Lu said bringing her boyfriend, Erik Schulte, to China into her New Year resolution after experiencing such a unique season with him.

As a tough 2020 ends, the takeaways hopefully will not only include the sorrows, frustrations and hopelessness we experienced, but also the kindness, understanding or caring that we shared in this unforgettable year.