Anyone else have no fucker who wants to bubble with them over Christmas?

[EleanorRising]

We live a couple of hours drive away from both our families but there and back in a day is doable.

Text from FIL: "love you all, not meeting up with anyone til vaccinated against this bugger. Will transfer £££. See you on the other side"

Text from MIL (they're divorced) "Jeff and Joan are bubbling with us and bringing Joan's mum so that's our bubble sorted. Easter's looking promising though"

My sisters will spend Xmas day with their in-laws so that's their bubble for the 5 days.

Anyone else not been inundated with requests?

We are 3 adult dc, all work in high risk jobs (education, hospital). My dsis has hijacked my dad and gran, dbro has claimed mum and other GPs.

Meh. I was sick of doing the obligatory Xmas anyway, to the point that my anxiety about family politics kicks in about 6 months in advance.

This year it will be just us, I can have a drink on Xmas day for the first time in possibly 20+ years due to aforementioned obligatory visiting, I can eat chocolate for breakfast and crap for tea, plus as many pigs in blankets as I can fit in my freezer and NOBODY WILL BE JUDGING ME

We're just three, and had hoped to spend Christmas Day with close friends, a childless couple, as we have the last couple of years. DBIL loves a full on family Christmas with games and Grandad cooking up a storm, but we're a long way away. Our friends are bubbled with an elderly neighbour whose family are expatriates. And it would be lovely to share Christmas, but I'm not sure how to go about it. DH's mum is 91, in a care home 300 miles away and has quite advanced dementia and physical frailties. So I am suggesting we take a picnic to the beach if the weather is better than appalling. Walk dog, cook a BBQ in the car park, and come home for TV and a fire to open presents. Opinions?

@bigbluebus - well done on getting your DH to ring his mum! I nag encourage my DH to ring MiL but he gets panicky at the prospect as she is incapable of having a phone conversation that lasts less than 45 minutes

No one seems to be remotely interested in forming a bubble with us either. But even pre-COVID, DH and I had accepted the fact that our relatives have no interest in seeing us at Christmas. I’m still a bit miffed though.

@XingMing
So I am suggesting we take a picnic to the beach if the weather is better than appalling. Walk dog, cook a BBQ in the car park, and come home for TV and a fire to open presents. Opinions?

Are you thinking of doing that with your friends and their elderly neighbour. The beach & dog walk sounds lovely but maybe not a good idea to sit indoors with him?

Not sure what we are doing still.
I am probably going to go into work for part of the day along with cooking, picking up my elderly Mum, and eatings, opening presents etc.
I've only seen oldest Ds and his partner twice this year, due to me in Wales him in England, work, different lockdowns etc. So would really like him to come too That would be our third household.
Other Ds lives nearer to us, but is also working Christmas day (or part of it) He'll probably end up at his partners Mum's house, along with partners sister and her Dh and baby.
I'm not happy about not seeing everyone, not even at the same time. I'd hoped one son Christmas eve. Mum Christmas day and other son on Boxing day. But that makes us 4 I think, even though it's different days. It's all a bit messy.

@EleanorRising, no, not with the triple bubble. Just the three of us, and our dog! In my experience, the beach we'd go to isn't really accessible enough for a lady in her 80s. The friends might want to come, plus their puppy. And it's obviously weather and tide dependent.

This year it will be just us, I can have a drink on Xmas day for the first time in possibly 20+ years due to aforementioned obligatory visiting, I can eat chocolate for breakfast and crap for tea, plus as many pigs in blankets as I can fit in my freezer and NOBODY WILL BE JUDGING ME

Sounds ideal, tbh. And I would be keeping it that way, in future, if I were you.

@CharityDingle

This year it will be just us, I can have a drink on Xmas day for the first time in possibly 20+ years due to aforementioned obligatory visiting, I can eat chocolate for breakfast and crap for tea, plus as many pigs in blankets as I can fit in my freezer and NOBODY WILL BE JUDGING ME

Sounds ideal, tbh. And I would be keeping it that way, in future, if I were you.

