Can the Christmas spirit survive a pandemic?
REPORT
17 Aug 2020
Can the Christmas spirit survive a pandemic?

The novel coronavirus that began sweeping the globe in early 2020 has made it difficult – and sometimes impossible – to engage in time-honored holiday traditions with loved ones. With no return to normal in sight, how will Americans adapt their celebratory habits for the short- and long-term?

Jill Gonzalez

Jill Gonzalez is a financial literacy advocate and communications director at WalletHub, a credit ratings site and research outfit. She’s been quoted as an expert in consumer finance in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and has been featured on NBC Nightly News and C-Span.

Dr. John Schmalzbauer

Dr. John Schmalzbauer is a sociologist who teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University, where he holds the Blanche Gorman Strong Chair in Protestant Studies. He received his MA and PhD in Sociology from Princeton University and is the author of People of Faith: Religious Conviction in American Journalism and Higher Education.

Dr. Sam Jeannite

Dr. Sam Jeannite is a licensed clinical psychologist on staff at Small Brooklyn Psychology, a group practice offering therapy and neurological assessment for people of all ages. He is also an adjunct professor at Pace University.

Kelsey Osgood

Kelsey Osgood is a New York City-based writer who often covers religion, literature, and health. She’s the author of the memoir How to Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia, and has contributed pieces online or in print to Time, Harper’s, The New Yorker, and New York magazine, among other outlets.