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Original poster

So if Christmas is no mixing of households indoors

249 replies

RunBackwards · 25/10/2020 20:00

What will you do?

We usually have the four of us (two young adult sons) my parents and my sister and her family (two teens). TBH as the children have got older it's been hard enough to make the day special/different to any other day but if it's just the four of us I can't see it being much different to today.

What do you have planned?

Will you comply with the no mixing of households. It's already in play here, although my sister is in another area where it's not. My parents are being very compliant, although my FB feed suggests most of people aren't.

OP posts:
jazzandh · 25/10/2020 20:54

My kids break up from school 2 weeks before Christmas, DH and I have been working from home, my parents are not going anywhere through fear (although over 70 not EV), neither are my Aunt and Uncle (the same) - so they will probably come round to mine as usual as they really aren't much of a risk as far as I can see.

I have always shopped online for nearly everything - don't eat out as a rule, so think we are fairly "safe" if we break the rules.

If my kids couldn't isolate first it would be a different issue.

OurChristmasMiracle · 25/10/2020 20:54

I will cook myself a nice dinner. Have a nice bottle of wine with a good book and stay in bed like I did a few years back through choice. It was lovely.

ktp100 · 25/10/2020 20:56

If it's no mixing we won't mix.

End of.

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Events & celebrations
from2metersthrowmeasweet · 25/10/2020 20:56

We will be home just the 4 of us x
Our oldest and our grandkids will FaceTime us and we will enjoy the day as much as we can x
We usually spend it all together but we will follow the rules x

Sedona123 · 25/10/2020 20:59

@Dotinthecity

I think most people will, quite rightly, ignore the "rule of 6" and spend Christmas with their families as normal. It's rather sad to think that people will be so rigid/ blinkered in their thinking that they'll allow family members and friends to spend Christmas in their own.
Lots of threads on this already. Generally no-one has any problem with anyone doing the permitted bubble so that no-one is spending Christmas alone. But, mixing two or more groups of more than two people is not a good idea as it's not necessary. A smaller, quieter Christmas for one year is much safer, and not a big deal. It's just one day.
chipsandgin · 25/10/2020 21:01

we will allow them Christmas even if it is illegal, our children's happiness is paramount to us it's an interesting perspective, I mean I like to see the joy on their little faces as much as the next person, but tbh my parents lives are a tad higher on my priority list.

It depends on your parents age but taking children to see who have been in school environments (meaning a high level of risk due to the large bubbles with escalating numbers of infection), off to see older people who will be more vulnerable to then potentially infect them with Coronavirus on the exact day that millions of others will be taking the same risks...fast forward 14 days later, 7 days for symptoms to appear (New Years Eve) and if they then require hospitalisation that'll be roughly 12 to 14 days after infection. The hospitals will be very very busy come the end of the first week in Jan. I expect the Nightingale hospitals will be in use, but nonetheless its not the Christmas present I really want to give my parents, even if it does make the kids happy..

Karmatime · 25/10/2020 21:01

I’m in tier 3, if it stays like that it will be just me and DP having a quiet cosy time. My elderly parents who were both shielded and in tier 1 desperately want us to go to them but as things stand I won’t do it.

ancientgran · 25/10/2020 21:01

I grew up with parents running a pub, Christmas day was busy. I married a policeman, he often worked Christmas. One of kids is a nurse, one of my kids is married to a doctor. I'm used to have a "Christmas Day" when people can get together so I'll just go with the flow.

bengalcat · 25/10/2020 21:02

It won’t be a problem for us as Christmas Day is always me , DP and DD . And pets .

badlydrawnbear · 25/10/2020 21:02

I am quite likely to be at work at some point, but, otherwise will be here with DH and DC. Will probably see my parents at some point, maybe inside the house for a bit or maybe outside wrapped up warm, but probably not the big family Christmas with siblings and their families. I haven't asked my parents what they think though, they might be still intending to host this which will be difficult. I doubt we will see in-laws as FIL met shielding criteria and MIL just refused to leave the house for several months. Maybe DH will go to their house to exchange gifts or SIL will brings gifts to our house and take back to theirs.

HesterShaw1 · 25/10/2020 21:03

Given that I live alone, and my mum lives alone 200 miles away in Wales, we will be sticking two fingers up at the Roolz.

