NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily.

High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

“Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC’s Dr. Manisha Patel. “And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the spread of viruses.

Health officials are keeping an eye on a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks, Patel said.

It may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that the strain causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. And current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

As for flu, early signs suggest current vaccines are well-matched to the strain that is causing the most illnesses, and that strain usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions.

But the bad news is vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 42% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by the first week of December, down from about 45% at the same time last year, according to the CDC.

Americans have also been slow to get other vaccinations. Only about 18% have gotten an updated COVID-19 shot that became available in September. At nursing homes, about a third of residents are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

And only 17% of adults 60 and older had received new shots against another respiratory virus. RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of mild coldlike symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and older people.

The CDC last week took the unusual step of sending a health alert to U.S. doctors urging them to immunize their patients against the trio of viruses.

The Carolinas are currently seeing the heaviest traffic for respiratory infections in emergency rooms, according to CDC data posted this week.

It’s not as dire as some past winters, but some patients are still waiting days to get a hospital bed, noted Dr. Scott Curry, an infectious diseases specialist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

“We’ve barely been cold in South Carolina, and flu tends to hit us very hard when people actually get some cold weather to deal with,” he said. “We could get worse, very easily, in the next four to eight weeks.”

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RUSTY STRAIT | SENIOR REPORTER

I recently received an email from a young man in Temecula who asked if it was too late to write stories about Christmas. I’m letting him know now that magazines are filled to the gills for Christmas and New Years. Might I suggest that he write for Valentine’s Day or after Christmas experiences.

Books are another thing entirely. If you write a good book and have it done by April, and you manage to find a publisher, or even self-publish, you would have a good chance at the fall market. Contrary to the book that gets published immediately, it will have to be about some current event that is hot and lasting. For instance, a mass murder in your community that makes national news. Otherwise, set your sights a few months down the road. It will make you feel better, and if you do stress out, Alka-Seltzer always works for me.

I understand. I was once a young writer, and I thought I would set the world on fire. Unless you write about something long-lasting here or abroad, just kick back with a Piña Colada, find a table with an umbrella, and hit the keys of your computer. You will eventually drift off from your work and take a nap. When you wake up, rewrite what you wrote, and whether the writing pleases you, you will have had a nice snooze and feel eager to start over where you left off.

Let me tell you, folks, writers have all kinds of hours to write, when to write, etc. I once knew a very popular writer who actually set up his typewriter between the kitchen sink and the stove. I don’t know if he managed it, but he managed to pump out a book a year. John Grisham belts out one a year. I don’t know his writing situation, but a man who can do that, raise a family, and handle all the other duties of a family is somebody you might want to emulate. No problem with having an idol who inspires you.

Although he rarely wrote a book, Walter Winchell inspired the hell out of me because he was so prolific with his newspaper columns.

I plan to write more about the trivialities of writing as we travel this lonely trail. Just sayin’

rustystrait@gmail.com

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By Amber Dance

Viral infections skyrocket, impacting kids and hospitals

The flu virus took full advantage of family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Over the week that ended Nov. 26, hospitalizations for flu nearly doubled, reports Richard Franki at WebMD. The number of positive flu tests that week, more than 34,000 nationwide, is the most ever reported, with records going back to 1997, reports Keren Landman at Vox — though that figure is in part explained by higher testing rates.

The CDC’s map of flu-like illness rates, normally a woodsy mix of green hues in autumns past, is now a patchwork of purple and red.

RSV and COVID are also going strong. Pandemic protection measures flattened both RSV and the flu in recent years, so the population lacks immunity, creating an ideal opportunity for them to come back strong.

Children in particular, and the pediatric hospital units that serve them, are suffering from the “tripledemic,” write Sallie Permar and Robert J. Vinci at STAT. Families are struggling to find children’s fever medicines, with drug store shelves nearly bare, reports Laurel Wamsley at NPR.

Most people do have some immunity to COVID this season. A recent preprint estimates that some 94% of the U.S. population has been infected by the virus at least once. That, plus vaccinations, should provide some measure of protection against the worst outcomes — but COVID hospitalizations still rose in Thanksgiving’s wake, reports Erin Prater at Fortune Well. The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants currently circulating have a greater ability to escape prior immunity than previous variants, notes Michael DePeau-Wilson at MedPage Today.

