5 day break...

Where I live in the south east the virus is out of control . So mixing this Christmas is like playing russian roulette , but there is still people who don't see the seriousness . There is going to be people mixing for the hell it , with not taking any safety precautions . Those of us who have comonsense will paying for it . Come the beginning of January's our hospitals will be closing there doors because they can not cope . Hoping everyone has a safe and happy Christmas .

I really don't understsnd why Christmas has to be over 5 days in the UK. Yes I know if Boxing day falls at the weekend it becomes a public holiday on the Monday etc. But surely Boris could have said just two days although personally I think it would be safer to not meet up this year.
Here in Portugal Christmas will just be the 24th and 25th and people will be allowed to travel on those days but not the rest of the time. Over new year we will be in lockdown from 11pm on New Years Eve to 5am on the 4th January. We will not be allowed to move out of our council area during that time except for work or other special reason. Between 1pm and 5am each day all shops and restaurants will be shut and we shouldnt be on the road except for exceptional reasons. That's what you call a shut down.
People talk about grandchildren crying about not seeing family but as my best friend here said better to spend one Christmas alone and not seeing family than spend every Christmas not seeing them.
People dont need the government yo tell them what is the best thing to do they should know what they should be doing. My daughter loves having all her children and grandchildren with her for Christmas but this year she will just be at home with her husband and youngest child. She doesnt like it but just wants to keep everyone safe.

I'd rather be alone at Christmas or anytime than dead!

When you see the thousands of new cases EVERY DAY and the hundreds of deaths EVERY DAY - it is totally beyond me that anyone would voluntarily mix with their dear family!!! NOW is when we need to show some grit.

I agree Hulahoop, yet some will have no choice but to return to work and mix with these people after being so careful themselves, spreading the virus even further, it's rather like the baby boom used to be with a high increase in the birthrate during April and September from the previous year's annual Holidays and Christmas!

My most disliked expression recently is ‘it is what it is’, usually said by people who won’t follow the advice sensibly and protect everybody else.
As Boris Johnson said ‘3 households and 5 days is the limit, not a target’. Nobody has said we have to have 3 households together for the full 5 days.
Whatever happened to common sense- oh, there it goes!!!

I’ll be at home alone, I lost my DH 2 yrs ago and miss him dreadfully but I’m not going to see anyone except one daughter who I’m in a bubble with but it will be a quick drop my GDs presents and then back home to my own Christmas
dinner. I think anyone who thinks they’ve been careful are kidding themselves I’m sorry but is it really worth risking your life for this one day.

The government have 2 choices - enforce a proper lockdown where no one can go out, or what they have done. Those who don’t care or don’t believe in the virus will do what they like anyway, and those of us who are sensible are planning a quiet Christmas. If the government ban Xmas they’ll have the rebels defying it anyway. And yes I think it will be horrendous in January. I hope January sales are banned or shops are shut at least. My DH has ignored most of the rules throughout, he went out for a curry with his mate this week, despite high Covid rates, it is ridiculous.

I will be spending Christmas Day with my daughter and her family. They will be isolating until then with days being taken as holiday to cover. I lost my husband last year and could not bare Christmas alone. Our Christmas is usually spent with all the family spending time together but we all decided this was not happening this year. Boris should have vetoed Christmas but he doesn’t want to be unpopular however he’s only satisfying the minority because the majority of us are sensible and will apply our own safe plans. The rest will do what they like because that’s what they think he’s allowing. Some people need to be told as in by law because they don’t stop to think or care that come January full lockdown will be a certainty, then we’ll have the minority moaning again.

Candelle

I agree with Fairview.

What is the point of not seeing our family indoors all year to undo everything for one day?

We are currently in a Corona hot spot so will not be seeing our family. Our children have decided not to see each other - we will all be separate.

We hope to meet up outside on a clement day and suitably masked and socially distanced, go for a (hopefully not too long!) country yomp. We will throw presents at each other!

'Crismouse' day itself will be celebrated in June with a Barbie, complete with crackers, Brussels sprouts and Crismouse pudding.

I will be doing the same. I live alone and have been shielding since 11th March. I long to have hugs with my family but will celebrate in the Spring or Summer next year.

NanaPat Best to to stop accusing others of stupidity, selfishness etcetera, do your own risk assessment and take it from there.

That's all very well, but the "others" are the ones who are making it worse for everyone. Hands up who wants a 6 week lockdown in the New Year due to the selfishness and stupidity of others.

Nope not at all, sheer utter madness!!!! N.Ireland infection rate has soared, it's frightening, so we are having a 6 week lockdown after Xmas Day. Bring it on I say as our hospitals are over capacity now, come Jan I don't know what will happen. I was in Tesco at 6am this morning, then home and I'm glad I did as I took the dog a walk along the sea front and on way home their carpark was packed at 8.30am. That's me done, no more shopping for me as I think people here will panic too because we know we are getting shutdown again like the 1st lockdown, well kids are still for school..... My sister and our dogs for Xmas Day, alone for Boxing Day and I'm thankful for that. If we are very careful for just this one year, it's one Xmas, we will be well to see the next one.

