BOISE, Idaho — During a typical holiday season, local newscasts would be covering topics like last-minute shopping, the hottest gifts of the season, and last-minute migration in the form of holiday travel.
Rather than exploring those topics in a week-long series, why not bring them to you in a condensed, COVID-19 style account?
In years past, the holiday season has always been big. Typically the busiest time of the year, but not so much this year.
The holiday season also typically brings travel, but COVID-19 has deflated the airline industry in some ways. Boise Airport is expecting a drop of about 50% compared to 2019, about what the airport experienced over the Thanksgiving holiday.
AAA Idaho expects 157,000 fewer of us will head outside our own house to celebrate this season, a 29% drop from last year.
Traveling by car, however, has not taken much of a hit. In a normal year, about 89% of holiday travel is by car, according to AAA. This year, almost 96% of holiday travel is done in a vehicle as most people are opting for the possibility of a last-minute road trip.
Driving to your holiday destination may be a good financial investment, as Idaho gas prices are down about 50 cents over last year.
Holiday shipping is also expected to see an increase this season: demand at the post office has been up since April, according to the United States Postal Service (USPS), which has lead to widespread delays across the spectrum.
From shipping to last-minute shopping, the Saturday before Christmas is usually the second-busiest in-store shopping day of the year. While that day is already behind us, Sensormatic Solutions, who tracks shopping activity, a 25% drop is expected during the six weeks of this season.
Even a holiday tradition has seen a decrease this season. This year, children will not be allowed to sit on Santa's lap but can visit with him virtually.
This is also the time of year we see and heat the red kettle from the Salvation Army. Normally, stories about the rare coming or random $100 bills being pushed into the buckets would be on the newscasts.
This year, however, fewer kettles due to COVID-19 is proving to be an issue due to the lack of volunteers. The Salvation Army is finding it harder to meet its fundraising goal.
In Boise, the goal for this year is $235,000. Last year, they fell about $2,000 shy. This year, the Salvation Army has only raised about half of their goal, meaning the organization may see a setback it hasn't seen in years.
The red kettle campaign is the Salvation Army's biggest fundraiser of the year. With fewer kettles collecting donations, it is more difficult for them to raise their goal by 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
The money raised this year goes towards the organization's year-round services, like pathways out of poverty and their food pantry.
If you would like to help them get more than halfway to their $235,000 goal, you can donate online until 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
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