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. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Nope

My daughter has asked for a day just the 2 of us and that’s exactly what we’ll have.

I’m kind of hoping current restrictions stay in place so I don’t start getting pressure from DM to go to her

now I know that my student dc can get home, our christmas will be just the same as always! Me, Dh and 6 dc. Always have a fab Christmas. Cook dinner with the full works. Lots of lovely food and drink. Play lots of games, loads of fun and laughs.Have all presents sorted. food order placed. Chocies and snacks already bought. Really looking forward to Christmas this year.

I love this post ! I'm a single mum to one dd and few family members so our Christmas's are always very quiet anyway. I always want to give my daughter a 'love actually' magical Christmas with lots of family all around playing board games and having lots of fun but it's never like that for us !

We have instituted a self imposed isolation period over Christmas that last 3 years so no not really. The one thing for us is Christmas Day....we usually have both sets grandparents and my husbands sister. Hoping we can still sort it with the 9 of us but where I am restrictions are in flux so we'll see.

We're having a very different Christmas, regardless of the rules, but it's not ruined.

I work in care. We've been lucky up until now but the building I work in currently has Covid cases. I won't be seeing family and friends and risking infecting them as many are vulnerable, however, I do hope the rules are lifted so that others who are suffering mental health issues in lockdown have some reprieve.

I'll be working Christmas morning. My daughters are going to make a nice breakfast together and do zoom calls. When I get home we'll have dinner and watch movies.

There's normally around 18 of us together on Christmas. I hope the rest can still get together. There are some whose mental state I fear for if they're kept isolated over Christmas.

I've not spoken to anyone in real life who's worried about Christmas being ruined. Most people seem to be resigned to the fact this year will be different. Some people seem pleased about this and are looking forward to a quiet one. As usual, the media are hyping things up with all this drama.

Ours is the same. Quiet.
I don't have family nearby so we will have a chilled one. No way will I be stressing and travelling Xmas eve
Can't wait as we have worked the whole time on top of home schooling

My Christmas will be ruined if restrictions are eased and I have to have my PILs come to stay

I was really looking forward to a quiet Christmas after a shit year, but as PP said I will miss carols, church, panto and other gatherings. I'd happily forgo all those things for a quiet day with just my immediate family.

I really hope Christmas is not saved

@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. 🤷🏼‍♀️

This thread made me teary.

I am very happy for you, but for single people who live alone this Christmas will be lonely.

I won’t see my parents, I won’t see my friends, all my Christmas events have been cancelled.

I am really pleased that you are having your normal preferred Christmas. It sounds really lovely. But I’m not sire why you started this thread - it feels cruel.

@Ideasplease322 That's really shit for you 😞

I grew up always having Christmas with just my siblings and parents, it was great! I'm a single parent though, and prefer some adult company on the day. Plus my kids spend half the day with their dad, I don't really want to to spend half the day alone. It's just another day though, I guess.

I get it OP. As a headline though
"Christmas to be pretty similar for some families"
just doesn't have the same ring to it for the meeja.
Enjoy your Christmas. I'll be relieved in a way if we can't see anyone, as of this year we're up to 4 "sets" of grandparents and can't really be arsed to see them all separately, and too weird to see them together!

Yanbu, we'll be having the exact same Xmas day that we had last year and the year before. Just the 3 of us. The build-up will be different (we have a toddler and things like meeting father Xmas obviously won't be on) but we're completely fine with that. We are happy to make the best of things and are excited for Christmas.

I absolutely feel for those who will be lonely etc this Xmas... But for us as pp said this is our usual Xmas.
I love it just being us but usually we have enormous pressure from in laws who are the biggest fun suckers ever.. So covid has been a marvellous sheild for us!

It will be even better without the guilt tripping and awful tactics of fil...

Usually we have a friend over and I'm hoping he can still make it...

We’re planning on it being just me and DP, which will be fine - but like pretty much every other meal I have eaten this year! I will really miss our usual bits and bobs though. Usually DP goes to the football on Boxing Day, then we meet for an early tea in town, somewhere like Nando’s. I have various girlfriends I catch up with for lunch or drinks, and also friends I meet for Christmas shopping.

I’m looking forward to Hogmanay. Usually we go for a late lunch, then have a cheeseboard in the evening, while soothing the cat when fireworks start. Even if 2021 starts out grim, hopefully it will get better.

Lots of people are ramping up the drama with Christmas. We don’t even know whats happening yet, so how can people say it’s ruined.