New York City is experiencing a high rate of new COVID cases and COVID hospitalizations, report Corina Knoll and Sarah Cahalan at The New York Times, but it’s Los Angeles County — the nation’s most populous — that’s currently staring down the possibility of a new mask mandate.

LA County’s Department of Public Health has set two trigger points for the return of masking requirements. The first such trigger, 10 or more weekly hospital admissions for COVID per 100,000 residents, has already been met, report Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II at the Los Angeles Times. If the county hits the second mark — 10% or more of hospital beds occupied by COVID patients — it could prompt the return of a mask mandate in early January, said LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

While LA County, and the CDC, have already encouraged people to mask up to avoid the stew of circulating respiratory viruses, public enthusiasm for a return to face coverings is decidedly low, report Cahalan and Knoll.

“Three years in, it is extraordinarily difficult to mandate,” said Dr. Sara Cody, public health director for Santa Clara County.

Women, Black and Asian people left out of COVID trials

Amid a collection of 122 COVID trials, researchers generally failed to recruit participants who mirrored the general population, according to a new JAMA Network study.

Women were underrepresented among the pool of more than 176,000 participants, as were Black and Asian people. 

Better representation is important because doctors can’t be confident in treatments only tested on groups with skewed demographics.

Women may have been under-included because they are less likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19 than men, notes Arielle Dreher at Axios.

In contrast, Latino and Hispanic people were overrepresented. That may reflect the preponderance of trials in states like Florida, Texas and California, which have large Hispanic and Latino populations, reports Annalee Armstrong at Fierce Biotech.

The Pew Research Center recently released a poll on attitudes towards clinical trial participation, and found that Black and Hispanic individuals were a little less likely to say such trials are important than white or Asian people. In focus groups, some people of color pointed to past mistreatment of communities of color in medical research as reason to avoid being a “test case.”

The JAMA study authors suggest several potential solutions to spur more representative trials. Some people may be more likely to participate if they had adequate transportation, child care, or time off work.

While federally funded studies are required to ensure racial representation, those run by companies are not. The authors suggest that tax breaks or patent extensions could be offered as incentives to companies to encourage them to make the extra effort to recruit diverse participants in their trials.

Omicron booster authorized for kids as young as 6 months

The bivalent booster that targets the omicron variant has been authorized for children under 5, the FDA announced Thursday.

Eligibility depends on which shots kids got previously. Those who received two doses of Moderna’s original-formula vaccine can already get that company’s bivalent booster.

Children who are midway through Pfizer’s three-dose regimen for that age group can receive a bivalent booster for their third shot.

But those who already completed Pfizer’s primary series will have to wait. The FDA has not yet received data to support a fourth, bivalent shot for those children, but expects to have the data in hand by January, reports Spencer Kimball at CNBC.

The bivalent boosters, which target omicron BA.5 and were authorized for adults in late summer, are already a bit out of date now that BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are the dominant strains in the U.S.

But a recent CDC study supports the idea that these boosters enhance protection compared to the original, monovalent shots alone. The longer it had been since a person’s previous shot, the more benefit the booster provided.

Congress poised to terminate military vaccine mandate

Republicans are expected to succeed in ending the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for military service members as part of the annual military spending bill, reports The Hill.

The White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin oppose the change, notes Rachel Roubein at The Washington Post. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the mandate is still “very much a health and safety readiness issue for the force.”

Conservatives have argued that the mandate, put in place in August 2021, slowed military recruitment and forced more than 8,000 service members to depart. About 98% of the military’s 1.2 million members have been vaccinated already, reports Connor O’Brien at Politico, and he notes the bill, as it stands now, would not reinstate those discharged over the issue.

Austin said there are no “hard data” that indicate the COVID vaccine mandate hurt recruiting, reports Reuters.

Up to 17 other vaccines are required for service members, depending on their position and risk level.

Democrats are willing to cede the issue to get the bill passed. While the White House has called the change “a mistake,” President Joe Biden has not indicated he would veto the bill if it the mandate is dropped, report Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi at The Hill.

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People still looking to book trips home to visit family or take a vacation during the holidays need to act fast and prepare for sticker shock.

