How is Christmas working?

[Bobby28]

I’ll probably get flamed on here, being told to look it up etc but I haven’t had time to look it up (yes I know I’ve made time to ask on mumsnet) 🤣

So with the rules being relaxed at Christmas how does it work? The 3 families thing..

So we have us.. family of 4. Me, partner and 2 children.

My in laws. As in mil and fil and this grown up children who live at home (well one is at uni in a new tier 3 area which is quite worrying and I assume will be coming home!)

We also have my family. My mum, her husband and her younger children (all live at home).

So that is our bubble of 3 yes?

We also have my grandma who was widowed not too long ago and her support bubble is my mums household. They also love a few doors from each other so it’s practically the same house. So if my grandma is at mums am I allowed over there despair it technically being 2 households? When we can only meet up with 3 (not forgetting in laws above).

^^ I’m not sure what we are doing for Christmas but this is just a scenario. I may just spend it at home fully not wanting to put my grandma at risk but my mums family wee more risky to covid than us (due to nature of jobs etc) but still she’s better minimising her social contact.

My grandma also has other children, my uncles but I likely won’t see them at Christmas.

Also bearing in mind we are in Cornwall so we are going into tier 1 and can meet up to 6 indoors from next week (not that I intend to do this, I’m still cutting down my social contact)

Sorry this is getting a bit long but then there’s the added connections in the family.

My partners siblings live at home but have partners so assume they will seeing them and their families (to be expected ofc). Then my brother (who also lives at home) has a girlfriend and her family! Also our siblings will be going to the pub etc with friends.

So I’m thinking maybe I’ll just spend Christmas at home 🤣🤣

Apologises if this is long! And I’m probably over thinking this big time’!

Just stay at home.

If your gran is in a bubble with your Mum then that counts as one household for Xmas so your three households would be

1. • you
2. pils
3. • your mum's household plus the Gran bubble

What madmixen says but then nobody in that bubble can see anyone outside the bubble so all parties would need to agree.

Personally I would just stay home this year

The problem with relaxing the rules is that many will nudge them out even more.

Decide what is best for your family OP, keeping in mind that the virus has not gone anywhere. Would you think it sensible to combine with eight other people this weekend? If not, then it's not sensible to do it at Christmas either.

If you can’t be bothered to look it up yourself why do you think other people should bother to get their heads round your family situation?

Three households can meet, they are an exclusive bubble and can’t meet any other households. Apply that to your situation and work it out.

Yes they would be your 3 households BUT your gran, would need to agree not to see her other children over the 5 days of Christmas.

IF your gran wanted to see her other children over those 5 days, your parents would need to discuss with her, as they couldn't bubble with them AND with you.

The 3 households forming a bubble must be exclusive.

Thank you all! I’ll probably just stay at home. I can assure you I’ve taken it very seriously and I have not really seen my family since August and the in laws in several weeks and don’t really see anyone else other than that.

Technically being in Cornwall and the new tier 1 we can meet with 6 people indoors so if that doesn’t change I’ll probably just visit my grandma (taking precautions) on the days leading up to Christmas just me and dc at her house. I’ll probably also invite mil and fil over or meet somewhere (but not the siblings as that goes over 6 and they socialise with everyone even through lockdown). As for my family it’s a little bigger and difficult but we will see how that goes! I may just get my mum to come over with presents and see everyone else in the new year! I don’t really know.

@Brighterthansunflowers I can be bothered I just haven’t had chance yet!

The problem is, if your mum and your in-laws are part of your bubble of 3, they then can’t see anyone else Be part of another bubble of 3, so the 3 households isn’t you can see 2 households but then those household can then see another household etc. It’s 3 households who group together and agree to not see any other households at all. Over the Christmas period.

So even if you aren’t seeing your 2 other households together it still counts as a bubble of 3 as you are linking them together.

Thanks all for your input. My family don’t see anyone else, my grandma and them are a support bubble. They are estranged from my stepdads family. The only other family could be my brothers girlfriends which could be an issue. My 3 youngest siblings are late teens no boyfriends/girlfriends.

My in Laws don’t really see anyone else either. No grandparents living on that side and no other family around locally BUT it’s who the siblings see which is the problem but they may end up staying at their partners who knows!

I haven’t really discussed it with anyone yet. At the minute I’ve planned for a Christmas at home.

I’m staying home 🤣🤣🤷‍♀️

But the likelihood is grandparents will snag to see dc. I may meet with some of them on the lead up to Christmas if we don’t move up a tier beforehand for a short time - even better outside maybe 🤣

There's a whole Coronavirus board where this has been discussed over and over again.

I’m not dismissing the guidelines either. I take covid very seriously but I know that the grandparents will want to see dc so we may just see them and not our siblings who will
Likely be going out socialising anyway!

Thank you I’ll take a look