I'm sure there will be many people feeling the same this year!

2 DC in 2 different schools, DH and I key workers so no, we will not bubble with anyone. Fortunately everyone is on the same page and we all agree that this Christmas we shall all chat a bit over the zoom and whatsapp, and we hope to see everyone over the summer.

We seem to have a lot of people who want to bubble with us for Christmas, but not eat Christmas dinner with us.

Mil - (already ‘bubbled’ with us so part of our house) wants to pop in on the morning to see DS then sod off to SIL and her in laws for the meal

DB& girlfriend- want to pop in on the morning and then go to his girlfriends for the meal/afternoon

So far my DM and DF are the only ones who plan to eat with us. I’m a bit reluctant to waste our bubble allowance on people who we’ll only see a few hours on Christmas morning. Usually I wouldn’t mind but given circumstances this year I’m tempted to say no, we won’t be running a revolving door policy. (DF and me are quite vulnerable)

@Pumpertrumper

We seem to have a lot of people who want to bubble with us for Christmas, but not eat Christmas dinner with us.

Mil - (already ‘bubbled’ with us so part of our house) wants to pop in on the morning to see DS then sod off to SIL and her in laws for the meal

DB& girlfriend- want to pop in on the morning and then go to his girlfriends for the meal/afternoon

So far my DM and DF are the only ones who plan to eat with us. I’m a bit reluctant to waste our bubble allowance on people who we’ll only see a few hours on Christmas morning. Usually I wouldn’t mind but given circumstances this year I’m tempted to say no, we won’t be running a revolving door policy. (DF and me are quite vulnerable)

If Mil is already bubbled as part of your house and then goes somewhere else with another 2 households, I think that means you actually can’t bubble up with anyone else but I may be wrong!

Yeah no-one chose us. Was feeling a bit sad about it but now I'm quite looking forward to the whole thing

We spend Christmas day helping out at a charity that hosts about 50 people every year. Every single one of those people will be alone this year and have a lunch delivered to them instead. So sad 😪
On the upside we are breaking out the fondue pot and eating quality meat until we can't move. Yummy!

I offered to drive down to see my parents (4 hours each way) all in one day, before Christmas, just to see them. I’ve done this once since February. They’ve said no!!!
Have no family near us so we are on our own but to be fair are a family of 6 so it will be fine, I guess!!

I get it. I'm torn between feeling like the best gift you can give anyone is to stay away just in case - and feeling lonely and antisocial.

But given how historically unbothered we have been about family get togethers, we can hardly pull rank now.

We have kind of done what your fil has done to you to my pil. They are local and spend every Christmas day with us but we are tier 3. We just don't think is safe for two mid 70's to visit closely with two school age children and an adult who works in a school. Selfishly we know their neighbours haven't follower the rules either and suspect that mil might well have been round there or them round hers so don't want to risk them either.

Oh I'm loving this non stressful Christmas, no one to visit or visit us. Board games, Christmas music, snuggled indoors It'll be cooked breakfast, choccy for lunch and a lovely relaxing xmas dinner in front of a Christmas film, pjs and relax with hubby and son, pure bliss.......cant wait. X

@NiceLegsShameAboutTheFace

Yep. I'll be spending the day on my own

Me too.

Same here, looking forward to peace and quiet

For me it's not a case of people not wanting to bubble with me. I literally have no one to bubble with. I had planned originally to book a table at a restaurant. That's now out the window because my area will be going into tier 3 and not certain it will be reduced before Christmas. So I'll be on my own (unless you count the dog!).

Someone must make a mumsnet thread over Christmas Eve / day for those on their own. People will need it.

Happy for it to be just my DH and I this year by agreement with everyone. Not worth the faff and risk of having Christmas with other households when we are close to getting the vaccine.

Perfect excuse for my ideal Christmas - self indulgent and anti social! Bring it on!!

@Cindefuckingrella

Perfect excuse for my ideal Christmas - self indulgent and anti social! Bring it on!!

Santa hat fail!