Airline executives say that based on bookings, they expect huge demand for flights over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Travel experts say the best deals for airfares and hotels are already gone.

On social media, plenty of travelers think they are being gouged. It’s an understandable sentiment when government data shows that airfares in October were up 43% from a year earlier, and U.S. airlines reported a combined profit of more than $2.4 billion in the third quarter.

Part of the reason for high fares is that airlines are still operating fewer flights than in 2019 even though passenger numbers are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Fewer flights and more people looking to head home or take vacation for the holidays means two things: Prices will be higher, and we will see flights sell out for both holidays,” says Holly Berg, chief economist for travel-data provider Hopper.

Yulia Parr knows exactly what Berg is talking about. The Annandale, Virginia, woman struggled to find a reasonably priced flight home for her young son, who is spending Thanksgiving with his grandmother in Texas while Parr visits her husband, who is on active military duty in California. She finally found a $250 one-way ticket on Southwest, but it’s not until the Tuesday after the holiday.

Parr figures she waited too long to book a flight.

“My husband’s kids are flying home for Christmas,” she said. “Those tickets were bought long ago, so they’re not too bad.”

Prices for air travel and lodging usually rise heading into the holidays, and it happened earlier this year. That is leading some travelers in Europe to book shorter trips, according to Axel Hefer, CEO of Germany-based hotel-search company Trivago.

“Hotel prices are up absolutely everywhere,” he said. “If you have the same budget or even a lower budget through inflation, and you still want to travel, you just cut out a day.”

Hotels are struggling with labor shortages, another cause of higher prices. Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, which owns travel-search sites including Priceline and Kayak, says one hotelier told him he can’t fill all his rooms because he doesn’t have enough staff.

Rates for car rentals aren’t as crazy as they were during much of 2021, when some popular locations ran out of vehicles. Still, the availability of vehicles is tight because the cost of new cars has prevented rental companies from fully rebuilding fleets that they culled early in the pandemic.

U.S. consumers are facing the highest inflation in 40 years, and there is growing concern about a potential recession. That isn’t showing up in travel numbers, however.

The number of travelers going through airport checkpoints has recovered to nearly 95% of 2019 traffic, according to Transportation Security Administration figures for October. Travel industry officials say holiday travel might top pre-pandemic levels.

Airlines haven’t always done a good job handling the big crowds, even though they have been hiring workers to replace those who left after COVID-19 hit. The rates of canceled and delayed flights rose above pre-pandemic levels this summer, causing airlines to slow down plans to add more flights.

U.S. airlines operated only 84% as many U.S. flights as they did in October 2019, and plan about the same percentage in December, according to travel-data firm Cirium. On average, airlines are using bigger planes with more seats this year, which partly offsets the reduction in flights.

“We are definitely seeing a lot of strength for the holidays,” Andrew Nocella, United Airlines’ chief commercial officer, said on the company’s earnings call in October. “We’re approaching the Thanksgiving timeframe, and our bookings are incredibly strong.”

Airline executives and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blamed each other for widespread flight problems over the summer. Airline CEOs say that after hiring more pilots and other workers, they are prepared for the holiday mob.

Travel experts offer tips for saving money and avoiding getting stranded by a canceled flight, although the advice hasn’t changed much from previous years.

Be flexible about dates and even destinations, although that’s not possible when visiting grandma’s house. In a recent search, the cheapest flights from Los Angeles to New York around Christmas were on Christmas Eve and returning New Year’s Eve.

Look into discount airlines and alternate airports, but know that smaller airlines have fewer options for rebooking passengers after a flight is canceled.

Fly early in the day to lower your risk of a delay or cancellation. “If something goes wrong, it tends to progress throughout the day — it gets to be a domino effect,” says Chuck Thackston, general manager of Airlines Reporting Corp., an intermediary between airlines and travel agents.

There are plenty of theories on the best day of the week to book travel. Thackston says it’s Sunday because airlines know that’s when many price-conscious consumers are shopping, and carriers tailor offerings for them.

For the most part, airlines have dodged the accusations of price-gouging that have swirled around oil companies — which drew another rebuke this week from President Joe Biden — and other industries.

