Is anyone else's Christmas not "ruined"?

[DumplingsAndStew]

Constantly reading about how Christmas will be awful due to restrictions on travel and numbers.

A few years ago, we started having Christmas alone at home, just me and the two kids. We take it easy, have a Christmas dinner and stay in pyjamas and just chill out. Its much more manageable for of us (additional needs).
In terms of activities leading up to Christmas, the main thing we do is go out looking at people's light displays, drink hot chocolate, watch movies etc.

But according to most people, our Christmas is awful and unimaginable to them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Our family is all back in America, so quiet Christmases are all we've ever knownl. For us, it'll be the Same Old, just the three of us, with lots of good food and some board games.

We had a quiet Christmas at home last year for the first time (me, dd and DP) and it was lovely and relaxed, I was planning the same this year but we'll have DPs DC (I don't live with DP and his DC don't live with him so not a blended family situation) so I've booked a table for Christmas lunch so we're not just sat in the house together all day, I'll be disappointed if it's cancelled but it won't ruin Christmas.

We've had a loss in the immediate family this year, and someone potentially on their own if some additional bubbling isn't allowed, that's what'll ruin Christmas, people who are used to being surrounded by family sitting home alone.

Nope far from ruined!
This Xmas will be perfect for me as both our families live in our home town 3-4 hours away which is a long journey for 2 under 5s.

So we will wake up in our own beds and have a stress free day doing our own thing without an in-law in sight

I find 'ruined' to be an over exaggeration. It's what you make of it. We've done family Christmases and on our own Christmas. We had the year where DH and I celebrated our own little Christmas Day (with DD1) in November when he was in R&R from Afghanistan, then spent actual Christmas apart. We've spent Christmas Day on holiday skiing. We've celebrated it when living thousands of miles away from the rest of family. Christmas Day is what you make it.

I'm just hoping I be allowed a day trip to London to see my parents, hopefully with DDs in tow. Can only do it if we are allowed in houses though (as my mother can't spend long outside in winter).

Ours isn't ruined . We'll be going to my DP as planned.

Ours won't be ruined by any means but it will be very different. I love the build up to Christmas, working in London and seeing all the decorations and lights, nights out with friends, theatre, cinema. Ice skating with my little god-daughter and taking her out for dinner.

Lovely walks in the cold and pub lunches/open fires. Neighbours and friends rounds our for drinks/nibbles, then family over on Christmas day and Boxing Day, I love it all, and don't find it stressful.

If it's just Dh and DDs (late teens), we will make the most of it, but it won't be the same.

Mine will be ruined if they don't open restaurants back up because we go for a curry Xmas day 🤣 But they have said if they aren't allowed to open they are going to do takeaways so all might not be lost!

I don't celebrate Xmas so no change.

BUT I am worried about my dad. He normally travels to my brother's and calls in on me on the way. Dad in Lancashire, I'm in the midlands, brother Cornwall.

Bro and his wife are NHS workers, their youngest is a medical student and SIL's brother is staying with them.

My dad's social life in normal times is centred around the church and I don't like the idea of him being alone.

The family he has near by are all key workers.

Wouldn’t it fall flat just the 4 of you?

God no - it is what you make it @MsTSwift

Beautifully decorated house festooned with fairy lights. Fab presents. DH making delicious Christmas lunch with DD as his sous chef whilst I set the table. Dog walk before lunch and another in the evening. We have a chat and a laugh over lunch then watch some films and enjoy our gifts.

After a buffet tea we debate whether we want to play a board game but decide we'd prefer more telly

There is some sadnesss that my parents are long gone and DH's parents do their own thing but "fall flat" - no way!

A few years ago we decided our Christmas days would be spent at home, was so fed up of splitting ourselves between many family visits and multiple Christmas dinners. Christmas Day is just us, long dog walks, big dinner, films and snoozing on the sofa. What will be ruined this year is our Christmas Eve party, we have around 35 people round for lots of lovely food and cocktails and send them all home with their presents, saving us days of driving around dropping off gifts and rushing out again. I’m quite sad we won’t be able to do it this year as it’s really lovely but will be happy to save a ton of money.

No change for us. Dd coming to stay for 10 days. Lots of walking. We have a restaurant booked for Xmas Day but I will do a big cheese board if I have to. I will miss Xmas Eve afternoon drinks in town but will get over it.

