Sabahans create new memories celebrating Christmas in a new norm

Maxwell Jude, 23, a chemical engineering student from Penampang near here said that Christmas this year is quieter than the previous years because he doesn’t get to spend the holidays with his close relatives who are living in different states.

“With the limitation on the number of people allowed for a gathering, that will just add to the quietness.

“I normally celebrate Christmas with a huge family gathering together with my cousins, uncles as well as aunts at my grandmother’s place in Penampang.

“However, it looks like this year there will be only me and my immediate family members in Labuan. The new norm has a lot of rules that need to be complied with which makes it very tedious to even leave the island,” he told Bernama.

He said everything now needs to be in compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Even at the church mass, there are SOP to maintain physical distancing and a limit of mass attendance at a time, as compared to previous years when everyone can flood the church and make the ceremony merrier,” he said.

Maxwell said the new norm also saw fewer people going to the malls for Christmas shopping.

“I am stuck in Labuan and my choices are quite limited. I could only depend on online shopping to fulfil my joy of picking out new Christmas outfits,” he said.

Raisa Jade Lawrence, 24, an English teacher from Kota Kinabalu here said that this year, things are a lot different as the old and normal world order has been reversed and a new arrangement has been put in place.

She said that there is a big difference when comparing the old and new norms Christmas, as the mass this year could not be done in a huge group and Christmas carols are done online.

“Before COVID-19, our big family would be in one designated house where family members would come and help with the cooking but, unfortunately, with the need to adhere to SOP, that could not be done.

“My family and I did not do much shopping this year like we used to during the previous years with our families back in our hometown. This makes me feel quite dispirited as Christmas shopping isn’t the same as before,” she added.

Despite everything, Raisa and Maxwell suggested that to all family members who are far apart to spread the love with meaningful phone calls during the Christmas season.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun when explaining the SOP for Christmas celebration in Sabah recently said that guests of open houses would only be allowed to be in the premises for not more than two hours.

Masidi, who is also the official State Government spokesperson for COVID-19, said each prayer session to be limited to one and a half hour, would be interspersed with 45-minute sanitation operations.

“It is compulsory to comply with the SOP by wearing face masks at all time. The use of toilets should also be limited according to the number of toilets available at any one time,” he added.