Accountable US, an advocacy group critical of corporations, linked airline delays and cancellations this summer to job cuts during the pandemic and poor treatment of workers. “But generally, we would say the airline industry is not currently at the same level as big food, oil or retail in terms of gross profiteering,” says Jeremy Funk, a spokesman for the group.

Brett Snyder, who runs a travel agency and writes the “Cranky Flier” blog about air travel, says prices are high simply because flights are down from 2019 while demand is booming.

“How is it gouging?” Snyder asks. “They don’t want to go (take off) with empty seats, but they also don’t want to sell everything for a dollar. It’s basic economics.”

Travelers are sacrificing to hold down the cost of their trips.

Sheena Hale and her daughter, Krysta Pyle, woke up at 3 a.m. and left their northwestern Indiana home an hour later to make a 6:25 a.m. flight in Chicago last week.

“We are exhausted,” Hale said after the plane landed in Dallas, where Krysta was taking part in a cheer competition. “We started early because the early flights were much cheaper. Flights are way too expensive.”

They’re not going anywhere for Christmas.

“We don’t have to travel. We’re staying home with family,” Hale said.

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According to data compiled by ONT officials, 271,075 passengers are expected to fly into and from ONT between December 18 and January 4, a 7% decrease compared with the same period two years ago. The daily average will be just over 15,000 and the highest volume days will be December 21 and December 22 when ONT expects more than 17,000 fliers each day.

“Ontario International experienced pre-pandemic passenger volumes over Thanksgiving and though we don’t expect the same levels in the weeks ahead our passenger terminals will still be bustling,” said Ronald O. Loveridge, vice president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners. “We look forward to extending our holiday hospitality to customers who choose to travel. They will enjoy the first-rate, hassle-free experience they have come to expect from us.”

About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. There is an average of 67 daily departures offered by nine air carriers. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden opened the holiday season at the White House on Monday by breaking off a sprig from the official Blue Room tree and giving it — and a big smooch — to her toddler grandson.

“Look how beautiful this is,” the first lady said of the 18 1/2-foot (5.6 meter) Fraser fir that was delivered by wagon to her Pennsylvania Avenue doorstep by Clydesdale horses named Ben and Winston.

“It is beautiful. It’s magnificent, really,” she said.

The first lady later joined President Joe Biden for a visit to the Army’s Fort Bragg in North Carolina to celebrate “friendsgiving” with service members and military families.

The two events set off a White House holiday season that is expected to be much more festive this year, as public health officials encourage those vaccinated against COVID-19 to get together in person, instead of begging Americans to stay home, as they’ve done for holidays past.

The holiday tree was presented by the father-and-son team of Rusty and Beau Estes of Peak Farms in Jefferson, North Carolina — a three-time winner of the National Christmas Tree Association’s annual contest. The winner gets to present its official tree to the White House.

Son Hunter Biden, his wife, Melissa, and their toddler, Beau, were among a sizable group of White House aides, guests and others who braved crisp winds to watch the brief ceremony marking the start of the administration’s first Christmas in the White House.

The Fraser fir will be decorated in the coming days and displayed in the Blue Room, a tradition that dates back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, after a chandelier is removed so it can be tethered to the ceiling for safety. White House grounds superintendent Dale Haney went to the farm in October to pick out a tree. Peak Farms also supplied the official White House tree in 2008 and 2012.

The White House Christmas decorations will be revealed on the Monday after Thanksgiving, the first lady said.

Jill Biden was joined by a D.C. Army National Guard family to honor the National Guard’s role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, her office said. She has been using her new role to help highlight and rally support for military families from across the country through an initiative named Joining Forces.

At Fort Bragg, the meal was held in a large hanger replete with pumpkin and pine cone centerpieces for about 250 servicemembers and families. Jill Biden spoke first, stepping out from behind a table to walk the room, talking to families about their late son, Beau, who served in the Delaware National Guard, and how she understood how hard it was to be away during holidays. She talked about how proud she was of the troops before introducing the president, who echoed her praise.

“You do so much, your families do so much,” President Biden said. “You’re the finest military the world has ever seen … and I’m so damn proud to be associated with you.”

