To ask what you’re missing about Christmas this year?

[TrialOfStyle]

I’ve really missed going into the city, seeing the lights, the Christmas market, grabbing a spot next to a space heater drinking mulled wine - and being with friends.

What about you?

Parties, theatre, museums, eating out, going into a church packed with friends and neighbours and singing together and eating mince pies after.

Watching DS, who is a choristor.
Seeing wider family.
Going to the theatre.
Eating out with friends.
Being off work (I'm NHS and oftwn work over xmas but this year all leave is cancelled).

I'm grateful to be here at all though. I've seen a lot of death this year, including colleagues.
I'm thankful for our supermarkets and the ease of obtaining food.
I'm grateful for my cosy warm house.
I'm grateful for the ease of communicating over Microsoft and what's app.
Mostly I'm grateful for my lovely family, who have got their heads down and worked so hard through this year (2 of my kids are nurses) and have supported each other.

Ice skating
Family
Driving home for Christmas

I miss going to the pantomime. DD and I always have the day where we go to Wagamamas and then watch the matinee. I love it and I miss that most of all.

DS's Special School Christmas talent show. I love it and it makes me feel happy every year.

Seeing my Dad. He will be on his own this year in Tier 4 and that makes me sad.

Our local church holds a Christmas tree festival every three years, and all the local community groups decorate them. It's so beautiful and they always have a choir or brass ensemble going, kids competitions etc. I realised the other day that it should have been this year 🙁 but tomorrow they're doing some kind of crib thing so looking forward to that.

Just the feeling of Christmas time. It could just be how much my life has changed though. I listen to TalkSport/LBC in the car, so I haven't been bombarded with Christmas songs. We don't watch TV so I haven't seen the adverts or the Christmas themed TV shows. The atmosphere at work is incredibly flat, whereas usually a couple of weeks before everyone just naturally becomes up beat.

With my partner sinking lower, it's finally time to admit that my own mental health has probably taken more of a hit than I thought it did this year. I didn't even "lockdown" as I was working all the way through, but now every day feels like groundhog day.

Oh and the weather is shit. No chance of a white Christmas where I am this year. A flooded Christmas is more likely.

Our usual santa's grotto, ice-skating, work Christmas meal/night out. Having people pop round.

Mostly I miss freedom - being able to basically do what I want without having to check myself or fear being watched.

On the upside our NYE will be exactly the same as it always is and I can't wait!!

Weirdly, Christmas in the office, we usually have games and decorations, Christmas music, a buffet. The office is open but the majority of us are still wfh and obviously a lot of what we usually do would be too risky with covid.

I usually spend Christmas on my own anyway, so it’s not that different for me. But it does feel more lonely than normal this year because I haven’t seen either of my parents for over a year and no idea when I’ll see them again

My dad

Family

Non Covid related but I also miss the cold weather we used to get. It's a wet and windy 13 degrees C where I am today - felt quite warm on our walk today. Doesn't feel as Christmassy without a morning frost.

Company

The sense of hope and renewal that the new year usually brings. I feel a bit bleak.

We have very little family, and the person we have is bubbled with us, we are lucky. But at 82 and ECV she doesn't feel safe to be in our house with 3 kids in school anyway. So I am missing the easyness of that.

And tbh we usually savour the time alone together over Christmas, the chance to not rush about and to rest up and stay home - but there is no novelty to that this year.

Not being able to see family.

My parents who both died this year and my daughter who is in a tier 4 area.

Carols, singing. Proper church services with mingling and chatting and mince pies and mulled wine. DC's first birthday party - no friends or family, just DH and me

Family as well, especially my nan. I’m working over Christmas now as I don’t see the point in celebrating.

Haven’t seen my family since last Xmas
Was supposed to fly home today
Flights cancelled months ago which probably just as well

None of the rest of it really matters does it?

Pantos, Christmas markets, visiting Santa, watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at our gorgeous local cinema.

Oh yeah, and carol services.

We will still my mum, as she's a single adult and we are her support bubble. I don't often see my wider family at Christmas, so this is not unusual for us.

Family. My dad was in hospital over Xmas last year and we’re tier 4 so can’t see anyone - can’t believe I saw more of him in hospital than now he’s fine. It’s just going to be DP and I for Christmas and I’m sure we’ll have a lovely day but for me it’s not Christmas spent without family.

Church. Haven’t been all year, I have missed Easter and Christmas services so much. Carol services, too. Normally go to at least one carol concert.

The sense of Christmassyness! Because I’ve been working from home and barely going outside, I feel like I haven’t really noticed time passing so much this year so it just doesn’t feel like Christmas especially as the weather has been so warm so it doesn’t even feel like winter yet.

I’ve missed seeing the three pantomimes we usually take our children too.
I’ve missed taking the children to see Santa and I’ve missed our town centres “elf club” stuff that normally happens. They have a special elf club for kids who live within x distance away. They have things like “baking cookies with Mrs Claus”, “helping Santa’s sorting office”, “making a Christmas card for grown ups” and so on. The kids can always keep what they make and usually they have a blast doing a different late night activity. Then there’s the Christmas Eve workshop they run where the kids can pick a present and learn how to wrap it and put bows on. Usually it means I get a present that I have no clue what it actually is, all wrapped up off the kids for Christmas Day. It’s super special to us, as no one but them know what’s in the wrapping. Daddy gets one too.
But I’m not really missing anything else. The activities for the kids yes, but everything else no.

I miss the bustle. Many, many DSC so nativity/school dinner/Christmas party all cancelled. In Wales so they broke up a week early with a days notice so no nice end of term build up. Normally feels like there aren’t enough days for everything we want to do - it’s not the case this year!

My family. I haven’t seen them since February. I’m feeling really homesick. I want to hug my mum and going to the big garden centre near hers and looking at their Christmas range. I want to see my grandma and tell her off for giving my dogs too many biscuits, they really don’t need that many.
Christmas markets. The smell of Christmas, the sugar, cinnamon, grilled meat, mulled wine and hot chocolate.
Seeing friends for a pre-Christmas meal.
Midnight mass/carol service. I really love Christmas carols and it’s just not the same on listening through a streaming service.
The feeling of Christmas. We don’t have kids but seeing kids in town get excited about Santa. Seeing people bump into friends, colleagues, acquaintances in town during their Christmas shopping and giving people a hug as they wished them a merry Christmas. That feeling that you get as people start to take leave in the office, that person who always goes on leave dead early seems to signal the cool down period at work. People will start being in mince pies (I don’t even like mince pies), dress code gets relaxed, people play Christmas music, decorate their desk, reception gets pissed off with the number of parcels being delivered. Then you have your last day in the office and everyone wishes you a merry Christmas, in person not over teams or via email. I think all the little things help create the feeling and I miss that this year.
The choice of whether I go to my Christmas party. Yes it might be shit but at least it’s my decision to not attend.

parkrun

Midnight Mass (not a big churchgoer, but like that one)

And of course the round of pre-Christmas family visits we usually make