Are you intending to see your family this Christmas come what may, or if there are restrictions will you abide by them ?

This is a double edged sword

The avoider is happy to use covid not to interact with that person

The avoided may or not be happy with it and raise a stink

Just wait for a month and we will see threads with this problem popping up soon.

biba70 After last weekends deliberately misleading government approved presentation purporting to make the situation far worse than it really is, I no longer have any trust at all in government statistics on COVIDl. Both the parliamentary committee early this week and the Office for Statistics has criticised them for publishing deliberately misleading figures.

There are other equally qualified and knowledgeable statisticians and doctors who have been sceptical of government figures from the start and whose own forecasts have proved more accurate. I prefer to listen to them. One is at Oxford the other at Cambridge.

Don't mind too much about Christmas, but I'm hoping for a lessening of rules mid-January as it's DH's 80th birthday and it would be wonderful to have a family get-together then.

Sorry, I meant to write "October" in my post above.

Many people will do as they think fit.
I know this from comments made to me.
I would not normally see my S and family or my D and family so I am not comprised.
My GD lives with me so no conflict there.
I am so pleased that I don’t have to make a choice, I don’t know which side the coin would fall.
I haven’t seen my D and her family since January, we have obeyed all the rules but I am 83 and fast approaching my last Christmas so I really can’t say what I would do if I were able.
I am being honest here.

I shall not disobey any rules. Even if they are allowed to visit, I don't think my children will come back. In one case, it would involve train travel and going through London.

I did see both of them for one day visits in July, August and September and I saw one of them in Octobe too so I shan't feel deprived as, with technology, I can still see them.

Some people love big Christmases and I do recognise they will be upset but I do think that, this year, it is "safety first".

I wonder if
Niel Ferguson
Dominic Cummings
Dr Catherine Calderwood
Robert Jenrick
Stephen Kinnock
Margaret Ferrier
Will be meeting all of their family this Xmas?
You bet they will. They obviously didn't believe the science, did the ?

GrannyRose15

biba70

Luckygirl, yes 'sigh' - not seen our daughters and grandchildren since February- and despair of all those who cannot or refuse to see, that we have to follow the rules if we want to get out of this dreadful mess.

Has it not occurred to you that other people have different opinions which are (also??) "supported by the science."

'come what may' has nothing to do with science, in any way, shape or form.

Thanks Lucca. I do usually see DS and family for a couple of hours on Christmas Day but then spend the rest of the day on my own, so this year will be a total change. Who'd have thought that COVID could bring about something positive?

Grannynannywanny

I’m with you Ilovecheese. The government’s “Don’t Kill Granny” slogan really upset me at the time. Not because I’m worried they’re going to give me the virus. But if I pop my clogs because of the virus, regardless of the source, I don’t want my grandchildren thinking they were responsible. I found that slogan really insensitive.

Quite agree.It was an awful thing to say.

Unfortunately the decision about Christmas won't be mine. If it were left to me I'd go ahead as normal but my AC have all swallowed the government take on this nonsense hook, line and sinker and so we won't all be meeting up as a family. Nor can I see my own sisters. "In the bleak mid winter" has never been so apposite.

Chewbacca

I'm one of the very lucky ones. DS, DIL & GC normally go to DILs family for Christmas but because I'm in their bubble, they're coming to me this year. It will be the first time I've spent Christmas Day with my DS for 11 years.

How lovely !

I’m with you Ilovecheese. The government’s “Don’t Kill Granny” slogan really upset me at the time. Not because I’m worried they’re going to give me the virus. But if I pop my clogs because of the virus, regardless of the source, I don’t want my grandchildren thinking they were responsible. I found that slogan really insensitive.

I just don't want to put the children and grandchildren in that position. Imagine how they would feel if you caught the virus from them, they would have to live with that guilt, if the worst happened to you.

I'm one of the very lucky ones. DS, DIL & GC normally go to DILs family for Christmas but because I'm in their bubble, they're coming to me this year. It will be the first time I've spent Christmas Day with my DS for 11 years.

We will do both what we’re allowed and what feels safe. Son lives in a shared house, daughter works in a school and both GC’s in school., we normally spend the eve, the day and am of Boxing Day together, I think this year we may be together through zoom only. Shame there isn’t an immediate test we could all independently take Christmas Day am and have the day if all clear!!

GrannySomerset I am afraid I did not say I would follow the rules. I said I would wait for the rules and see what they said and that I would put no-one at risk. That is not a commitment to obeying the rules.

I agree with Luckygirl and M0nica and see no point in doing anything other than follow the rules. Both our AC and their young are out in the world and a potential source of the dreaded virus, and I would rather not see them at Christmas than risk DH’s fragile health. I think people are being both sentimental and selfish over one Christmas (I note that nothing like the same fuss was made over Easter, a more important church festival) and talking as if there will never be another. There will, for most of us - and more of us if we behave with sense and caution.

I am expecting cases of Covid to rise again in January as there is bound to be more contact between people over the Christmas and New Year periods.
Hopefully the lockdown will get the numbers down before then.

I am going to be very daring by saying that what I do will depend on the rules. However I will do nothing that endangers either my health or anybody elses.

Make of that what you may.

There is a reason why such a high% of the population go down with colds and flu in January.
Stop and think why that is.
Then apply the same principle to the transmission of Covid19.
QED

Absolutely Jennifer which is why we are having a lockdown just now.
It will be lovely to see the family, even on different days, we all want to see each other and I can’t get excited about being on our own ( we have every day to do that, nice as it is.)
So seeing them one small family at a time is the way to go.
I would always accept any rules about not doing so though.

Who is going to admit it on here anyway?

Quite!

I did read that the police won't be storming into people's houses breaking up family meals.

Really, what is the point of hoping Christmas will be as normal this year? It just won't, so we may as well get used to the idea. I've said elsewhere that Christmas should be postponed until we are out of this mess. No, we won't be seeing our family, whom we have not seen since January. Hard though this is, it has to be done.

I have never agreed with the lockdowns. I feel that we're trying to kill the rats by sinking the ship. However, I will continue to abide by the rules. If we can't get together with our children and their partners then I will accept this and make the best if it.

This is the advantage of the extended holiday between Christmas and New Year isn’t it lemongrove ?

We will do as you are - seeing some Christmas day and others spread out over the week depending on the numbers permitted.

Quite a lot has been written and said by people stating that, yes, they will see family regardless of any possible restrictions in place.

Equally well, as I said, others will relish the thought of spending the time quietly on their own.

I’m sure the government is well aware that compliance over Christmas will be very low and impossible to enforce.