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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are you planning on changing your Christmas plans ?

222 replies

Lardlizard · 14/09/2020 11:52

By keeping to six only ?

OP posts:
StarchyStanley · 14/09/2020 12:17

@Sanitisethat

Depends on too much to know what to do yet! Lots could change by December.
This is what I think, however, I am already being asked by extended family what our plans are! So I'll have to think of something soon.
TweeterandtheMonkeyman · 14/09/2020 12:17

I don’t think the Police will be knocking on people’s doors at Christmas dinner time Hmm

God I really really resent this Government turning law abiding citizens into law breakers !

Peachypips78 · 14/09/2020 12:18

We've booked to go to Finland for two weeks over Christmas to stay in a cabin in the Arctic circle. It's our dream holiday. Doubt we'll be going now!

SpaceOP · 14/09/2020 12:19

I think making plans right now is silly. Things are way too up in the air right now. I'm parking the whole thing until much closer to the time .

PaddyF0dder · 14/09/2020 12:20

We’re a bit of an international family. Normally we’d be planning it now.

Resigned to the fact that xmas will be a nuclear-family only affair this year. Unimaginable right now that the pandemic will be in such a state that we could risk gathering. And, to be honest, xmas sounds like a nightmare during a pandemic. Even if the second wave was finished by then, all that travel and assembly would absolutely ignite a third wave.

rainbowscalling · 14/09/2020 12:21

Our plan has been to go to my grandparents. 8 of us total, including our 4 year old.

My grandad was taken ill during lockdown and this will likely be his last Christmas. Him and my Nan still want us there and if they have weighed that risk then I am happy to go still. I don't want to miss the precious time we all have because of a rule that has no science base to it at all.

DowntonEstate · 14/09/2020 12:22

Nope. I’m happy to follow the rule of six excepting for Christmas Day. There will be ten of us. Three households plus my ninety year old grandma (who refused to shield and has been out everyday). All three households will be seeing each other regularly anyway (my parents plus my sister and her family plus my brother), it’s just we won’t see each other all at once until then.

TrulyOutrageousJem · 14/09/2020 12:22

I've just moved into a new house and this was going to be my first year hosting with the whole family, twelve in total. I'll be very sad to not have the Christmas I had envisioned but we have started talks on how we'd split it over two days if we have to.

mumwon · 14/09/2020 12:23

I really hope this restriction will be halted by Christmas - if not - I hope we will be allowed to increase the number to include direct family members for that day/boxing day
Elsewise I can see a lot of people floating between family members for the day which will undermine the whole process.

mbosnz · 14/09/2020 12:24

It was only ever going to be the four of us, so no change there. . .

TheFormidableMrsC · 14/09/2020 12:24

Staying at home this year, just me and my two children. Normally we go to family for a few days where there are a lot of us and also have a big party on Boxing Day. I am fine with it, have had a tough year so feel that a quiet Xmas will be really welcome.

housemdwaswrong · 14/09/2020 12:25

We're usually 7, and will be Christmas day. Have stuck solidly to.all the rules, am not going to spoil Christmas day for the same of one person for 3/4 hours.

DogInATent · 14/09/2020 12:26

No. Because our plans never involve as many as six people anyway.

(it's always been a terrible time of year for travelling, it's always been a perfect time of year for bunkering down with just your nearest and dearest)

Lindy2 · 14/09/2020 12:28

I think a lot is going to depend on the number of cases/deaths that are occurring as we approach Christmas.

Hopefully cases might be down and the rule of 6 relaxed. Equally though, we could be in an even worse situation where no household mixing is allowed. It's simply too early to know and plan for.

We'd usually be in a group of 8 this year for Christmas. We host. On our own we'll be a family of 4. We'll do what's allowed and what's best at that time.

LesLavandes · 14/09/2020 12:28

It is September, not December. Ask in a few months please

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 14/09/2020 12:31

I wouldn't say I was planning to make changes yet, @Lardlizard - but I am fretting about it. We have three dses, all of whom have girlfriends. Previous Christmases, ds1 and ds3 have come here over Christmas, and their girlfriends have gone to their parents, then they have met up again before New Year. Ds2's relationship is new this year, so he came home.

This year, plan A was for ds1 and his girlfriend to stay at home or go and see her parents for Christmas, then come up to us between Christmas and New Year. This changed to them coming here for Christmas then going home and seeing her parents. As far as I know, ds3 is planning to be here, then to see his girlfriend over New Year, but I have no idea what ds2 and his girlfriend are planning.

With all three boys in three separate households (ds1 and ds3 live with their girlfriends, and ds2 spends a lot of time with his), plus our household - I am struggling to see how I can have all of the boys here even without their girlfriends - too many households - and if ds1 is bringing his girlfriend, that makes 7 people, which isn't allowed either.

It is frying my brain, and I am just hoping that the rules change before Christmas.

RaininSummer · 14/09/2020 12:31

I haven't seen my daughter since last Christmas because of Covid so I think I am going to stretch it to 7 for dinner (with two of them 5 YEARS and under) but we are going to be careful to have isolated where possible in the preceding days.

oohyoudevilyou · 14/09/2020 12:32

Yes and I'm sad about it. Usually have Dsis and her family fly down from Hebrides to stay for a few days (4 people), my parents, elderly aunt, widowed Mil, single friend and ourselves (5 people). 3 of those live alone and really enjoy having a family Christmas with us, so who will I choose to join us on 25th?

DumplingsAndStew · 14/09/2020 12:32

@Peachypips78

We've booked to go to Finland for two weeks over Christmas to stay in a cabin in the Arctic circle. It's our dream holiday. Doubt we'll be going now!
Oh I really hope that goes ahead for you; sounds bliss.
lioncitygirl · 14/09/2020 12:32

we will be 7. Husband parents (who will self isolate two weeks before coming to us) and children's godfather who is single and lives alone who will be self-isolating before coming to us too so im not worried at all.

Piratefairy78 · 14/09/2020 12:33

If it’s still the 6 people rule our whole family misses out. We are a family of 5, BIL is a family of 5 and DB is a family of 5. My DP and MIL/FIL can’t go to either of us. We’re waiting to see what’s happening closer to the time.

Sertchgi123 · 14/09/2020 12:33

We will follow the rules.

Star81 · 14/09/2020 12:34

Everyone needs to calm down and stop talking about an event more than 100days away.

If we all concentrate on doing the right things now then by Christmas we could have a bit more normality

Justdontatme · 14/09/2020 12:34

There is nothing that Boris would like to do more than announce Christmas is open with an ersatz Churchillian flourish, so I’m not worrying about Christmas, let alone its too early to worry about it!

That said, we are hoping to have my mum, brother, other brother & his wife for Christmas. We are 5 so that would make an illegal 9 of us... will just wait and see. If it’s not possible then they will celebrate without us at my mum’s house.

HoneyBee03 · 14/09/2020 12:34

We have a plan for PIL to come to us but it only makes us a group of 5. The issue is that one of them was shielding until it was paused recently. Depending on how things are when we get to Christmas, they might not be keen to join us with both me and DH out at work a lot and DS in childcare.