To think that the government's idea will start family rows that will go on for years?

[bigbirdsmate]

Having to choose r families to spend these precious bloody days with. So people will have to hurt each other all over the place. Choosing between spending time with one partners parents or the other. Choosing which kids to spend it with. It's bollocks, I'd much rather carry on with lockdown. I don't want to call any of our families because I can't bare the hurt and the aftermath of saying maybe we can't choose them.
Fuck off virus

@meatbadger totally agree

I hope nobody picks me and I can stay at home in peace.

I hope nobody picks me and I can stay at home in peace.

😂😂😂

Well, really it’s just the Government trying to dissuade people from meeting without having to be all stern and ‘Stay At Home’ (which is what it needed). Passing the buck as per.

Some people just aren’t happy unless they’re miserable.

As for the government should have asked people what they want? You really think people wouldn’t be wining if the majority had voted for lockdown? As it happens 75% of people surveyed said they would prefer to stay in lockdown for Christmas.

So behave like a normal adult instead of a petulant child and don’t bother going anywhere. Just because it’s been said that you can doesn’t make it compulsory.

And if people want to fall out with people over it then I would be telling them to grow the fuck up, and probably wouldn’t bother seeing them next year either if that’s how they behave.

You don't have to see people - if your family are so dramatic it would cause arguments that go on for years, the simplest thing would be to see none of them

"It's literally one Christmas."
"It's one freaking Christmas."

Did Saint Boris get the memo about it being one Christmas? Can he count that much? He certainly couldn't count the twelve weeks that he told us about. When he recently said "normal by Easter", did he mean Easter 2021, or Easter 2053?

"It's literally one Christmas. Its one freaking Christmas."

Yes, but for a lot of people. This will be their last Christmas.

It could be worse, at least most of us are still alive to celebrate it.

It is difficult for us.

We usually spend Christmas Day with 3 households (my family) and Boxing with 3 other households (DH’s family).

Mine are assuming we’re going ahead as usual, meaning we can’t see any of DH’s family at all. Which he’s not happy about & doesn’t want to do.

[shrug]

@LondonlovesLola

Not here, we had a sensible adult discussion with our family, who like us agree that forgetting the months of restrictions we have had and will have after Xmas, in order to make believe that the virus will go to sleep for a magical 5 day period is stupid. So we will be meeting people outside for a socially distanced walk and present exchange. We will still laugh and smile, talk to each other, tell them how much we love them, enjoy spending time together. We just won't do it in a way that puts them at risk

Sounds like an easy decision to make if you all live close enough to go for a socially distanced walk together.

Not really, we live in Leicester so unlike the rest of the country we have been unable to socialise with any other households indoors or in private gardens at all since March.

It would be lovely to spend real quality time with the people we love, share a meal, sit close to each other, hug.

However we realise that there is no less risk between 23rd and 27th December than there is right now or there will be on 29th December. My extended family will still me ECV, my DD will still be high risk due to attending school where in the last week there have been 5 unlinked positive cases that have closed down class bubbles.

Leicester will be Tier 3 on Thursday, the case numbers don't justify anything less, so once again we'll be stuck in a holding pattern of lockdown/additional restrictions. We will be the only city in the U.K. to have been in a constant state of lockdown/additional restrictions from the beginning of the first national lockdown to whenever it ends.

People are idiots. If they are incapable of behaving sensibly, flexibly and pragmatically over Christmas during a fucking pandemic they deserve to take their chances with the disease. The utter stupidity and selfishness of some people brings out my misanthropic streak.

We always exchange presents with wider family beforehand, have Christmas Day just ourselves (older 2 go to their dad's in the afternoon until Boxing Day. But my mum only lives up the road so we can exchange presents on the doorstep, possibly dp will take dd to his family on Boxing Day. Not that different to what we normally do tbh.

Apart from, the other 'half' of my family (mum and dad were divorced, but he's since passed away) usually have an annual get together and exchange presents for the dcs on Christmas Eve.. we pretty much decided ages ago that that won't be happening, simply because it's a massive family (dad was one of 11) so with partners, grandchildren and great grandchildren it's always at least 40-50 people. It's a shame for the kids, but that's life, there's been the occasional year where it hasn't happened. We can live with that for one year. Like my dad used to say, 'even Glastonbury has a year off every now and then!' I just think, get through this winter and year and start afresh next year.

@Chewbecca

It is difficult for us.

We usually spend Christmas Day with 3 households (my family) and Boxing with 3 other households (DH’s family).

Mine are assuming we’re going ahead as usual, meaning we can’t see any of DH’s family at all. Which he’s not happy about & doesn’t want to do.

[shrug]

Only fair thing is to see neither!

it cant be enforced people will now do what they like and then moan abot another lockdown

Already kicked off in this household.

It's really hard I have a brother, SIL and two nephews (one household), we only have one DC who has not seen his cousins for months. I've not seen my brother for months either as he lives in an area that was a higher tier than where we are, but if I see my brother's household at my parents (where they'll be Christmas Day as SILs parents very much belong on the stately homes thread) we can't see DHs parents. We could see them instead as my parents will see my brother etc but then DS spends Christmas as yet another day with no other children to play with and it's been a really crappy year for a 2 year old, he's been very isolated from other children, DH and I have had to work throughout and his birthday is in lockdown. We've really genuinely stuck to the rules so far, but this really stinks.

I'm nervous about sending my kids back to school after Christmas tbh. We're staying home and not mixing with anybody but I know this won't be the case for my kids friends. One girl had a birthday sleep over during the first lockdown & most of the parents are virus deniers.

@Birdsandbeez

Just open everything up and get back to normal.

We've had enough of this nonsense destroying jobs and the economy.

Speak for yourself. I'd rather people largely stayed in their own households at Christmas quite frankly and prevented transmission as much as possible.

I don't agree with this 5 day relaxation.
Totally stupid. People are dying from covid. It doesn't give a shit whether it's Christmas or not. We will all end up paying for this as the number of infections and deaths rise.
I'm not going to anybody's house. Perhaps the job I do makes me more wary than the average person.
I'd rather stay safe and keep everyone else safe.

Or you could just ignore it

I wish Lockdown would just continue, I'm so scared about the risks from this serious disease and don't want to be forced into meeting up with extended family.

I've been sticking to the rules the entire time.
It's getting bloody confusing now though!
What with this and tiers.
So we can mix within up to 3 households for Christmas.
So that's us, my parents (yay) and one other.
That's 3 households.
Where it gets complicated though, you're supposed to stay in 3 households between the lot of you?
So if for eg, the "one other" was brother and SIL, that would be our 3.
They have to agree that everyone in our bubble was part of their 3 too?
This is where it falls down.
People in my opinion are going to see it as allowed to mix in 3, and stick to it, but how can you even keep on top of the logistics of who everyone else's three is

I don't agree with this 5 day relaxation
Totally stupid. People are dying from covid. It doesn't give a shit whether it's Christmas or not. We will all end up paying for this as the number of infections and deaths rise

Then on the other hand yes I know it doesn't just disappear for a few days.
What, we should all just hide away and not do anything as too scared?
Even though I'm sticking to the rules I honestly think that this is all causing more problems than anything, mental health is taking a toll and no-one seems to be addressing that.
I'll be going out and meeting two other households sensibly over Christmas if we can and it seems we can.

Surely people understand this is not a normal year? Why would they be hurt? I'd just be grateful that you get some support/can give support for a few days. I'd love to see some family over Christmas!