MCRAE-HELENA, Ga. — These days, it's hard to find humor in anything to do with coronavirus. but one family who's cooped up with four kids at home came up with an idea to have some fun and alleviate the little ones' fears at the same time..
Remember December? Sparkling lights and Christmas joy abounded. We didn't have a clue about social distancing yet.
Well, Alex and Marie McGee have found a way to bring that unbridled sense of wonder to a time when we're dealing with a coronavirus pandemic.
"It started off as a joke -- me and my wife were in the kitchen talking about it," Alex said.
"We were doing work on the house and talking about how bored we were, and I was like, 'We should pretend it's Christmas and go shopping online and buy a bunch of stuff,'" Marie said with a chuckle.
And that's how "Quarantinemas" came to be.
"Next thing I know, there's a tree in the living room and it's getting decorated with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, and it went on from there," Alex said.
The kids, Daphne, Bobby, Winnie, and Liam, all hung their stockings with care in the hopes that... well, Santa doesn't really fit here.
"We haven't made that part of the story yet. At this point, they just know that's dad," Alex explained.
Alex and Marie got in touch with us about this story, and sure it's all fun and everything, but they wanted to help other parents going through a difficult time with their kids, Alex explained, "Because it's hard to explain to children about coronavirus and alleviate their fears."
"We just wanted to help them with their stress levels and they're out of school and can't see their friends and it's been rough for them, so that's where it came from to try and ease their mind some."
The kids have already started asking about a Quarantinemas next year. The McGees say maybe, but for now, they're just going to bask in a little holiday glow and look forward to mom and dad providing a reprieve from what's going on in the world.
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