Stop moaning and thank your lucky stars!

PollyDolly
You're very forthright. This year has been incredibly challenging for many reasons. After months of avoiding it and taking all the necessary measures to stay safe covid has become personal to my family. It's a nasty vile thing. Our Christmas will be quiet and we'll just be thankful like lots of other people.

Well said, PollyDolly. I couldn’t agree more with you.
I’m so sorry to hear about your ex-work colleagues.
The threads and posts on GN suggest that many don’t want to throw away the sacrifices they have made and risk increased rates of infection and deaths in the new year. Whilst I sincerely hope younger generations follow suit, I am mindful of those alone at Christmas and the stress, depression and mental health risks they face. Can I also add that it seems hypocritical to celebrate Christmas when others have been asked to forgo their religious festivals?
We should all be ‘in this together’ every day and not expect health, care and support workers to put their lives at risk if we have been irresponsible during Boris’s five day free for all.

Thank you for your post pollydolly . I am so sorry to hear of people losing family and friends.
Covid will not take a five-day break.

Lucca

Are we in fact starting to live up to what the Aussies call us ?! Whingeing Poms?
Moaning about which tier
Moaning about daughters in law
Etc etc

I've heard Aussies whingeing too !


PollyDolly

My neighbour said right at the beginning of this "We're the lucky ones. We have earned our pensions, probably paid off our mortgage and can stay in if we wish, or at least keep a distance from others".
He's right. Although he has a FIL he worries about, and many of us have family we worry about,

On the whole, we are the lucky ones
So far.

biba70

Agreed- we have totally acceptedwe won't see daughters and grandchildren until February half-term, and quite possible, not before Easter. Just not worth risking ruining all the sacrifices made so far.

Same here. To the letter...

biba70

Many do not seem too bothered about the people, young and old, who died at Grenfell. And those who go to bed every night, knowing it could happen again.

Today, in the Guardian the director of Kingspan, that made the cladding used on Grenfell cashed in more than £6 million in share options before the enquiry began. Kingspan is an Irish based company and they were able to purchase the shares for 13 cents and sell them for 76 euros.

I would imagine most of us who agree with PollyDolly would of course make exceptions for those who are alone and desperately lonely to be in a small bubble with one other.

I totally agree.

It is heartbreaking, Moonlight113

There are people committing suicide in record numbers

My friend has Stage IV cancer and wants to see her family as she knows very well she won't make next year.

It's great that so many of us can thank our lucky stars but this is akin to telling someone with clinical depression to get a grip

Lots of people are in dire straits. Health wise, financially, emotionally. Job losses. Deaths of friends and family.

Allow people to bleat, ( awful word) now and again.

You don't know what other people are going through

My mum spent three months in hospital because of covid. Did she have it? No, it just set her mental health off. Full blown breakdown, so I will see her at Christmas thank you

I think it must be heartbreaking to actually be alone at Christmas when you have been used to being part of a family group. Sorry, I can't call it "bleating on".

such as not having ball games with the children, opening windows, I think the advice is all wrong
Sorry, I had to laugh TerriBull. That advice is all wrong! I think they said board games NOT ball games! Though my DGS would love a game of football in the lounge!

December 25th will still happen, we will just celebrate it differently this year. Time to reflect on all those who are no longer with us.

would should

A salient opening post. I think the way some people go on about not having the Christmas get together they want this year is ridiculous. I believe Thanksgiving took place this week, it was reported that millions of Americans moved about the country to celebrate that, as we know they already have shocking rates of infection and this celebration could well add to those. Just listened to the 6 o'clock news which was full of advice about what not to do on when having the family round on Christmas Day, such as not having ball games with the children, opening windows, I think the advice is all wrong, I think people should be warned there will quite probably be a surge in the aftermath and it would be encouraged to put off planned family get togethers just this once!

Many do not seem too bothered about the people, young and old, who died at Grenfell. And those who go to bed every night, knowing it could happen again.

Firemen like your neighbour are such heroes Dinahmo. I often think of the firefighters who died in 9/11.
What it reminds us here, is that we should care about all those around us. I guess covid brings it home more because the average person may never have been in the midst of a tragedy before.

Ellianne

I have always thanked my lucky stars everyday. My DH was caught up in the Kings X underground fire when I was pregnant with DS1. He was on the Malaysian Airlines flight 370 a month before it disappeared. Only last year, just before covid, he decided to retire from his job in the city and we escaped to the coast. Everyday I think about those who sadly do not survive tragedies and am grateful that thus far we have avoided them.
Ever the optimist, my Christmas decor theme this year is "reach for the stars". Everyone should try to find something, however small, to make them smile this Christmas.

Slightly off piste but... a part time neighbour of ours was one of the firemen working at Kings Cross. He later appeared on page 3 of the Sun!

Thank you Nonni....

Oh yes. Fully agree. We're happy to stay at home this year. It'll be quiet but we'll have a nice enough day just not our usual Christmas day but at least we're here to enjoy it. We'll be thinking of those who are not so lucky.

I agree with Nonni53. This is a universal tragedy. Time for everyone to learn from it.

Well said Pollydolly

I agree.

Stop bleating, be thankful.

This is world wide. I am in the US, Massachusetts, just a very small piece of a much larger problem but it doesn't matter where a person lives in this WORLD, we are all affected by it. The situation wreaks havoc for EVERYONE. I'm not sure some people can grasp that...people become very selfish and self centered and think about how this situation affects only them and what they want. PS - EVERYONE is affected! There are still people who will not wear a mask, will not social distance, continue to have large social and family gatherings and not take this seriously. It boggles my mind! If we all did our part in our part of the world, it would make a difference. People need to stop only thinking of themselves, think of the big picture, have integrity and do the right thing!

My prayer for the world:

May all people be healthy, may all people be happy
May all people be safe, may all people live with ease.

Stay safe all -

PollyDolly well said. You were brave to post this and I'm pleased to see that no one (so far!) has shot you down in flames for it.

I am so sorry about your ex-colleagues - their suffering is the harsh reality of this pandemic. So many unnecessary losses - and more to come if people all decide to throw caution to the wind and get together for Christmas 'because BJ said we could'. For God's sake stop listening to BJ and use your common sense! So what if you're alone this year? So what if you have to miss one, just one family Christmas? At least it may mean you'll have several more family Christmases to look forward to.

Thanks for starting this thread - let's hope it's the wake up call that is so needed.