After a quick prayer from the chaplain, the Bidens walked behind the serving tables, donned gloves and aprons and started dishing out the meal to waiting troops. Jill Biden scooped mashed potatoes, the president the stuffing. The troops were handed chocolate chip cookies with the presidential seal, and the long table was full of food including chocolate cakes.

On Tuesday, the Bidens plan to participate in a to-be-announced local service project before resuming their family tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. Biden put tradition on hold last fall over COVID-19 concerns and hunkered down over Thanksgiving dinner in Delaware with just his wife, their daughter and their son-in-law.

“Last Thanksgiving, for the first time, it was just the four of us,” Biden said earlier this month as he commented on the nation’s progress against the coronavirus.

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All volunteers working at the donation stations wore masks and gloves and sat behind Plexiglass partitions. Each toy underwent an extreme sanitation process, using a UVC LED handheld sanitizer, upon receipt. The portable wand is rechargeable with a 99.9% sterilization rating. The toys were then taken into a back room for sorting by another group of volunteers so they can be distributed to nonprofits that have requested to be included this year.

Things were certainly different this year but Soboba Foundation President Dondi Silvas said they offered themed days to keep the 50 volunteers in a festive mood. There was an “Ugly Sweater” day and one for “Christmas PJs.” She volunteered for several hours on most of the days.

“Longtime volunteer Joey Placencia was dressed every week with the joy of the Christmas spirit,” Silvas said. Placencia worked a full eight-hour shift every week of the event and said he participates every year as a way of giving back.

“I have a huge family, and to think there are kids out there going without, really tugs at my heart,” he said. “I loved seeing the gratitude from the public, to know that they were happy that we were providing for our communities’ needy children. It brought me a smile and kept us going, even with this pandemic going on.” Tanya Briones and her daughters, 16-year-old Tanya Rivera, 15-year-old Sica Rivera and 14-year-old Luisa Rivera, volunteer every year. They can start doing so at the age of 14, which allows the family to do something worthwhile together.

“The highlight for me is the fact that I know I’m helping families in the community so children don’t go without during the holiday season,” Briones said. “The reason I continue to volunteer every year is because I enjoy helping the community and representing my tribe. I also am able to show my children it’s good to get out in the community and help others when it’s needed.”

The COVID-19 pandemic did affect the number of toys collected – only about half of what has been received in prior years. Distribution of toys was also affected as San Jacinto Unified School District couldn’t host its annual Christmas party and other nonprofits had to give out gifts in a drive-by fashion. “In prior years, we would hold a special event complete with Santa and photo opportunities, along with cookies served by Santa’s Elves,” said Dawn Lawrence, SJUSD’s Communications and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.

She said this year’s distribution was going to include a decorated entrance with socially distanced greeters but in the style of the district’s meal distribution grab-and-go process for touchless contact. Shortly before the planned event, another stay-at-home order was initiated, and the district had to completely shelve their Plan B for yet another alternative.

“We had one representative from each elementary school come to our warehouse and pick up their school families’ bags of toys (some had assistance with the transport),” Lawrence said. “A very controlled drive-up pick-up was done at each school site for their selected families. This was a tough decision, because we really wanted to decorate and make it fun along the path. We made signs for the sites to use thanking Soboba Gives Back for the toys.”

Lawrence said SJUSD served a minimum of 140 families in the first few years they have been fortunate to be involved with the toy drive program, then it increased to 240 families for a few more years, and now for the past three years up to 400 families or more are being helped.

“Without this program, we would not be able to serve families in this way,” Lawrence said. “In past years, we’ve had other organizations reach out to us with holiday food baskets, but generally only to serve under 25 families. This toy distribution is extremely important to our youngest students and their families. It is also a highlight at the close of the calendar year, when we say goodbye to our students for a three-week school break.” Hemet Unified School District is involved for the first time this year and Public Information Officer Alexandrea Sponheim said school site staff have done a wonderful job staying connected to all families so they could identify which ones could benefit most from the Soboba Gives Back! Toy Drive.

“We are so excited and grateful that Soboba invited us to participate,” she said. “Pandemic restrictions have caused us to think differently in how we serve our families. Since the pandemic began, we have been able to provide a drive-thru style meal distribution, which will be our plans for the toy distribution. We feel extremely grateful that Soboba is providing toys to our families. Our families have struggled a lot this year and we know that this will provide a much-needed bright spot in our families’ year. As a staff member, being a part of the distribution of toys will definitely be a highlight of my year!”

