Nearly 9 months into the coronavirus pandemic, the holiday season is finally upon us. While many traditions are impossible to do safely this year, Campo students have found ways to celebrate the holidays.

Despite junior Tom Inouye having to cancel his trip to Japan, he made the best of his Thanksgiving by driving with his new license and seeing friends while following social distancing and mask protocols.

“I am not too happy about my trip getting canceled. I was really excited to get more in touch with my Japanese heritage, and I won’t get that opportunity until Covid dies down at least a little bit more” said Inouye, who is also grateful for the time to stay at home and relax without any obligations.

Renting a house that is driving-distance from home is a nice way to get away while still feeling like you’re on vacation. Houses are easy to book and can be fairly cheap on sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. For Thanksgiving break, freshman Ali Maguy’s family rented a house in Carlsbad.

While Maguy is disappointed that she is not able to travel as much as she would like, she is happy about the time the pandemic has given her to do things with friends and family that she wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. “[The situation] has given me more time with my family and to do fun spontaneous things with my friends that I would not have done otherwise, like going on hikes and taking trips to the beach. As for tennis, it has allowed me to have more freetime on the weekends, and not constantly be following the high demand of tennis tournaments every weekend. It also has allowed me more time to practice, and like I said earlier, spend time with friends, which I am grateful for,” said Maguy.

During her Thanksgiving dinner, junior Evi Storrs had a Zoom call with family across the country. “It was good to see them all for a little while even though it was on the screen,” said Storrs.

Storrs appreciates the amount of time she has been able to spend with family since she has not been able to go out with friends. “I also had more free time due to the restrictions and I was able to organize my room, which had been collecting school work. It was good to have a more organized and tidy space to work for online school.”

“I think that the district is doing a pretty good job of encouraging students to get rest, as mental health has become a key national topic of discussion” said Inouye.