Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that many people don't realise the Christmas bubbles of 3 households have to be the same for each of the 3 households?

178 replies

Planetzog · 18/12/2020 07:53

From conversations I've had, and from what I've read on here, I think there's still loads of (understandable) confusion around the Christmas bubble concept. So household A might be meeting 2 other households between 23rd and 27th, perhaps lunch with household B on Christmas day, then drinks with household C on Boxing Day. But while households B and C both count A as one of their households, they don't know each other and have a different third household each - D and E. Sorry, complicated but can't think of a clearer way of describing what I mean.
Anyway, my point is that the repercussions of Christmas could end up being worse than expected as even more households get together over Christmas as they don't understand that the 3 households should be fixed? I've looked up the gov guidelines and they are not clear at all.

YABU - Everyone understands that Christmas bubbles are fixed with the same 3 households.

YANBU - People are choosing their own differing bubbles as described above.

OP posts:
Teakind · 18/12/2020 07:54

I think the bubble rules are very clear but some people are choosing to interpret them to suit what they want to do.

notanothertakeaway · 18/12/2020 07:55

@Teakind

I think the bubble rules are very clear but some people are choosing to interpret them to suit what they want to do.
Agree
cherryblossomx3 · 18/12/2020 07:55

YANBU.

But YABU to think that it would make an ounce of difference even if people did fully understand. As soon as they said the restrictions were being eased for those days that was it. People will make their own decisions.

Bearlyawake · 18/12/2020 07:56

Agreed, had to explain it to my in laws several times Hmm

Bookworming · 18/12/2020 07:56

Nothings clear and it's mostly guidance anyway!

So people are doing as they please mostly.

CreepyCreepster · 18/12/2020 07:56

Yeah people are interpreting it as " no more than three households at a time" when actually it's "no more than three households in total full stop"

But it's too late to try and convince anyone otherwise.

Swingometer · 18/12/2020 07:58

YANBU

It is the overlapping of all these bubbles that is going to spread the virus

OhWhyNot · 18/12/2020 07:58

I think they are clear

People choose to interpret to fit their plans

Along with using the term common sense

Yummymummy2020 · 18/12/2020 07:59

I think the obvious thing is as you said fixed, but I don’t think anyone wants it to be that way and so they will do as they please and I agree there will be issues as I know a lot of people are taking it as they each have three house holds they can mix with so one household could be mixing with nine others if not more then depending on how many people live in it! I think a lot of people are seeing the temporary relax as a free for all to be honest! I’m in the mindset now I don’t think we will have any visitors, it’s not a decision for everyone but as we are a high risk and from the impression I’m getting even from other family members, I think there is going to be so much mixing that I don’t really feel comfortable! I’m expecting fallout but hey ho!

WishingHopingThinkingPraying · 18/12/2020 07:59

I know someone who has been very sensible and careful who due to her family members having different bubbles on Christmas day (they're going separate places and then coming home to each other) will be exposed to 11 households by boxing day. I gently tried to point that out but she's adamant her bubble of 4 households are very low risk. It includes a teacher and school children. People are all just convincing themselves their bubble will be fine😧

losingmymindiam · 18/12/2020 08:00

Strange isn't it that guidelines from the govt are vague as they have been so clear up to now...Hmm I think a lot of people will 'misinterpret' the rules as you say, however that is a convenient excuse to bend the rules. If you are thinking logically about it then of course it needs to all be the same 3 households but people will choose to not be logical.

JustBumblingAlong · 18/12/2020 08:03

I’ve had this conversation so many times over the last couple of days. I thought our bubble was really clear, but our household C didn’t get it either (I’m not sure how much effort they made to ‘get it’) and has their own third household who also have their own bubble. It’s so frustrating now everyone’s made their arrangements and bought a lot of their food.

Danglingmod · 18/12/2020 08:04

Even people who say "it's clear it's three in total across the five days" worry me that they don't understand they must be exclusive, ie no chains! So if you see two other families, those people can't see anyone else.

Working in a school, most of my colleagues aren't seeing anyone over Christmas full stop. We know they're the biggest risk anyone could come into contact with. But everyone else I hear of doesn't seem to realise you can't have a chain of contacts!

DailyPotion · 18/12/2020 08:06

I think it's clear if you've made any attempt to check, but I think lots of people have decided to interpret it as up to 3 households at a time during those days.

