I wonder if Christmas will be different this year

[mummabear1967]

As in, I wonder if there will still be number restrictions on indoor gatherings at Christmas? So we may not be able to have Christmas dinner with other family members from different households or we will at least have to reduce the number of people we have round at our houses.

Anyone else think Christmas might be different this year?

And .. the Christmas markets! I wonder if those will be cancelled for this year?

Yes, it will be very very different

Probably but if there’s anything that this year has taught me is to try and enjoy today and not think so far ahead.

I'm expecting it to be very different. Christmas markets closed or reduced, pantos maybe at best with severely reduced audiences and no audience participation but many not happening at all. Carol services and choirs strictly limited. Multi family gatherings very limited. No big office Christmas parties or big groups of friends going out for meals. School nativity plays etc strictly limited (year group bubbles). Very limited ability to go to the Boxing Day football matches. Everything social very limited. Bloody depressing.

Some cities have a already cancelled their Christmas markets this year.

@EasilyDeleted

I'm expecting it to be very different. Christmas markets closed or reduced, pantos maybe at best with severely reduced audiences and no audience participation but many not happening at all. Carol services and choirs strictly limited. Multi family gatherings very limited. No big office Christmas parties or big groups of friends going out for meals. School nativity plays etc strictly limited (year group bubbles). Very limited ability to go to the Boxing Day football matches. Everything social very limited. Bloody depressing.

It is depressing. I really hope 2021 is a turning point in regards to covid

I'm stressing just thinking about the queues that snake around "The Entertainer" in the Bullring at the best of times, so yes - this year will be different, I hope.

Definitely. I spoke to a friend yesterday, about this we normally go ice skating and then dinner in a group of 15. Well, not this year. I can't even see any information about skating at our usual place.

4 of us have birthdays in December, we may be lucky being under 6 in total but nobody knows how comfortable we are eating out. 2 of them have husbands on the shielding/vunerable list so they are extra cautious with children now back at school.

The same with New Year's Eve parties.

I am normally in the deep of planning the office Christmas party, again not this year. We just talked about doing a zoom session and having everyone a hamper and drinks delivered instead.

We are on our own with DD for Christmas itself, there are no chances there and I will try to do the best in the week up to it when school are done for the term and I have leave booked. But the planned trip to see Grandparents abroad won't happen either.

I don't want to think too far ahead but it looks like family gatherings may still be on hold which is rather sad for those of us live alone.

I'll have to treat it like a normal Sunday without the morning shop. In which case I'll find small consolations - I can do whatever I wish with no concessions to other peoples' preferences. It's still rather sad though but it is only one day out of the year. We must make the best of things and look forward to better times.

@ginghamtablecloths

I don't want to think too far ahead but it looks like family gatherings may still be on hold which is rather sad for those of us live alone.

I'll have to treat it like a normal Sunday without the morning shop. In which case I'll find small consolations - I can do whatever I wish with no concessions to other peoples' preferences. It's still rather sad though but it is only one day out of the year. We must make the best of things and look forward to better times.

I suspect if you live alone, unless you're other family is REALLY large you might be able to meet with one of them at least?

My SIL lives alone. She'd be able to come to us (or go to her parents) and still be within the new rules. We just wouldn't all be able to meet at the same time. Still, this might be the quietest Christmas we've had for a long time!

I suppose at least it will be easy with nothing to book or organise

I'm looking forward to it, it's some excuse to keep pils away.... Even though with them we would be 6.

It's still an excuse! The guilt tripping etc...

Covid has been a shield for us.

Xmas is what you make it and if I had family of 6 but anyone stranded there's no way I would leave elderly) loved) parents alone or any lone family members.

Not talking big parties from all over UK, masses of cousins and gf just odd, close relatives who would be alone... No way.

I hope so.

Highly likely I'm afraid.

I think most pantos have been cancelled already. Def no office parties. Limits on numbers in shops for Christmas shopping. Possibly no school nativities.

No one will want a giant turkey to serve 14 and there will be a run on small ones and possibly shortages.

And lots of people will be out of work and struggling.

In our group of close friends we normally have a Christmas dinner together on a Saturday night in December.

There are about 20 of us altogether with partners.

This year we know it's extremely unlikely to happen so we are:

• Having a virtual one over Zoom

• We'll each cook dinner at our own homes

• I'll host using my pro-Zoom account

• Each course I'll put everyone in breakout rooms of 3ish couples

• The people you're with will be mixed up at each course so you get to talk to everyone

• We're going to even wear party hats 🥳

• Between courses and at the end we'll all come back together on one screen

We'll also have a make up dinner whenever this is all over or guidelines relax even if it means a random midsummer dinner

@ginghamtablecloths

I don't want to think too far ahead but it looks like family gatherings may still be on hold which is rather sad for those of us live alone.

I'll have to treat it like a normal Sunday without the morning shop. In which case I'll find small consolations - I can do whatever I wish with no concessions to other peoples' preferences. It's still rather sad though but it is only one day out of the year. We must make the best of things and look forward to better times.

If you live alone then you can bubble though...

No need to spend Xmas alone.

In fact that's only needed if you're in a local lockdown as otherwise you can still have 6 people together so really no need to spend Xmas alone.

I'd really encourage people to think about how you can make it the best you can rather than focusing on what you can't have - that's just a recipe for making yourself feel down about the whole thing.

Try and think of it like a mini-challenge 'How can I have the most fun / lovely Christmas possible in the circumstances?'

Then you'll have some lovely, unusual memories and you might even find new things you'd like to continue in future years.

I can't see it being the usual Christmas that any of us have. I am upset about missing the things we usually do but also slightly looking forward to having a toned down, entertain ourselves and make new traditions type of Christmas.

No visit to Santa - would have been our last, no panto, no parties, no birthday celebrations, no extended family, or grandparents. Basically all the things we look forward to.

I’m very sad about it, but understand. We all normally spend Boxing Day together, and really enjoy each other’s company -parents, grandma, DC, bro, sil, uncle. Food, drink, games, catching up.

It’s unlikely Christmas visiting would have been normal without the rule of 6 as I work with primary aged kids so would have kept my distance outside anyway.

I'd already decided that I was going to spend it with one person so no change here.

Must be difficult to organise with larger gatherings.

Don't think we'll be visiting Santa's grotto this year.