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'm in Oz...all this talk of "Bubbles" and "Bubbling" is doing my head in a bit.

I keep thinking about how it would have confused me as a child...I'm on the spectrum and I'd have been looking for an actual bubble I know I would.

I like your Fil too and to be honest just because they say we can bubble doesn't mean we should.

We’ll be on our own. I don’t think it’s worth risking future years for one day, when family have children, who have already been isolated and may well be again.

I’ve no desire to fall out with anyone, but it’s one day. I’d have a party in the summer if things are better and look forward to times when we can get together without fretting.

Us too. PIL are being very cautious & haven’t been in our house or vice versa since March, can’t see this changing anything. SIL likely to take the same stance. My DM won’t want to have to choose between her 3 kids, plus her DP’s not well so not worth the risk to him.

It’ll be very quiet so just going to try & make it extra special for the kids.xx

Oops didn’t mean to put kisses!

I absolutely love Christmas just the four of us, so really quite relieved to be in the same situ!

@EleanorRising I’m going to borrow your FIL’s message to send to my adult DCs who are asking to visit!

We are not bubbling as far as I know. We invited a friend and her daughter but she has elderly parents I think she feels she has to go to but I can't begrudge that as her Dad is v poorly at the moment with skin cancer and the aftermath of treatment. She may come just after so in the evening or something and for boxing day.

We are chilling out with no responsibilities this yr so feels relaxing.

I think the perfect solution For those whose families are going to kick off over not being chosen is to send a message:

“So as not to disappoint anyone, we’ve decided we won’t be seeing any of you this Christmas, that way no-one will feel left out.”

My parents would like me to go to them for Christmas but equally they would never be offended if I didn’t, not even on a regular Christmas. If they see me and my aunt who’s on her own they then can’t see my sister and her DC, and DS won’t be able to see his dad, but I don’t know who they might be bubbling with anyway.

TBH I think this system was announced because of the amount of opposition to complete lockdown. But this system very much does discourage people from getting together because of the logistics.

I haven’t even read the new rules, that’s how sociable we are at Christmas 🤣

Your texts did make me chuckle though. They read like something from Gavin and Stacey.

We are similar. We normally do a big meal with SIL, MIL and other family but MIL is v frail and confused and waiting for a place in a care home so it’s safest not to see her this year and the overseas family won’t be flying in. My own mum is physically strong but deaf and profoundly grumpy so prefers her own company at Christmas so she won’t want to come.
It could be just me, DH our son (who still lives at home) and our daughter we are bubbled with for the first time ever. We aren’t even going to mass because spaces in the church are so limited so I’ll probably go during the week when it’s quiet instead.

It’s going to be weird but as a one off I can live with it.

Same here.

My parents live 30 minutes away with no underlying health conditions, my DF is 72 and my DM 69.
Haven't seen them since February but chat on phone twice a month.
Petrified of the virus, said not seeing anyone for Xmas this year, not even allowing my DB to go there who goes there every Xmas as he is disabled and alone.
I will probably have my DB here for the day then drive him back home Xmas day evening.
That'll be it.

I shall be visiting family on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, however there's just too many of us to bubble so it will mostly be dropping gifts off them heading back home. Christmas Day I'm excited to stay in my pyjamas, not rush around with the dinner, and enjoy just spending quality time with dd and dh without the pressures of making everyone else happy!

My 80-something MIL is literally over the road and she doesn't want to see us. She is treating it like just another day - unless she's been vaccinated. I think she's absolutely right. The rate is high here and she shouldn't risk it - we have kids in both primary and secondary school. But we will take her Christmas dinner over and I"m sure she'll watch the Xmas telly she wants to watch rather than what everyone else wants to watch! Sounds quite peaceful - and we'll have a really good one next year to make up for it.

I think your FILs message should be made into a countrywide slogan.

It'll be the 4 of us this year. We have school age DC so have already had a lot of 'quality time' together this year but we've hosted the last couple of years so will be nice just to please ourselves.

The traffic will be horrendous, definitely not sorry to miss that.

Yes but who is your best friend spending Christmas Day with as technically they can’t see anyone else as they’re in your bubble?

@Mindymomo

We’ve already had this from one side of family, expecting the other side today. I will save £££ not having various gatherings this year.

I am secretly happy with the rules, but wish I hadn’t ordered a large turkey.

Turkey is great in little pasties, and freezable too!

Oh your FIL is brilliant. COVID is a bugger - perfect word for it !!

Yes @Alexandernevermind!!! It's great! Can't stand any of my DHs judgemental, interfering family and neither can he!

Every year without fail for the past 20 years I have been required to host my ILs extended family for every single get together. Apparently we have the most room. Yeah right, when we were in a tiny flat and it was my job then too. This as you can probably tell really annoys me. Cooking, cleaning, changing beds, buying all the food, it's time consuming and expensive and I HATE it.

This year I am terrified of the virus, so do't feel able to bubble with anyone. Absolutely terrified I tell you. I'm not sure my nerves could cope with so much as anyone dropping by for a coffee. Such I shame. I will miss them all

It's heartening to see so many people being sensible about bubbles - especially with it feeling like the vaccine is so close by for vulnerable people.

Our family are all in other countries and none of us is keen on getting on a plane right now. Will probably just be DH, DD and me. All three of us had Covid in early October, so not scared of the virus, but I'm a bit unclear on whether we could still be carriers for it.. (as in, wondering for example, why BoJo had to isolate again having had it earlier in the year). We are not close enough to any friends to be in their bubble - most of our close friends have even closer friends or family that they would bubble up with.

Tbh, it does smart a bit - wouldn't it for most people? We all want to feel wanted and like we belong somewhere. But c'est la vie. I'm sure we'll have a lovely quiet Christmas just us as well.

@IndiaMay

I'm impressed people are following rules. We are simply going to break them. With divorced parents, siblings, half siblings, step siblings, widowed grandparents on their own. We're just going to have to break it

@IndiaMay

You don't have to break the rules. Many of us are having to make these difficult choices

I've always remembered a mid 30's christmas on my own. Recent divorce, friends and family all away over the holidays. I had the time of my life! Because of this I've always thought Christmas on my own would be fine. I have a partner so this doesn't happen but this year for the first time I thought I would hate it, I wouldn't feel festive on my own this year. So, OP, if you're feeling hard done by I want to say I finally get it. I hope you'll have fun anyway.

I'm secretly working on it, my DF always tries to guilt us into going to theirs because he says it might be his DF/my grand father's last Christmas (pretty sure they've said that every year since the 90s). So I've said we'll step back to allow everyone else to get together

Glad to see all this MN love for my wonderful FiL. I'll pass it on - he'll be chuffed.