Like so much of "the rules", it's what it looks like that counts for many people and if they only see 2 other households at a time, who's going to know?

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/12/2020 08:14

People are interpreting things how they want to. But it's understandable. They want to see their family.
If you had said a year ago the government could ban you from seeing and hugging your relatives, everyone would have laughed and said it would never happen.

People are doing small, silly things all the time. They all add up... But as individual things, they are very low risk. Even in the hardest hit areas, the possibility of someone you meet having the virus is actually very low.

houseinthesnow · 18/12/2020 08:21

I think it is as clear as day.

People are choosing to interpret the christmas bubbles to fit in with their plans. It is dangerous and its going to result in many thousands of people dying.

around Try telling that to anyone in Kent!!! It is absolutely riddled with covid at the moment, and the chances of you not meeting someone with the virus or someone that has had contact with the virus is extremely low, not the other way around!

FusionChefGeoff · 18/12/2020 08:21

My brother described it well as casting a Christmas spell around the house once we've all arrived - Isolaro Festivio!!!!

We are having a short 3 households bubble - 25 and 26 only and not staying over.

Outside of those dates we are doing our normal tier rules so may see some others outside and distanced. I have no idea if this fits the guidelines to be honest - but I'm confident that we are not increasing the risk.

plannit · 18/12/2020 08:23

I think that if households A, B and C are a bubble for household A but they see those households at different times say Christmas for B and Boxing Day for C - B can then have a household D after they've seen A as they never mixed with B!

It's complicated but not increasing their risk surely?

LikeSilentRaindrops · 18/12/2020 08:24

I agree. My in-laws have also got the impression that if the other two households come to live with them for the duration, that makes one household - so child A flying in from France, child B flying in from Dubai and children C and D joining them from their respective houses in London will be one household. At which point they can all then see up to two people from different households a day 🤷‍♀️

We’ve tried to explain, but people are hearing what they want to. We’ve said we won’t be seeing them over the festive period with our newborn and other young children; they’re hurt and disappointed, but we all have to make decisions that we feel we can stand by / are comfortable with.

bigbluebus · 18/12/2020 08:26

I know when the rules were first announced i had to explain them to some close friends of ours who had decided they would only see one set of parents at Christmas so they might join our bubble. We are not seeing anyone else so that was fine but we had to explain that it depended on who the parents were seeing as we would also then be in their bubble. Our friends really hadn't grasped that concept (and they're not unintelligent).

So whilst there are, I'm sure, many people who are deliberately turning a blind eye to the rules I still think there are some who genuinely don't get them. This has been the case all along with bubbles. If I had a £ for every time I've had to explain support bubbles (as opposed to social bubbles and why they aren't a thing and a 2 adult household can't have one ) to people, I'd have made a fortune

FreeFallingFree · 18/12/2020 08:27

I think it's in the middle, and there's quite a lot of strategic incompetence around this. It's not hard to look up the law and the law is quite clear, but people aren't looking up the law because it's preferable for them to be able to say 'oh, I thought it would be fine.'

Also the whole Dominic Cummings 'common sense' thing is never going to go away and Government is going to have to take that one on the chin. Ministers decide to support him, so ministers are going to have to deal with the consequences.

Original poster
Planetzog · 18/12/2020 08:29

I think it's very likely that England and Scotland will be joining Wales and N Ireland in a post Christmas lockdown after the inevitable surge in cases. So fed up with it all!

OP posts:
Gobbycop · 18/12/2020 08:31

Who the fuck cares.

I hope people just sensibly as they can do as they please.

phoenixrosehere · 18/12/2020 08:33

Many people barely know what a meter is to social distance or how to wear a mask properly. I don’t trust people to not do what they please over Christmas. We are not seeing anyone. We rather miss this Christmas in hopes of being able to visit people in the Spring or Summer. We’re betting there will be a January lockdown and it will likely be another month or longer, vaccine or not.

AliceMadHatter · 18/12/2020 08:34

@Planetzog

I think it's very likely that England and Scotland will be joining Wales and N Ireland in a post Christmas lockdown after the inevitable surge in cases. So fed up with it all!
I've mentally prepared myself for this. January & February is going to be shit but I do see light at the end of the tunnel.