Holiday Revelers Saddened to Not Spend This Time With Loved Ones, but Experts Say the Payoff Will Be Worth It

Many this holiday season are grappling with the raw emotion that accompanies the grim milestone of nearly a year spent socially distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. And making that all the more difficult to contend with is what should be a time spent gathering with loved ones.

"It's been a year I haven't seen my parents,” Kelly Ripa said on TV. I'm at the one-year mark. Wow, really? Yeah. It's painful."

As the pandemic rages on, the CDC recommends keeping your holiday gatherings small, which means another event spent without loved ones, just like Thanksgiving. But the payoff will be worth it, experts say.

"We can't let our guard down,” Dr. Oz said. “The next six to eight weeks are going to remain really tough. We can be the ones who make a difference by staying home and not gathering indoors with our loved ones."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, who turns 80 on Christmas Eve, said he will not be celebrating Christmas with his three adult daughters for the first time since they were born.

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