We’re very happy to just have the 4 of us at home and we’ll make the most of it. It’s just one Christmas-how bad can it be?

Lots of people are ramping up the drama with Christmas. We don’t even know whats happening yet, so how can people say it’s ruined.

No doubt that's true for some people, but plenty of people have had their lives destroyed by this pandemic already (through death of loved ones, loss of jobs, loss of entire industries, financial difficulties, extreme social isolation, serious MH problems, etc. etc.) and therefore can reasonably assume that Christmas will pretty miserable and lonely. If you've already lost a huge part of your life, it's not like things are magically going to get better just because you stick up a bit of tinsel and buy an M&S turkey dinner for one, is it? No matter how much people tell you to "make the best of things" and "choose to be positive."

Plus we might not know the exact restrictions yet, but it's pretty obvious that Christmas will be held under pretty strict restrictions compared to normal, with most things closed and travel impacted. Even if restrictions are temporarily lifted, some people will voluntarily choose not to travel or see family due to fear of spreading the virus.

It's not just people whinging about not being able to visit grandparents and Christmas fetes being closed. Even if it is, plenty of people really do rely on those things in order to survive a season that can be challenging even at the best of times. (And people who love Christmas and don't find it stressful are understandably upset about losing all of that.)

It depends on personal circumstances - for some it's going to be shit , for some a nice change & for some business as usual.

I'm Team Nice Change: I live overseas, & every year have to despatch the dc to their dad & bugger off on holiday to take my mind off missing them.

I mean, I've done some brilliant wintry travelling over the years, but This Year dc & I are grounded by covid travel restrictions & will get to spend Xmas as a family in our own house .

Doesn't stop me appreciating that others have had their plans spoiled, but dc & I are delighted to be able to have Xmas together for the first time in 6 years!

Yeah it won't really be much different for us this year. We always just have Christmas at home for the 5 of us, since my mum died a few years ago. Usually meet up with my siblings and their families for a nice meal on Christmas Eve, which won't be happening this year, but other than that we don't really see anyone. The main difference this year might be no Mass - and even if it's back on, there'll be no singing allowed so it'll be a very weird experience. But yeah pretty much Christmas as normal for us!

We always spend xmas day at home just me DH and 2 DDs.

Boxing day we normally go to my mum's or sisters for boxing day picky tea and they give DDs their presents then. We're in a bubble with Dsis but I'm working boxing day night (retail) so that arrangement is more than likely off. It's dissapointing but it's not a case of Xmas ruined

My Christmas is ruined by the knowledge we’ll be straight into another lockdown after

I miss sport so much. I care more about being allowed to do sport than have Christmas dinner

Other countries have not banned all sport

I am starting to feel depressed and fat and know that at 50, with lockdown after lockdown, I will gradually get depressed

Fuck Christmas, fuck BJ, fuck the banning of exercise/sport

The lead up to Christmas will be different, as there’s no panto, no trip to see Santa, no walk around the lights at Kew Gardens, no Mother Christmas storytelling, no horse rides around the National Trust property. I think our DC will be fine with that though, as they’re all small and happy pottering around the house and garden.

On the plus side, we’ve saved a fortune on the above with ticket refunds. Also, I’ve used the past months to get organised. All of my Christmas shopping is done, I’m using the next couple of weeks to wrap and write cards and plan Christmas week meals. Excited to enjoy Christmas just with us.

I’m sad we won’t be hosting my sister’s family from overseas, but I’m very glad not having to engage/visit my in laws, so that’s an overall BIG win 😂

Actually thinking though all of that, it’s lovely to have a less jam packed December. It’s usually such a busy, exciting month of back to back activities and meet ups that it will be nice to just not do it all. Lessons for next year, too, not to get so busy again

Christmas for us is an extended period due to living away from friends abs family. We look forward to the weekends spent with them.
This makes us sad, especially as we’ve lost members of our family this year and my own parents aren’t in great health.

I’ll also miss the ballet, light shows and Santa visits but the most important thing is that none of my family will be on our own over the festive period so it will be ok and we’ll have fun. I’ve sent my parents a game of Christmas bingo and we’ll FaceTime/zoom to play after Christmas dinner. The kids are excited for this and it will be something different.

Christmas Day is just us so that won’t be any different. Obviously the run up maybe- no pantos or Christmas days out. Though hopefully we can still do a Santa visit depending on restrictions. We also normally have a family get together in the run up and that may not go ahead. We are not overly close though so although we enjoy it, it won’t be the end of the world if it doesn’t happen.