It was the day of solstice, the moment of the sunâs pause before reversing direction on the shortest day of the year, a day that turns the page to the winter calendar.
As the big celestial transitions were under way, in Waverly, Iowa, middle schoolers were planning to brighten the day for Bartels residents.
Had it been a normal year, elementary kids would have treated the residents to Christmas carols, and middle schoolers would have sent cards, and perhaps even performed for the elderly.
But 2020 was anything but normal as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on communities and warped routines and habits.