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Family in front of the laptop: This time, virtual instead of real meetings is the motto of many people
Photo: Deagreez / Getty Images / iStockphoto
There are very different ways to be with people.
The most common is only possible to a very limited extent in the coming holidays: Due to the pandemic, it is important to avoid physical contact as much as possible.
No more than five people from two households should come together - in some federal states there may be four additional people on the holidays.
Celebrating Christmas or New Year's Eve together is hardly possible this year, you might think.
But with a little imagination - and of course the right equipment - there are ways to keep in touch with family and friends during the coming days.
To experience something together without being in the same room.
Here are ten ideas:
Joint slide evening
Despite Corona, many special moments were certainly recorded this year with the mobile phone, with the digital or even with the laptop camera.
There are many ways to see them together, even if you are miles apart.
Most video conference programs such as Zoom, Skype and Teams offer the function of sharing your own screen.
If someone activates this function, all chat participants can see that person's computer screen.
They can then present digital photos that they may have had sent to them beforehand.
Since most people have larger televisions than computer screens, it is often worthwhile to transfer the laptop image to the television at home, for example.
This is usually very easy with an HDMI cable.
A suitable adapter is only required for MacBooks.
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Read stories
Many children will not meet grandma or grandpa this year.
However, they do not have to do without possible rituals such as story reading.
Because with a smartphone and an app such as WhatsApp, Zoom, FaceTime or the like
the fairy tale hour can still take place.
"I did that every Advent day: lit candles, laid out a few stuffed animals as props and then read a story," says Elisabeth K., whose last name doesn't matter here, but who is herself grandma.
And since the little grandchildren don't always have the necessary attention, says K., they simply recorded a video in several parts and sent it via iMessage.
So the children can listen to her when it suits her.
By the way, there are also smartphone stands for little money that make recording even easier.
You can of course make such stands yourself.
Listen to music together
Streaming apps like Apple Music or Spotify allow you to create shared playlists (here you can find instructions for Apple Music and for Spotify).
In this way, the respective favorite songs can already be brought together, afterwards you can meet to listen together or just listen to the songs of the others.
So you can surprise yourself and others with new songs and old classics.
With its so-called group session (more on this here), Spotify offers a special way of listening to music together in real time.
make a world trip
Apps like Google Maps make it possible to take a virtual trip around the world with just a few clicks.
So why not use the quiet holidays to escape the confines of everyday life and visit places with your smartphone, tablet or laptop for a few hours that you would otherwise never reach?
Or places where you've already been on vacation and want to rediscover?
Here, too, the screen sharing function of chat apps enables joint expeditions.
Online geoquizzes such as Geoguessr are also great fun for several participants.
Here you have to guess where in the world a shown place is.
The "Free Version" of Geoguessr can be played for free and without having to log in to the browser.
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Secret Santa with webcam
The best thing about Secret Santa is seeing the face of the person who is opening a present.
This is also possible via webcam and with the help of programs such as Zoom or Facetime.
René W. has come up with a nice system for this: "I randomly assigned the recipients and secretly distributed the addresses," he says, "so that until the parcels arrive, nobody knows who is giving him or her the gift.
We have agreed on a value of 25 euros, and that everyone should paint or draw a picture of what he or she would actually have done this year had Corona not come.
In the video call, we then unpack the gifts and present the pictures. "
Watch films or series together
Whether it's “Dinner for One” or “Christmas at Hoppenstedts”: classic films and series can also be watched together.
Either you watch a TV broadcast or a web stream at the same time and chat or make a phone call, or you also use the screen sharing function here.
Some streaming services such as Amazon's Prime Video (more on this here) or TVNow (more on this here) also officially offer so-called party features that make it easier to watch content synchronously.
By looking together, you can often create a feeling of connectedness: You don't sit together on the sofa as you normally would, but at least hear the reactions of people who are watching the same thing.
Game night
When families get together, board games are often played.
A game evening can also take place virtually with the right apps.
Apple's App Store and Google Play offer handy categories in which you can search for games that can be played together from a distance.
"Draw Something", for example, lets one person draw something on the display while the others guess what it should represent, and "Trivial Pursuit" is a classic quiz game.
Read more about playing board games online here.
Cook together
KptnCook, Kitchen Stories and various other recipe apps make it possible to find a recipe that you want to cook together.
Then it is important to buy the right ingredients before the holidays and arrange to meet for a cooking evening.
With programs like Zoom or Facetime, friends and relatives can chat while they cook or give each other tips while they are preparing the same dish.
Online dating
Everyone who uses dating apps probably has them: the matches and chat histories that petered out at some point.
So why not use the quiet days to ask these people how they are and how they spend the holidays?
Perhaps this way you can reach someone who is alone and is particularly happy to talk to.
Or an online game night or a virtual trip around the world.
Raclette with webcam
On New Year's Eve, many families have raclette on the program, often in good company.
Steve B. plans to keep this tradition, in a webcam version: "We usually have a big raclette together at friends' homes and leave a lot of time for dinner," he reports.
“Every household is doing it this year.
Everyone has bought a small raclette set and when we have everything set up, we connect via Zoom or Discord. "This is followed by party games such as" Overcooked "," Pummelparty "or" Among Us ".
"We want to do everything as usual," says Steve, "just digitally."
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