Christmas lockdown?

I’ve written off 2020, my sixtieth birthday party, Christmas and just accepting it is what it is...it’s lovely to see friends and family but I can chat on zoom.... and I can remember all the wonderful Christmas’s that have gone before.

I’d rather keep safe than sorry for a lapse just to raise a glass.

How about all of us sparing a thought for those for whom there will be empty chairs at the table this Christmas as a direct result of the Virus?
I am sad that I will not be able to celebrate with my family, and especially with my three GGC’s, two of whom are just about to celebrate their 1st birthdays in the next two weeks. But it is what it is. If we have to do without family get-togethers for just this year, it is a small price to pay for staying well and alive, and protecting others.
And before anyone jumps to criticise my comments I would mention that I understand only too well how it feels to be alone at Christmas, the importance of Family and the need for understanding.

Unless people adhere to instructions it will also affect next year's Christmas as well because a pandemic where " herds " are can last 2+ years.
It's insane when tiers are lifted, people go mad and we're back where we started. It'll be a continuation of lockdowns and eases ad-infinitum.

I don't agree that Christmas is only one day as with many workplaces shutting down for two weeks, the celebrations seem to last for ages!

I live on my own and always see my family on Christmas Day and probably a few other times as well. Without that contact, it would be very lonely for me. As I've spent a lot of the past six months stuck in the house on my own, I really am dreading Christmas this year, it will just be more boring days to get through.

I am in a bubble with my sister and her family although we don't manage to see each other very often but even the odd visit helps. But my daughter lives alone and I would feel awful if I spent the day with my sisters family while she was alone.

I'm really not sure what to do! Either way I won't be cooking a traditional meal, I'm hoping to get a delivery of some kind to avoid cooking altogether!

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The trolleys are cleaned and there's sanitizer to use at the entrance and exit. LuckyFour

here our Morrisons, not a large supermarket does the same,
but for the customers to collect the trolley from the trolley park, then get to the sanitizer and cleaner! we have already touched the trolley

just saying!

I am a church goer Christian, and have yet to see how committed Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus... just saying!

If people followers rules now maybe numbers would be low enough to have an easing of rules .if not then it's only a day or two we have been in special measures since July so having seen some of family for a while but neither have a lot of others it's what it is and we will have a quiet Christmas .

We usually see the GC Christmas day then they go and spend the day at home doing what they want to do. Last year it was Christmas Dinner alone for me as hubby was in respite (we all went to see him at lunchtime). My Dtr invited me to hers but tbh I was happy to sit back and relax and do nothing. This year I don't know what will happen, he's on pureed food and bedridden so it won't be the same anyway. Hopefully the GC can come for an hour again and then enjoy their day at home.

I’m afraid it is what it is.
Unless you are a committed Christian and want to celebrate the birth of Christ it is just another day.
Traditionally we think of it as a time when family gets together but really this can be any time of year.
Better to let the children enjoy their presents and a quiet dinner with parents who are not under stress and therefore more likely to give them full attention. We can plan our big family get together in the summer.
Hopefully things will have improved and if not we can gather outdoors more safely for fun in the sun. Just as easy to create lovely memories in summer.
I do feel for those who may have to spend Christmas alone and hope that those of us who have our other half will make sure that we spend a moment or two here on gransnet to make sure that the alone are not lonely.

Thank you crimpedhalo I hope you don't mind me using your poster. It says so much.
We have decided to order a Christmas dinner for 3-4 from our local Booths as we aren't sure what will be happening and will at least have something to eat for Christmas. We may have son and grandson staying (bubble) but if not I am sure leftovers will be very nice.

And on a lighter note

To reiterate.

Let’s keep an open mind and our fingers crossed !

For me Christmas is definitely family time and I look forward all year to spending it with my daughter, son-in-law and Grandson. But I'm already starting to accept that won't be happening this year. That won't stop me decorating the house and doing all the things we'd normally do and then later, when lockdown is eased, we can do it all again with the family.

It looks like here in Wales we are having our lockdown early so maybe it won’t be as bad at Christmas. Our Christmas is quite low key anyway so it will make little difference, but we all have to just get on with life as best we can. There will still be a tree and presents and turkey.

I've just had to cancel our Christmas Day dinner in a local restaurant ~ booked September 2019! We've just gone into Tier Two and the friend and I who were going are not a household or a family or a bubble. Of course we could change Tier for the better by Christmas (cough) but we thought it kinder to the restaurateur to let him have the table back to re-sell sooner rather than later.

I've had people say to me, "Pretend you're a bubble for the day" but NO. If it was "Pretend you're a bubble for the day and sod the Luftwaffe", then I probably would but "Pretend you're a bubble for the day and potentially risk giving and/or receiving the virus for Christmas", then I definitely won't.

Plus, as I've been 100% compliant so far (consciously, anyway), and have had plenty to say about those who consciously have not, I lack the hypocrisy required!

I will be alone as all my children live abroad
Clearly no visiting or visitors!
I plan lobster and champagne for one

I had my birthday in full lockdown in April and if I have to do the same at Christmas, so be it. I'll miss being with my Grandchildren, but its as it is. Do what is right for you at this difficult time. Let others do the same.

I never see two of my children or their kids anyway so this year will be no different.

We will be seeing one daughter two weeks before Xmas so that she will be able to visit MIL at Xmas as it is their turn. My son is working so we will see them if poss around the end of December, our other daughter is abroad and cannot travel so we will zoom them...if we are in total lockdown..zoom it is, if we are in a another tier then zoom ... what other people do is on their conscience...

We moved to our new bungalow in June near to DD1 and SIL. DD2 and family and DS partner and family, only 50mins away so we were all looking for an ‘altogether’ Christmas as we always had. All in all usually about 14 of us. But DD2 is now in Tier2 lockdown, there is the rule of 6 and we are being very careful because of age. So it may be a rather quiet Christmas for us all. At least we can Face Time and Skype to keep in touch. It’s more important to keep the numbers down to stop more people getting the virus and possibly dying. It must be so hard though for those folk who are on their own.

I have seen full compliance of mask wearing and distancing at my Sainsburys in my nearby city. It's all very well organized. I go early (9am-ish) and it's usually pretty quiet. The trolleys are cleaned and there's sanitizer to use at the entrance and exit. I've worn my mask in the supermarket ever since I first started doing my own shopping (daughter did it for two months) and most people weren't wearing masks then, but I found that when people spotted me wearing a mask it reminded them to keep their distance, and you could see them step to the side as you passed.

I'm just seeing it as Christmas but not as we normally celebrate it, and hopefully next year's will be a even greater event because of having to miss out on family/friends visiting this year. It's not the end of the world - Eid this year had to be missed and that was announced almost at the eleventh hour after most of the cooking and baking had been done; at least we have some warning as to the situation.

"well there is a lot of talk that "lockdowns" don`t work.." But this is simply not true. They worked in time for us to all have a fairly safe summer. Obviously the infection starts to spread again in time, but a timely lockdown could have given us a relatively safe xmas respite.

In our family Christmas and celebrations are what memories are made of, and that even meant travelling across the globe a few times. This year will be a bit different, of course, but I will still see all the ones here, probably in shifts back to back.
My feeling is there is still time for there to be an easing of restrictions for a few days.