Divine Appointment Worship Center Senior Pastor Brian E. Hawkins said receiving toys they can distribute to children in the San Jacinto community during their Christmas party at Mistletoe Park is a true blessing. My City Youth Center Community Specialist Erika London said receiving 100 amazing gifts this year helped serve all the children in their program, ranging from babies to teens.

“We were able to bless every child,” she said. “We have been able to offer onsite after-school programming since quarantine. Obviously, we have a few new protocols in place, but we were able to move most classes outside, maintain distancing and institute screening practices that allowed us to continue to serve the children in this community. Also, we held monthly drive-thru events that allowed us to interact and serve children continually.” On Dec. 17, the Hemet nonprofit held a drive-thru gift distribution where children got to see Santa and receive their personalized gifts along with some Christmas snacks.

“Soboba’s generosity is deeply cherished here at the Youth Center,” London said. “With their provision and love, we get the opportunity to add extra attention to some of our community’s most vulnerable children. The giving from Soboba really helps us spread good cheer and holiday joy. Soboba really helped make a difference.”

-Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians • Contributed

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The holidays are upon us but nothing about them will be normal. Covid-19 has changed many things including the way we interact with others. Many of us will not be celebrating in person with the family and friends we normally celebrate with. Some of us will be zooming our get-togethers, myself included. As we celebrate the new year in our respective ways, we all have reason to be hopeful. Two Covid-19 vaccines are already in use and more are coming very soon.

Perhaps by summer most of those who chose to receive the vaccine will have been vaccinated. Hospital beds will be available again. It will be safe to travel, to meet in gatherings, to eat together in restaurants, put our masks away for the next time a pandemic comes. We can be thankful that science has brought us to the point where vaccines can be created and tested in just a few months. Future leaders will be able to study the way we have responded to Covid-19 and next time be more effective in their leadership, to make us more resilient to the effects of a pandemic. We are hopeful that starting January 20th we will begin to address climate change, the effects of which if left unchecked will be mush worse than the pandemic.

We am hopeful that we can find a way to make quality health care available and affordable to everyone. There are so many problems that need to be addressed and we have the opportunity to make progress. We hope we will. And we hope everyone will have a better, much better 2021 than we have had in 2020. To everyone, we wish all people of every religion and faith, Happy Holidays and a happy and blessed New Year.

-Dick Gale

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During the holidays, you may be seeking comfort, whether that’s the comfort of home — or anywhere but home.

With travel precautions making possibilities somewhat limited this year, you may not be able to take the exact trip you’ve been dreaming about. However, whether or not you leave home this holiday season, you can find the comfort you’re seeking in the following ways:

• Revisit fond memories. If you can’t travel this holiday season, you can still take a trip down memory lane and safely relive your favorite trips and activities. Unearth your most prized travel mementos, such as pictures, ticket stubs and playbills, and make a scrapbook.

• Home is where the food is. Looking to conjure the aromas and flavors of your childhood? Connect with family members and ask them for recipes. Craving the cuisine of a dream destination? Plan a themed cooking night. If you need a little assistance in expanding your culinary repertoire, consider a virtual cooking class or meal kit. Or, simply venture out for a meal.

• Cultivate culture. Like never before, the world is at our fingertips, from virtual experiences offering never-before-seen access to museums and cultural meccas to classes in literally everything. Let your fingers do the walking and immerse yourself in the culture, language, sights and sounds of your favorite destinations.

• Plan your next trip. Yes, really. Recent data from trivago shows that consumers are already planning for next year’s holiday season, particularly during the week of Christmas. Planning now can make this holiday season seem a little brighter. And if you are not comfortable booking travel too far from home just yet, explore possibilities just a train ride or short drive from your home. Travel sites like trivago offer the ability to discover getaways that are still relatively close to home. To get inspired for your next trip, visit trivago.com.

While you’re thinking of that dream trip, you don’t have to stay put. There is a whole world out there – whether it’s down the block, a short road trip away or accessed online — that can be visited safely with proper planning and precautions.