My thoughts on ‘they would do it anyway’ are that rape and murder still happens so, let’s not bother to make it illegal!

I think that if people understand how to take precautions properly, it would work. I think there has been far too little education about wearing masks properly, sanitising before and after touching the mask, only wearing mask once before laundering or disposing etc. The public information videos on television and radio are too soft and too few.

We have all seen the masks under noses, touching masks, shoving mask in pocket and then putting it on again (politicians seem to be the worst offenders).

Our local shopping centre has huge arrows on the ground for one way pedestrian traffic. There are a lot of shoppers who need white sticks.

As for Christmas, it has put pressure on families to host people when they don’t feel safe to do so. Just read MamaCaz’s post
Cambia Sadly, common sense seems to be in short supply. Look at the people being fined £10,000 for holding parties of over 200 recently.

Anyway, after all that whingeing, I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas however you choose to spend it. Stay safe and well.

Ah, I see quizqueen has arrived to wind everyone up.

It's up to families to take personal responsibility and follow the hygiene procedure, wearing masks indoors and making the gatherings as brief as possible. Better still, cancel Christmas gatherings until safe to do so. We must use our common sense and realise we get guidelines from scientists and governments but its up to us how we interpret these. We need to stop blaming the government as the actions we take will result in positive or negative consequences.

Unfortunately very careful people will end up in same lockdown after Christmas has people who have a very mixed family ,friend Christmas so going anywhere in January will be very risky .

I know of a few Christmas bubbles planned locally where the Children have been attending a schools where Corona virus cases have been fairly high amongst staff and pupils alike recently, and they have still allowed children from the same class to continue to attend as usual. These children will then go on to mix over Christmas with elderly Grandparents, aunts and uncles, some of whom would be otherwise sheilding, and no doubt then will be hugging and kissing everyone in their 'Bubble', simply because it feels like they now have Government permission that it is safe to do so! How misguided they are, and also many people have taken on the attitude of 'it won't happen to us' until it's too late and it has!
My youngest DD and S-in-L are both keyworkers,coming to contact with hundreds of people per day between them, and have decided to protect others by refusing to join in a bubble with anyone this Christmas, so as not to potentially carry the virus onto anyone themselves. They are staying home with their children, and it will be a FaceTime session to see them on Christmas morning with all their excitement and Presents! it is fairly sad though for younger children who simply do not understand the reasons why their normal trips to Grandparents homes for hugs and treats from the 'goody box' have now stopped, my own Dgds, who live nearby are really angry with me at the moment, and think that it's my fault that they are not allowed to visit us like they used to do.

LauraNorda
Thank you , thank you , thank you
You are absolutely correct.
We need the Stay at Home message more than ever now.
All of these 'careful', 'sensible' people...
No one could have been more careful than me.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

No, at this point, with an unpredictable new strain and flu season coming on, with peoples normal non-covid care put on the back burner for months - NO we shouldn't be meeting indoors and we ought to be very careful meeting outside as well.

This is a virulent and deadly virus so sitting in the same large dining room with windows open is still a huge risk. A big conservatory isn’t a safe place even with one person from another household. None of us know who is carrying this virus or how careful they have or have not been.
Safest thing to do is stay at home, no visitors at all and wait for the vaccine to be rolled out.
Those who don’t do that are putting everyone else at risk.

travelsafar

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a real Father Christmas who could deliver all our gifts to each other thus avoiding us having to meet up to do so

There IS such a thing as a postal service, and we can send wrapped gifts to arrive a few days before Christmas, to be opened on Christmas day. Nobody needs to deliver gifts actually in person.

Candelle..made me smile..
mamacaz awful situation for you...

The PM doesn't want to go down in history as 'the one that cancelled Christmas'. He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

There is bound to be a Corona virus rise in hospital admissions in January after the mixing over the festive season, possibly leading to another full lockdown.

Our family has children and teenagers and we can't ask them to keep away from their friends, so we just can't see them - and we are really missing our huggles!

I agree with Cambia. Just because you can doesn't mean you have to but it seems perfectly reasonable not to wish to criminalise those who do wish to meet over the festive period.
Best to to stop accusing others of stupidity, selfishness etcetera, do your own risk assessment and take it from there.

Boris is a populist and so whatever the data Christmas was going ahead. The rules could have been stricter but certain newspapers would have made a song and dance. It's called caving in. I suggest folks google Italian mayors and Covid 19. Its funny but pertinent. One mayor speaks to the camera and says 'I hear students are thinking of having a graduation party... He says, 'if you do we will send the army around with flame throwers!'