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?

I think the media, tv advertising etc should take some responsibility for how they are portraying Christmas this year too.

Both from a families meeting up perspective and for showing piles of gifts for kids.

It makes people feel they need to do the same to enjoy the day, when sometimes more simple things are remembered more. It will end up with some people getting themselves into more debt and trying to see as many people as they can which isn’t really the point this year.

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)

In that case, I would be saying no, no revolving door.
You have to look out for your own health and well being.

No offers for me, but I don’t care. I don’t want to risk catching Covid.

Last year we spent Christmas with the IL's so this year was my family. My M&D have just called to say they don't want us. They were so sweet about it but they're late 70's and they've been so careful so far and my dc are at school and college and dh is at work, although we're careful we'd be silly to put M&D at risk.

We can't now go to IL's as SIL and her adult DD are already going, so that's 3 household already.

TBH, I'm pretty happy about it.

[quote Janus]@RiverCrossing I’m so sorry, that is shit of people to not think this is the year you need a bit of looking after. [/quote]
Thank you. People on this thread have already been kinder than those in real life, thanks for thinking of me. I hope you have a lovely Christmas

Opposite problem here !! Youngest of 4 siblings. My dad has terminal prostate cancer so really not sure if this is the last one with him 😥 My DM has declared "Sod the government, I need to see all my children". How CAN we refuse ???? I have DP + 2 DC. Not looking at mixing with any other bubble groups. Cannot refuse my DM as her mental health is at total breaking point. My Dad is currently in hospital for more treatment/Care Plan . So all very sad but know we will be breaking the 'plan' 💔💔💔💔

@Gettingthereslowly2020 hope you are ok?

[quote AperolWhore]@Gettingthereslowly2020 hope you are ok?[/quote]
Yes, I'm alright thanks for asking. I'll watch lots of television and eat lots of food, it will be fine

It's was "my turn" to have my mum this year, haven't spent Xmas with her in years and this is quite possibly her last. Her sister has other ideas though (they have only recently started talking after nearly 4 decades). Rest of the family have already bubbled. Oh and to. Top it of Dp has drawn the straw to work that day-12 hr shift! Just me the cats and the kids it is then...

Happy to keep my vulnerable family members safe by not seeing them for a few more months. Just me and the kids this year.

I would guess that it will be just myself and my daughter as per normal.We both work every Christmas day in any case as double pay is too tempting to miss even if it means a 5 am start .

TBH I'd be happy to bubble with no one, instead I've got my parents expecting it to be a normal Christmas was 9 of us spending 3 days in their house. I'm not keen so I've put them off, we're going on Boxing Day instead. We're not a high risk family - my parents are fairly young- but I just don't think it's right to be flippant

My Mum and Dad have prioritised other of my siblings. I’m fine with it, DC less so but they’ll come round. We’re more screwed by rule of 6. Two adults and 4DC means tiers makes virtually no difference!

Joan's mum (presumably by herself) can bubble with Jeff and Joan, they count as one household and so you can be the third household.

My mum and her partner - both vulnerable - have always gone to DB's (Golden Child) house for Christmas, they are staying at home together this year. We usually spend some time with MIL who is normally alone (all the people she used to be with have died so it fell to us) and she could have chosen to bubble with us but she has not. She's currently still driving around wearing a mask and gloves even alone in her car, so I imagine she won't want to be with us as DS is germy school age. She might change her mind about that, we'll see.

FIL and his partner - utterly trashed for them, FIL has Alzheimer's and is in rapid decline, so he will be in a residential home by next week and no doubt we won't be able to visit him. I'm afraid I won't ever see him again... His partner will be able to spend Christmas with one of her DDs and their dc, I hope she's able to have a nice time, this year has been a living nightmare for her.

I do think supermarket advertising has been the worst thing for people living alone or spending Christmas alone, every advert shows a large extended family all having an impossibly good time playing charades and the like and fitting in round a table for twenty. It's so unrealistic and atypical these days, this year especially so. It just makes people feel like failures/losers rather than just circumstances. And the same for those whose family members are difficult to get on with; everyone bonding over Auntie Beryl having a snooze after her two glasses of sherry instead of more realistic sniping at each other over who said what about Mayleen's Darren and someone's pass-agg present causing vitriol.

