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Let’s light up the holidays!

This year, of course, that will be a different experience with Christmas tree lightings, even the National Christmas Tree lighting will go virtual this year in Washington, D.C., as holiday parades, festivals and visits to Santa are reimagined as the pandemic continues to rage.

Macy’s iconic Santaland in New York City has been transformed into an interactive virtual experience. Wander through Santa’s village and workshop right from home. (You can access it on the Macy's website.) Annual holiday markets also are offering the opportunity for shopping virtually, including ones that give back to the community like the popular High Hopes Holiday Market in Connecticut, which raises awareness for those with special challenges and the famous Christkindlmarket in Chicago, which showcases artisans from around the Midwest.

Most of us are heeding advice from public health officials and staying home this holiday season. According to a new national survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 69 percent of us are unlikely to travel for Christmas and even more of us stayed home for Thanksgiving, typically the busiest travel weekend of the year.

If you are glum about your canceled Thanksgiving plans (I sure was), you are ready to get out of the house and celebrate the holiday season — safely and with masks, of course. We’ve posted many suggestions in our Taking the Kids Guide to Lighting up Your Holidays, which we produce each year with Family Travel Forum. Most are going strong by Thanksgiving weekend.

There are plenty of socially distanced options at zoos, botanic gardens and museums across the country, though you need to make reservations and purchase tickets in advance this year in order to prevent crowds and follow protocols, including wearing masks. (How about a new holiday mask for everyone?)

In Chicago, for example, The Museum of Science and Industry will celebrate Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light with more than 40 trees decorated by volunteers to represent various cultures and holiday traditions.

Denver Botanic Gardens’ Blossoms of Light is a tradition for Coloradans with light displays that are sound reactive while Zoo Lights transforms the Denver Zoo with more than a million lights, plus a host of new measures to keep your family safe. (Nov. 20 through Dec. 31, 2020)

The 450-acre Living Desert will be bright for the 28th annual Wild Lights Festival when they blanket the botanical gardens with thousands of lights, including a herd of life-size, luminescent animal lanterns and the popular model trains, with more than 3,300 feet of track decked out, as well.

There are also a growing number of drive-through holiday light displays across the country, so pack the thermos

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