Same as last year weirdly.

I'd like a quiet Xmas if possible. Always some drama at the family gatherings. I could do without it!!!

Im supposed to go to my parents but wont be too upset to stay here just the 3 of us. We never have christmas on our own. I have a joint of meat and a special pudding already in the freezer just in case.

DD might be disappointed though as she adores her grandparents.

It's not ruined but I am finding it hard to think how to make it special if it is just me DH and the two DS. For me the special thing about Christmas is the people. I love DH and the DSs but we spend a lot of time together anyway, as DH and I both work from home. I am not sure, apart from the food and gifts, how to make it a special day. The kids do not like walks so that's out - I could insist but then it's not fun is it? Watching TV is not special here. Board games we play all the time. I would not like to spend all day in PJs. I will read through this thread and others to see what others are doing to see if I can get any ideas, but I do fee very flat about it.

As long as DD is allowed home from uni it won’t be ruined, no.

It won’t quite be the Christmas we planned as it was our turn to host MiL/FiL/BiL, but if it’s the 4 of us we’ll still have a lovely time

I can't wait.
No pressure to host people I don't especially like, no expensive Christmas parties I can't afford...
Bliss.
A slap up meal, bottle of wine and a few family games.

We have the biggest family (and therefore house) and so end up hosting most years. We stagger visitors so as not to overwhelm autistic ds who retreats to his room as the house fills up. This means various visits can last from 20 Dec to new year's eve sometimes. So I am SO looking forward to just being able to hunker down and not feel obligated to host everyone. I love them and enjoy it but it will be great to have a smaller scale affair this year.

Ours will be the same as usual assuming our daughter can get home from university.
I am working Xmas day and will get home at about 8.30 on boxing morning.
Dog walk, presents and lunch for us

It's not ruined, but it's the first time in almost 50 years that I won't have spent Christmas Day with my parents and I'm sad about that.

It'll also be the first time that my parents will have spent Christmas Day alone as a couple - maybe they're looking forward to it, but I think they're sad about that as well, especially as my mum lost her mum very recently.

But it is what it is. We'll get together as soon as we can and celebrate then.

No ruined Christmas here, we always have a chilled low key Christmas anyway. No travelling, no having to dress up unless you want to. DH is working his 4th Christmas in a run again anyway so we won't even be having a Christmas dinner on the day itself (we will have it another day, just not decided when yet).

DD's and I change into new PJ's and eat yummy snacks all day while watching TV and playing with their presents. I love Christmases like this.

When I was younger I dreaded Christmas as my mother was pure Mrs Bucket. We had to be pristine all day, no food at all until Christmas dinner which was always 5pm onwards so we were fucking ravenous all day. Opening presents on camera (Film and/or photos) with big fake smiles on our faces and lots of god awful visiting of people we only ever saw at Christmas so had no real positive impact on our lives. I promised myself I wouldn't do that to my DC, so there has always been an open invite to come to ours for In laws (not my parents any more as we have been NC for almost 7 years now), all we ask is that they give us at least a weeks notice if they are coming to us or not so we can get more or less food and drink.

Christmas is only ruined if you let it be.

If our DCs can't make it, DH and I shall be desperately sorry disappointed, but we'll make the best of it.
He seemed surprised though when I remarked the other day we won't have turkey. I was equally shocked when he said I suppose we won't bother putting the tree up, {faints}.

I think it's ok for people to say their Christmas has been ruined without it being a personal attack on you and the way you celebrate, it's just a way of people expressing their disappointment. If 15 people turned up on your doorstep expecting a full Christmas dinner and stayed all day you'd probably say your Christmas had been ruined too but it's not a judgement on people who enjoy that!

Personally I was in the 'ruined' camp at first, I've spent Christmas with my parents for 31 out of 32 years and I usually get to see my brothers who live at the opposite end of the country and I only see a couple of times a year. It's lovely when we're all together and we have silly traditions which we're missing out on so it's natural to be disappointed.

Christmas isn't ruined. We aren't hosting as we'd like but we will have a lovely day. Self fullfilling prophecy innit.

That's the sort of christmas we had growing up, loved it.

There are however plenty of people who live alone, or just with their spouse. I think children can probably make things magical, but without it would be lovely to see some the rest of my family. There are only 6 or us, parents, me & husband and brother & wife.