-StatePoint

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Steve Lopez, Sports Coordinator for Parks and Recreation, said nearly 400 gifts were purchased to make sure no one missed out. “We shopped at the end of each week as the reservations came in so we knew who to buy for,” he said. “We had baby gifts for 0-3 and then boy or girl gifts for ages 4-10 and 11-13. We purchased Amazon gift cards for older kids.” Shannah Medina said her sisters helped to set up “The Nightmare Before Christmas” themed trunk that delighted the children who rode by in their vehicles, some of them in the open beds of pickup trucks that gave them a more up-close and personal experience. Jodie Arres and Steph Arres Almanza and her girls decorated with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” motif that brought recognition from all ages of kids that drove past.

At last year’s Christmas Party, the Arres’ sisters (Amelia, Vicky and Marilyn) had a hot cocoa booth. With this year’s set-up change, they pre-packaged a bag of hot cocoa mix and some fruit treats to hand out with miniature candy canes and lots of good wishes for a happy holiday. Soboba Youth Council filled the back of a pickup with a fully decorated Christmas tree that had wrapped gifts underneath and “snow” all around.

The look was later lit up with colorful strands of Christmas lights to enter Soboba’s third annual Light Parade that started shortly after the gift-giving event ended and earned a first-place win. “We wanted to participate as a youth group as a way to contribute to our tribe and show what we do,” Tatiana Briones, 15, said. “We want to be good leaders and a good example to our youth.” Plastic candy canes filled with M&Ms were handed out to each child that attended the party, as youth council members wished them all a happy holiday. Soboba Tribal Council members set up a booth to hand out treats and also raffle prizes including generators, espresso machines, Roombas, big-screen television sets and more. “We are so thankful for everyone who participated this time,” Tribal Council Secretary Monica Herrera said. “Every child got a stocking and the raffle winners were super excited. It was a nice surprise for everyone because no one knew the adults would have a chance to get a gift, too.”

Dione Kitchen, Executive Assistant to the Tribal Council, said names were randomly chosen from those that RSVPed for the event and 75 raffle prizes were given away. “We didn’t tell them ahead of time and they were so thrilled, especially ones that got the big TVs,” she said. “Because this year had to be done a little differently, Tribal Council decided to add the raffles to make it extra special.” Before heading out of the main parking lot, party-goers were given to-go meals of a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for each family member prepared by Skip Thomas Catering. Many families drove back to their homes to get set up along Castile Canyon Road to watch the light parade that started about 6 p.m.

Others entered the parade of about a dozen vehicles that made their way along the route with joyful holiday favorites blaring from speakers. Individually wrapped candies were thrown by handfuls to excited children waiting along the street’s edges. John “Duke” Briones decorated his cart with lights, wreathes and a “Soboba Rez” sign. His son and grandson had a cart they called “Red and White Surprise” with ornaments hanging from the roof and 8-year-old Frank in a tinsel studded vest. “I enjoy seeing everyone’s car all lit up and I just like the joy of giving my time to make others happy,” Duke Briones said.

Bianca Machado spent a couple of weeks getting her truck ready for the event. She hand painted oversized cutouts of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock for her “Peanuts” Christmas design. She was joined by her best friend and nephew who helped her put the finishing touches on everything and won a second-place prize for their efforts. “I did more planning this year to make it better,” Machado said. “I like that it makes people smile when they see it.

I mean, who doesn’t like Snoopy and the gang?” Daniel and Genevieve Valdez were joined by their 15-month-old son in a brightly-lit off-road vehicle. It is Bruce’s second Christmas but his first time in the light parade. “I like to keep the tradition going and the spirit of Christmas alive,” Daniel Valdez said. Renee Rhodes covered her vehicle in lots of lights and was joined by her mom, sister and four children who were set to toss out goodies to parade watchers. “We just went colorful – we enjoyed doing this last year,” Rhodes said. “We attended the party earlier and it was nice. The kids are happy, and the food was good.” Soboba’s third annual Light Parade winners were selected by viewers along the parade route that texted their choices.

All winners received Amazon gift cards. Along with first-place winners Soboba Youth Council and second-place winner Bianca Machado, Wayne Nelson won third place for his decorated truck that most certainly contained more lights than any other vehicle in the parade.

Mike Hiles • Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians

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