Anyone else find the restrictions have made Xmas less stressful?

[Eastie77]

Normally at this stage I'd be rushing around getting a last minute something. I'd have visits to relatives planned, often involving dragging the DC around to various houses, or have to tidy my bombsite in order to receive guests. Not to mention the usual round of work drinks, parties, client events etc. I'm ususally exhausted and frazzled by the time the 'big day' rolls around.

This year has been crap on so many levels and I've missed a lot of the pre-Christmas events such as midnight carols by candlelight at our local church but I've also felt that so much of the stress of Christmas has just evaporated becuase of all the restrictions. I feel a huge amount of relief at not having to drive here there and everywhere to visit anyone. We've cut back on a lot of our usual spending and it's all going to be very low-key. I realise there are some people who are facing a very lonely Christmas and so I apologise if this comes across as insensitive.

You can always cut down on the stuff you don't like next year. Just say no.

Yes I agree. We always have stress with a family member who has a poorly behaved dog and it’s been nice not to have to walk on egg shells this year.

Agreed, while people around me have been bemoaning the ‘cancelling of Christmas’ I’ve been revelling in the calm of just being with my kids and DP. No dreary office parties, no people popping round for minced pies, no annoying nephew. Bliss!!!

No. An adult DC can't make it home and is much missed, we have two extra people here on Christmas Day who have nowhere else to go due to Covid, I did some shopping today for an elderly neighbour who is shielding again, I haven't been able to visit my elderly godfather who is bored senseless, we've had to cancel a planned walk with friends...

It's all a bit shit, really.

But I do appreciate that for a lot of people not seeing family is much less stressful than seeing them.

I’m sad not to see family but now I’ve accepted that I’m appreciating not having the extra washing, cleaning, and working around other people.

I have to be honest, our Christmases are pretty much always just the 4 of us. Neither DH or I have much family. It's always quite chilled and relaxed to the point I wonder what we are doing wrong and might be missing out. Its basically a slightly poster Sunday roast with presents for us. We have a box of Quality street and some nuts and will open champagne tomorrow, but that's it.

I meant 'posher'not poster.

I have really missed the build up this year, but on the plus side tomorrow will be the first Christmas Day where it's just immediate family, and I feel I can spend the whole day in my pj's.(I have never done this, even as a child). My husband 's family are known for outstaying their welcome on Christmas Day and I am looking forward to not having to shoehorn them out at 10pm!

Whilst for all the wrong reasons I am glad not to be travelling.

I am sure for some people it's much less stressful, not having to see people they don't want to see. We all have different situations.

I thought so. There's been very little for me to do, no timetabling visits, no trying to fit in meals out with groups of friends which cost me a fortune ..

.. but god, sitting here on my own today, I'd give anything to have things back to normal.

I've missed the activities in the run up - drinks with friends, school nativity, Santa visit but I've loved today and I'm really excited about tomorrow. No pressure to perform, not having to host and run round making endless cups of tea, proving cake etc.

Op I've been suddenly bereaved at Xmas and made homeless.

My dp are sadly passed away for a few years now.

Dh parents are an absolute albatross around our necks. After everything I've been through I understand time on this earth is fleeting, we must look for every single lining. Even in my darkest days I still enjoyed a Xmas..

Unfortunately dh parents are the only people who can suck every ounce of joy out of it and turn it into the most miserable, miserly time.

So for us to be able to shake off this albatross is wonderful! We are extremely low c anyway but that doesn't stop the guilt tripping, emails, emotional black mail etc, flying monkeys calling...

So it's been bliss for us!!

Enjoy the peace op. My heart goes out to those who are alone and who miss their loved ones.

*luckily my dc young enough to be at home!!

Significantly and I'm very grateful for it!

I've missed a few bits. But I know what you are saying. No massive tidy up today. Tomorrow will definitely be chilled. Hubby will cook too so an easy day for me. No big entertaining on boxing day. A few quiet walks.

I'm enjoying the lack of pressure.
I haven't seen my parents and sister for a year (I'm abroad) because of mum's health and then Covid. I'm looking on the bright side that I've had far less to do and not had to do a massive clean and then run round after guests.
Tomorrow I'm going to go for a long walk in the forest, play board games, murder some carols on the piano and not cook because DH is doing the dinner.
We will do a zoom call to my family and his.
There are people who have had a terrible time this year, far worse than what we have suffered so I'm trying to think of what I have.

Numerous people have talked about this silver lining. I wonder whether there will now be a trend towards quieter, less stressful Christmases. This pandemic will certainly change things - technology has moved on for example, and I think that Work from Home is here to stay (albeit part-week in many cases) but I also wonder about Christmas and whether from 2021 people will say “no” to the obligation and guilt associated with it, to say nothing of the expense. Time will tell.

Yes I think this year might be the start of the trend away from the frenzied, 'buy everything you can for a perfect day' type of Christmas most people feel pressured into. If all of these lockdowns have taught us anything it's that it is perfectly possible to survive without having to shop every week for non essentials.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman I'm sorry about your DC not making it home, that is totally shit.

..and @Saltn our Christmas days are very similar to yours. Just the 4 of us and I dislike turkey so we basically have a slightly upgraded Sunday roast. The only real difference to any other day is the kids opening presents in the morning.

It's just the run up to the day itself that I usually find exhausting.

We normally either host DM or go to her (where I do the cooking etc anyway but that's a different story!)

We'd decided a while ago (together!) she wouldn't come as logistically it didn't work, plus she needed to use public transport. As she's going into tier 4 tomorrow at least we weren't disappointed at the last minute.

Christmas Eve has been an absolute joy. I hate saying it but just having DH and DS made the day so much more chilled (and DM is by no means a demanding houseguest) Currently I'm sat alone downstairs with DDogs, DH and DS have coffee in bed and I'll start breakfast shortly. Normally we're on the sofa bed downstairs so the morning is so much more frantic. We've got carols on the green at 11am, then presents, then a late dinner, so a chilled day.

Next year we can hopefully be together again, but I think I will look back in this year with a pang

I'm in a similar state of mind @champagneforeveryone

No family over, no last minute cleaning.

It's been a really chilled morning so far, got up at 7:30, opened presents, had breakfast and I'm just out of the bath. DD is completely absorbed with new toys, DH is the same. My sister is hosting Christmas dinner at her house but that's only a ten minute drive away so all I need to do is get ready to go in a few hours.

I'm really enjoying this slow pace to the day

It makes a change to not be hosting, or rushing off elsewhere this year. Of course we miss seeing family, but we can stay in contact and that’s a blessing.

I agree that this may well herald a change to the frantic Christmases of the past, the rushing around and panic buying.

For those who are lonely and missing the company of family or friends, it will probably not be a happy day, but if we do this properly, we may return to better times and decide to scale down in future. It’s not the things that are important.

Oh yes, we were told by the PILs that we did not have an invite to join them this year for Xmas dinner, as dh and I, plus BIL n SIL have jobs that are public facing, so we are seen as ‘dirty virus magnets’ because of this 🙄. Understandable, but an awful name to give to people who have to work in this pandemic while they are comfortable on their thrones........

Well, anyway.....What a shame. Not. Dh is ecstatic🤩

Nice roast dinner for us both later, plus TV, maybe a walk, and definitely a snooze on the sofa, just us two 🙂.

So yes, a less stressful Christmas for us.

Less stressful for sure, but also less fun.