Qwenzo · 25/10/2020 21:03

We will mix households. DD lives with her partner but there’s a possibility he will go to his own parent’s house.
So either she goes with him or he comes to us with her, or she’d be alone if she didn’t go with him and I’m not having that while the rest of us have a jolly old time.

IDSNeighbour · 25/10/2020 21:04

Just me, my duvet and Disney plus, I strongly suspect. Sad

If, by some miracle, we're still allowed to mix households indoors then I will go to my sister and BIL's and my mum will go there too.

I don't mind about Christmas so much. It's Boxing Day I'll really miss. We usually have extended family of 35+ at my grandparents. It's very probably my grandad's last Christmas (mid 90s and poor health) so I hate that we can't do this but it would be beyond rule breaking and beyond stupid to go ahead. It's literally standing room only at times most years. If we can mix indoors we'll probably try to organise small groups of 4 to visit them at different points between Christmas Day and New Year so they at least see us all even though we can't see each other.

Doilooklikeatourist · 25/10/2020 21:04

Quite looking forward to it actually , me , DH , and DD live here anyway , DS and his girlfriend are back and forth and will be here for Christmas
DSis lives alone nearby and has bubbled with us since March anyway , so if she wants to come for Christmas Day , she's welcome , but actually prefers the day on her own
The inlaws go to a hotel ( if they're not still in a local lockdown )
Nice and easy for us 👍

Genevieva · 25/10/2020 21:05

At some point people need to be able to make their own risk assessments and live with the consequences. As we are seeing in Wales at the moment, if you come up with stupid rules, you can expect people to draw attention to your stupidity by making a mockery of the rules.

Gwenhwyfar · 25/10/2020 21:08

@RunBackwards

Theres no rule (currently) that says anyone must be on their own.
A no mixing of household rule obviously means single people will be on their own!
frustrationcentral · 25/10/2020 21:09

We're going to have Christmas Day at home, just the 4 of us. We normally go to my parents who host us, my brother and his girlfriend and an aunt and uncle. I'm really looking forward to being at home!

We'll see my parents on Boxing Day. We normally visit the in laws Boxing Day, but they are a lot more vulnerable than my parents so we're going to go after Christmas - as far away as possible to the end of term to hopefully minimise the chance of them catching Covid From us ( not impossible I know!)

CharBart · 25/10/2020 21:10

Our kids break up exactly 1 week before Christmas Day so even if rules are temporarily relaxed it feels risky to me for them to see grandparents in their 70s until they’ve been at home for at least a week. Planning Christmas Day just the 4 of us at home which will be an ice change, then if rules are relaxed we’ll go and visit grandparents between Christmas and new year. My parents are tier 3, we are tier 2, in laws are tier 1 (for now)

Genevieva · 25/10/2020 21:10

Gwen, single person households are allowed support bubbles so that they are not socially isolated, even in tier 3 areas.

Gwenhwyfar · 25/10/2020 21:11

@Genevieva

Gwen, single person households are allowed support bubbles so that they are not socially isolated, even in tier 3 areas.
What if you are not in a bubble? I'm not in anybody's bubble, for example.
IDSNeighbour · 25/10/2020 21:15

@Genevieva

Gwen, single person households are allowed support bubbles so that they are not socially isolated, even in tier 3 areas.
'Allowed a bubble' isn't the same as 'have a bubble'.
Caroncanta · 25/10/2020 21:17

I think the rules will be relaxed for Christmas and then restrictions will be back soon after.

WizWoz · 25/10/2020 21:18

What will you do?
Have a lovely Christmas without having to spend a single minute with my horrible in-laws. We haven’t seen them since February, it’s been the best year this century.

Inkpaperstars · 25/10/2020 21:19

If people are posting evidence of their non compliance on Facebook, report them. I am not one for reporting or worrying about people who are careful, but sometimes bend the rules for reasons most of us would agree are sensible/valid. But the kind of ongoing unecessary crap that gets posted to Facebook is likely to include a lot of people who just don't care and aren't making any effort. Sorry, but it matters. If cases get really out of control then no one will escape the consequences for the economy, health etc.

I also worry about those who live alone but are not in a support bubble.

SpilltheTea · 25/10/2020 21:22

If I'm safe to look after everyone else's children, I'm going to see my own regardless.