Christmas cancelled

Wow I would not be cooking that dinner for them to collect . I can't even get my head round how out of order this is

How horrible.

How about a good old fashioned skype Christmas chat? Germ free and you could show them all the effort you made. You could have a digital get-together for the Christmas meal...?

Just an idea.

I couldn’t be do cheeky to pick up the food.

However, in their defence.

The BIL is the least poorly but he’s still poorly and been around the others and I don’t think it would be a good idea for him to sit in OPs home and eat.

I also assume he’s the least close to OP and it might be a bit weird if just he sat and ate in OPs home whilst her sister, kids and parents weren’t there.

I’d like to know how it came about that they would still collect the food.
I can’t imagine ever asking that and so I wonder if OP offered.

All 6 of them feel "a bit headachey" at the exact same time? But one of them is less headachey so still able to ferry your food around for them to eat despite their flu symptoms?

Riiiight.

A bit headachy and achy?? Why cant you go to them? Sounds a bit shit - I'm sorry op

No, sorry, they dont get to leave you alone all Christmas Day and then expect you to provide a catering service for them. Bloody hell.

If they're too ill to come and see you then they are too ill to drive around and to eat a full Christmas dinner. They sound like selfish dickheads

That's a rubbish situation and I'd be annoyed, upset and disappointed, but not at anyone in particular. I hope you end up enjoying the day and managing to rescue all the food, except whatever you want to eat today yourself. 😀

Edited to add: I didn't read the full thread and think there have been some updates since your OP; sorry if so!

Sorry @SandSandy but that sounds like a piss poor excuse to me and I agree with the pp that you tell them that you aren’t going to bother to cook now as you are going out instead . Buggered if I’d stand in the kitchen cooking meals for someone to collect , if they are well enough to eat dinner they are well enough to see you .

My mum is the type of person who takes being ill very seriously. Any sign of a sniffle and she’ll panic and cancel whatever.
But, if she rang me to cancel her attendance at a Christmas dinner I was cooking, she would tell me not to make any for her, and she would be trying to reimburse my costs for the food, I just know. To cancel and then collect food is quite shocking to me, unless that is specifically what you’ve offered…but even then, I’d personally tell you please not to worry, relax and we’ll rearrange.

I’d personally say that you don’t think you’ll cook a big dinner now as you’re on your own, and that you’ll see them when they are feeling better.

I also agree. The fact they're all ill is believable as viruses spread quickly but be able to drive to pick up a filling Christmas meal and well enough to scoff it all down?

Yeah, I call BS.

Agree. They're walking all over you on this.

Sorry but that’s not a good enough excuse. No way you should be cooking OP! Tell them you’ll do it another day, but you’re going for a long walk and to find a nice pub. Please please do not cook for them.

Also maybe tell them to get their boiler checked, all of them being ill at once is weird / worrying.

Agree with others on this, I’m afraid to say - if someone’s well enough to drive and pick up food, then he’s well enough to eat it at your house. And if you’re well enough to tuck into a Christmas dinner, then you’re well enough to pull yourself round for a few hours and go and eat it with the person who cooked it. Very rude and unkind of them.

Cheeky buggers! I'd say it's all gone in the freezer so we can still have a meal together when you're better. I wouldn't be cooking it all for them as a meal delivery service! Think it's fantastically rude of them to assume you're ok with this. Unless you want to of course.

So sorry OP. Bugger them and MAKE SURE you do something lovely for you today! I'd rather be alone & self indulgent than pleasing a load of ungrateful people.

I doubt this is the case.

It is likely a much easier Xmas for them to have it at someone else’s home.

I think it’s a bit cheeky coming to get the food but it would have still been easier for them to come for half a day and eat at OPs etc than collect it and eat it at their own home.

Quite!

In my experience, when illness spreads through a household, the onset is slightly staggered, so people go down with it one after another, not all at once.

Unless it's food poisoning of some sort, and they all had the same to eat.

Will the food last for a couple more days?

You could try and rearrange it and redo Xmas in a couple of days time instead.

I’m sorry that you’re now alone.
And I’m sorry they’re feeling so poorly.

I think the same.

If they're well enough to eat a Christmas dinner, they're well enough to drive to someone else's house and eat it there.

@Moonwalkies believe it or not, yes. I'm thankfully four days into it and having small moments of energy for things other than lying in bed, feeling utterly rotten.

Have flu but typing on MN?

I am sorry, not just for you but for those who are ill. Look on the positive side, SandSandy. You can please yourself. It will be a special day. Have nice things to eat, watch and listen to what you want, have a snooze. Before you know it, it will be Boxing Day. I wish you a happy day.

We're the ill family who have just had to cancel family coming over. Noro by the looks of dp this morning. I feel like a bag of shit cancelling on my dad and step mom on Christmas morning.

Holy shit! I'm so sorry.

We had to cancel plans to visit the in-laws today as DH and I have the flu, MIL insists she'll bring dinner over for us later which is hugely appreciated and thoughtful. We're so very sad to be missing out on Christmas with them (We're going to do a fake Christmas in January instead) but I would just absolutely hate for them to get sick right now. And yes, the flu started as headaches and feeling achy so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm really sorry you're spending Christmas alone OP, especially when you are happy enough to still be around them when they are ill. Would they have to travel far to you? Maybe they aren't up to the journey? But at the same time, if BIL is happy enough to come and collect the food that you're cooking then surely he could pick you up for a couple of hours too? To exclude you from the day entirely does feel quite rude to be honest.