Christmas is beginning to unravel ......

Sympathies, OP!
Last year ours unravelled last minute. We were staying the night with dd2, close to dd1 where we were supposed to be spending 🎄Day. Drove up on the 24th pm, car full of food and presents. Knew dd2 had a cold, but not a bad one.

But a couple of hours after we arrived, she thought she ought to test for COVID, since dd1 was expecting guests next day, with very vulnerable elderly parents who they were flying off to see on the 27th.

COVID test was positive!!! 😩
If it had been just family, none of us would have been bothered, but couldn’t risk it for guests’ CEV parents.

So after unloading all the presents and most of the food, dh and I drove the 60 miles home again!!

We had a bad Xmas last year, mum fell over just B4 Xmas meal so ended up the next few weeks in hospital with her. We decided when she was slightly better to have a Xmas dinner together with crackers, little presents, turkey and all one Sunday it was great fun and much more relaxed strangely than Xmas day. Try and make these best of it you can x

Your post takes me all the way back to Christmas 1972. I had my eighth birthday on the 6th December and two days later I came down with proper flu. I can still remember clinging to the radiator while shivering. On Christmas day, as he was carving the turkey, my poor Dad was suddenly overcome by the flu and couldn't face eating any of the Christmas dinner. On Boxing day, my brother came out with a few spots - chickenpox. We always spent Christmas with my maternal grandparents and my aunt, uncle and two cousins, who were a similar age to us. My sister is younger. That Christmas really was the gift that kept on giving because, of course, early in the new year my sister, two cousins and myself all came down with chickenpox. My brother had had it mildly; we had it very badly, especially me. I was off school for a month and I can remember the doctor coming out to visit and ascertaining that it was chickenpox and not smallpox. Later in the year, I started getting the ear infections that had plagued me when I was younger. This time they did not go away and I ended up having a mastoidectomy when I was ten, which left me with permanent hearing loss. I am sure it was because my immune system was shot to pieces by the earlier illnesses hitting me so harshly.

We have 'form' on this - tooth abscess, 'flu etc - if it is going to hit, it hits at Christmas. Today - we are shivering etc with a real bout if food poisoning (I attribute it to bagged salad - in bin now!) Not going to have the much advertised 'blow out'...

I think maybe this year you will have to do as the queen used to do and have an "official" christmas when you are all feeling much better. So you can all relax and stay safe at home for the real day, and not have people trying to be social when they would be feeling better in bed. You can ring each other up (I am oldfashioned and like to actually speak to someone rather than text) and then relax and just get through the day the best way you can. Then plan a grand meeting up when you are better. If there are small grandchildren inviolved then actually doing some decorations and if the tree is outside they could thread some peanuts on a string for the birds etc . If you choose to meet for a meal you will have your pick of the restaurants in Jan or Feb, or might there be a spa day that you could all meet at , or go to a race meeting and have a winter warmer picnic? Hope you can enjoy the actual Christmas day whereever you are and have the family get together to look forward to.

I hope your DGD will be ok, Crohns is horrible.

luckygirl it’s a shame when all the carefully laid plans go up in smoke. I hope things work out for you and your family.
We had a similar problem for Christmas 2021, when we had an extra guest for Christmas Day because her original plans were wrecked by Covid. Fortunately she’s a good friend and we had a great time.

Order her up a food delivery.

You did not go hungry!

My main concern is that my DGD should be OK.

We had that kind of problem in 2020 COVID year. We were all meant to be together in our house. All the food was ordered and uncancelable. Then Boris locked us all down and we went down from 7 to 3 - then DH had a heart attack and bypass surgery and was in hospital.

So on Christmas day DD and I sat either side of the 6 kilo turkey, 2 kg gammon joint, with 2 pork pies in the fridge and a large Christmas pudding.

The only way out Luckygirl13 is try to see some humour in the situation and find space in the freezer for any excess food.