We don't have anyone in either of our families who 'get' into the whole Christmas thing. We're baffled as to why anyone is bothered. Just being with your immediate family is what is important.

My dad died in March of Prostate Cancer, the funeral was attended by my husband and me that's it, so I really feel for you going through this esp at this time, just wanted to say I'm thinking of you. X

So we have 2 children at uni so excluded from bubble numbers and 2 working and living away in the big smoke who want to come home for Christmas. So that is my bubble. What do I do about my widowed mum when other family are prioritising their in-laws. Obviously just ignoring the rules or it would be too cruel.

I'm another fan of FIL. He's spot on. This is a temporary (LONG temporary, but temporary) thing. I have spent EVERY holiday for the last 14 years quite alone. Just me and the cat. I've begun to enjoy it. I decorate, cook enough food for an army, open my gifts (from the cat and Father Christmas) with great glee...even if I did choose and wrap them myself. I know it will sound unutterably sad to some of you, but DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR ME...I'm having a lovely time, because I choose to have a lovely time. I get a phone call or Zoom call from my boys, who live too far a way to travel for the one single day they each have off.

This, too, shall pass.

Not sure to be relieved that we don't have to court Christmas Bubble Angst and risk offending people, or sad that we'll be on our lonesome. I'd have liked to see a family of very local friends though - and since they have abundant family locally to choose from, I can't imagine they'll want to include us in their bubble, and then after the 27th we're back to seeing one another singly in back gardens if we're lucky and half her household are out.

PIL have hidden away in their distant village since March. My own parents live abroad and are hiding away, ditto. Siblings (DH and mine) are very far-flung. It does make me a bit sad.

No thank God

I think a lot of households will be people on their own, with minimal numbers and reduced guest lists this year - it might be a bummer but it sure beats spending every Xmas alone because we've managed to infect and kill off our nearest and dearest! We will be spending our Xmas as we've spent all this year - just the 2 of us and the cat, maybe his business partner will come over as he is the only other person we've had any contact with (I have chronic health problems that make me highly vulnerable so they have done a damned good job of shielding me - for which I am appreciative.

Our one lovely neighbour (and 7 lots of chavvy noisy twats) usually spends her Xmas with her rather large extended family and all the grandkids and recently great-grandchildren but she is also shielded and I hope she will not be alone. Xmas can be a rotten time of year for many and a Covid Xmas is going to be worse. If we have anyone at all we need to be thankful and think of those with nobody. If it wasn't likely to be crap weather as it often is I'd consider having an al-fresco Xmas dinner so we could ask my neighbour to join us.

@MrsJackRackham - rough year, hope 2021 will bring something good for you
&
@missingeu - whatever you do on a Covid ward, thank you

My elderly father will be all alone (like the rest of the year. It's awful) unless he bubbles with us. Our son is in primary school so we're thinking of pushing Christmas back a couple of days so can quarantine for a week after school closes and hope it means we can be together. My father and I are both ecv so being really cautious. Safe holiday wishes to you all.

@Gettingthereslowly2020 throw a few books in there and that sounds like a blissful few days off tbh!

It will probably be just the two of us. I don't have children, his DD and family lives a distance away, don't really have room for us to stay and are a bit twitchy about Covid for health reasons. I don't live near my family, and we're quite a big one so the best thing to do is hold off till Easter / May / August Bank Holiday and all get together then. Looks like Mum will be with one of my siblings who lives nearby and in laws. Not the first time it's been just the two of us, but the first time in this country. Nearly did it last year due to illness, but rallied just in time to make it over to family! Quite looking forward to it in away as Christmas is always quite exhausting in the end with all the travel, shopping for gifts, food etc and then a huge amount of us all in one house. It's lovely, and I love my family, but I always end up ill in January! So I think this might be one of the most relaxing Christmases I've ever had!