At the beginning of this year, there was a sense of hope that maybe we would have a more traditional holiday season once fall and winter came. Sadly, that just is not the case. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have a great Christmas.

Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole, wrote Associated Press business writers Paul Wiseman and Anne D’Innocenzio.

A heightened sense of anxiety has begun to erode the willingness of some people and some businesses to carry on as usual in the face of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has fast become the dominant version of the virus in the United States.

“I have come to appreciate the fact that because this virus is mutating and it’s spreading so quickly, every one of us is likely going to have some exposure at some point,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “What is our goal? To stay out of the hospital and to stay alive.”

Dr. Shelley Schmidt, a pulmonary and critical care doctor at Spectrum Health, talked about the daily experience of watching children crying over a dead parent and severely sick or dying parents asking doctors what more they could have done for their children and spouses.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have never taken care of a patient dying from the vaccine,” Schmidt said. “I have taken care of dozens and dozens who are dead from this virus.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued some suggestions for this upcoming holiday season. They are as follows:

– Remember to protect those who are not yet eligible for vaccination, such as young children

– Wear well-fitting masks over your nose and mouth if you are in a public indoor setting and you are not fully vaccinated; even those who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask in public indoor settings in communities with substantial to high transmission

– Avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces

– If you are sick or have symptoms, do not host or attend a gathering

– Consider being tested before joining an indoor gathering

– Wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated

“By working together, we can enjoy safer holidays, travel, and protect our own health as well as the health of our family and friends,” the CDC website states.

Everyone knows that the best holiday is a safe holiday. We at The Daily Mining Gazette would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and we hope that our readers are able to enjoy the holiday, while also maintaining a level of precaution, for the sake of their family and community.