To wonder how many people truly want Christmas to be "saved"

[IrkedEssex]

I am no fan of lockdowns and would rather we were not locked down for Christmas. But I think it would be a crying shame if all the privations everyone has suffered are reduced in their efficacy due to a desire to "save" Christmas. Such a move might well involve stricter restrictions in the lead up or aftermath. I am also wondering how many people, in all honesty, absolutely love spending Christmas Day with family.

Most people I know find it at least as much duty as pleasure; traipsing half way across the country to crowd in with relatives, family arguments, restive children, huge expense yada yada yada. In my family it is the older generations who drive the togetherness aspect of it, but they then get the most tantrum-y and ill-tempered. Most people I know mainly love the lead up to Christmas with the fun and the parties and the decorations. Well, we can decorate to our hearts' content and there won't be fun and parties in December no matter which way you look at it. Gifts can be sent. So is it really worth fixating on Christmas togetherness? I'm totally prepared to be in the minority here; am genuinely interested in how others feel about this.

YABU - I and my family love to be together on Christmas Day and are desperate for it to be saved, even if it means stricter restrictions either side of the day itself.

YANBU - Christmas Day gatherings are mostly a hassle at the best of times and it is not worth prejudicing lockdown progress by lifting restrictions purely to save Christmas.

We always spend Christmas at home with no relatives anyway so it makes no difference to us. The only thing that will change is not having random relatives pop over with gifts which I really won’t miss .

I haven't voted, because I think there is a middle ground.

I agree that for many Christmas is stressful.
But I haven't seen some of my family now for 8 months. We would normally see them most school holidays. I miss them.

Over Christmas, I would like to be able to go and see them for the day.

I am also bored of my family, not in a nasty way but the 5 of us have been lookign at each other's faces over the table for the last 8 months and we'd lliek a change.

So yes, in a way I'd like to be able to do something at Christmas. But I don't want to go all out and then be in lockdown again.

@Torvean32 - sounds as if you've had a tough year. Hope things improve

We're having family round for Christmas dinner, which is pretty normal depending on the year and who's turn it is, probably not going to my grandparents like I usually do though.

The rich had their ski trips They had their Cheltenham (whats the betting there is a lockdown to save Cheltenham 2021) They had their holidays in the summer. As someone who rents, who has done these lockdowns in a tiny flat who hasnt been abroad since the 80s, does not go to pubs or restaurants I want my family Christmas.

This will only be 3 households and six people at MOST.
Obvs if anyone tested positive for Covid this would all be off. But believe me the way it looks from here is that its ppl lower down the socio economic scale expected to give up the little they do have.
Sick of it!

@steppemum

I haven't voted, because I think there is a middle ground.

I agree that for many Christmas is stressful.
But I haven't seen some of my family now for 8 months. We would normally see them most school holidays. I miss them.

Over Christmas, I would like to be able to go and see them for the day.

I am also bored of my family, not in a nasty way but the 5 of us have been lookign at each other's faces over the table for the last 8 months and we'd lliek a change.

So yes, in a way I'd like to be able to do something at Christmas. But I don't want to go all out and then be in lockdown again.

Eminently sensible words, @steppemum.

@MercyBooth if the second set of restrictions had been in late September, I bet golf clubs would have been kept open.

I don’t care that much about ‘saving Christmas’ for my own sake - I will be fine with just my immediate family and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the tiniest bit of relief about my in-laws not visiting this year, they are SUCH hard work - but I think there’s a bigger picture. I’m concerned about people who live alone or won’t be able to see family, about the economy, about people whose livelihoods depend heavily on the Christmas season.

@nosswith Id lay money on it.

@Buddytheelf85 In this months Good Housekeeping it states that the Samaritans usually get 400,000 calls throughout December, 11,000 on Christmas Day alone. IMO there is a good chance it could be worse this year if the cunts in Government put restrictions in place.

Very pleased if it's true that up to 4 households can meet between 24th and 28th December. There are a lot of us but we come under that threshold so I do hope we can go ahead and all be together.

I just want to meet up with a few Friends tbh. We won't see my family this Christmas, we may have mil and fil over on Christmas Day but really I just want to have some of our friends and their kids over. The children miss each other so much, in normal times they would see each other several times a week, and I miss it too.

If it is four households and non-food shops etc are shut over Christmas, I'd be happy with this.

Though it means Boris Johnson either doesn't see his older children (that he acknowledges), or doesn't see his dad.

Well - the area I live in is going into the highest tier of restrictions in Scotland, and travel into and out of Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas is going to be made illegal - which would mean none of my boys could come home for Christmas - not even ds3, the student, who would end up in a student flat on his own.

They will be reviewing the restrictions on the 11th of December, but it seems unlikely that our area would drop two whole tiers, so at best, we will be in Tier 3 for Christmas.

At worst, I hope we will be allowed to have our student son home - the other two do have other options, but he'd be on his own. We are wondering about suggesting he comes home now, before the higher restrictions start - he could do all his uni work from home.