Kissing and hugging post C19

I don't like it, in fact can't stand the fashion of kissing and hugging friends and acquaintances. Genuine hugs are reserved for my DC and DGC, kisses for DH of course!

I m the opposite (not strangers) but I love a hug, not so much the kissing But I always hug friends I think the British are not tactile and I love to see how the young ones hug everybody now and I hope this CV doesn’t put paid to that
What’s wrong with a hug I understand what you mean it doesn’t come naturally I understand that completely missfoodLove we weren’t brought up huggers were we but once it’s happened a few times it does become natural and now it seems weird not to

Coming from a French kissy/huggy background, I’m used to it. But when I first came to England, things were very different. No one touched. Now? Everyone is called by their first name, everyone hugs and kisses. I’ve never been sure I like being kissed by people I hardly know, the rounds of kissing at every greeting and farewell.
So - yes please by my loved ones, probably not from others...

I’m with the OP and BlueSky, quite happy if I never have to hug and kiss others at every touch and turn.
Why is it expected to hug and kiss an acquaintance if you bump into each others when out shopping say, or at a social gathering when you have never clapped eyes on that person before?

I think it's fine if people know each other and know that the other person likes hugs and kisses, but there are many reasons why people dont like to be touched and it's important not to assume.

I'm happy about this too. I didn't like the hugging and kissing of virtual strangers either.
The comedian Tom Allen suggested that we should go back to bowing and curtsying instead!

I like greeting my friends with a hug and an ‘air kiss’ but I agree with you grandMattie that doing the rounds before leaving can be tedious even in a medium sized group. I intend to cut that bit out and just wave ‘cheerio’ in future!

I think less will be the norm going forward.

I agree with you, urms, a cheerful wave and goodbye is perfectly acceptable.

Other than my family and a few very close friends , a cheerful wave and smile is fine for me too.

Completely agree. Every cloud......

I was never brought up in a kissing and hugging household. Apart from a goodnight kiss, that was it.
I don't see it as a hanging offence just because there isn't a show of affection. Love was shown in other ways.

This made me smile as my DH hates the two sided air kiss we all do when in Spain whereas I’m so pleased to see the folks I know when we get back out there, it takes me half an hour to settle down!

I think a smile and a hello/cheerio is going to have to suffice in future but it won’t come naturally to me!

It will be interesting to see if the 'bisou' culture survives here in France. It's going to be a while before people are confident with close contact,

Glad to see I'm not the only one who avoids kissing and hugging (apart from close family).

Kissing no. Hugs yes.

It will be a long time yet before you can kiss and hug if you so wish - personally I don’t.

We are only halfway through this wave, and a second wave is likely this winter.

We have always been a tactile family and look forward to being able to return to normal hugs and kisses.

We have a group of close friends and I cannot imagine never hugging or kissing them again. We will return to normal social interaction when the time is right for us.

I have always felt uneasy with kissing etiquette. A relative always offers me her right cheek at a kind of Queen Mother angle and I never know whether to plant a smacker on it or do a 'Mwah'. I first met her when I was twelve and I'm nearly 73 now so you'd think I'd have worked it out by now.

I was not brought up to be overly tactile. My father always shook hands with my brothers. DH does the same with DS. I like to give close family a hug but I hope in the future people keep their lips to themselves.

I've never felt happy about kissing all and sundry either, but as we live in Germany it's hard to suppress a handshake. We had a couple of young men doing a job in our garden and when they'd finished it seemed odd that they just said goodbye and walked off, it seemed so unfinished without the handshake to complete the deal.

My mother was not a cuddly kind of person so I grew up not knowing hugs and kisses until I met boys!!! My sister goes in for a hug when I see her and she says its like hugging an ironing board. I am happy with what we are doing in golf now to replace the usual post match hug and or kiss - w are using the namaste sign which seems much more respectful and comfortable.

I've never been a tactile person except with very close friends and family and I have to say that I'm surprised at how much I've missed giving them a hug these past few months. I'm really looking forward to being able to hug my closest pals again and, this weekend, my GC are going to be hugged to smithereens!

2/3 kisses here is the norm and I have got used to it but do not really like it.
I hate it when people I do not know kiss me, DGS birthday party last year I was a sitting duck for all his little friends parents. I had just had my knee replacement so could not nip into the kitchen out of the way.
Why do they want to kiss a strange oldish lady with her leg propped on a beer crate(best height).?????
We are discussing re-opening the Church at the moment and trying to decide how to enforce the rules, I suggested big signs on entry, no kissing etc. We shall see.

I can’t stand all this kissing all and sundry I don’t indulge , but hugging yes I’m a hugger