Covid Christmas

[QuornHub]

Before I get a flaming, yes, I know it's only June! But with talk in some circles of second waves/the virus having a resurgence in winter, as viruses will/further lockdowns if that happens, I've been thinking about Christmas.

I'm a Christmas blogger and usually around now companies are gearing up for their Christmas in July events where we basically get a sneak preview of what'll be instore for Christmas. Lots of food and drink sampling and conference rooms decked out in tinsel and fake snow even though it's often boiling outside! The shows are a real highpoint of the year for me and mark the point at which the back of the year is broken, as it were, and it's all downhill to Christmas.

So far I've had word that only a few events are going ahead and of course they'll be online this year. It's hard to taste a Christmas pud online! A lot of companies aren't even bothering, understandably.

Then of course there's the more sombre side of it all. Families possibly not being able to be together, families with members missing. And those who have lost jobs for whom Christmas will be another financial burden.

And the practicalities - queuing for the Christmas food shop in the snow and gales won't be fun, and I certainly don't envisage SD rules in supermarkets to be relaxed before the end of the year.

Seeing as we've had our summer/holidays/weddings etc taken from us this year it'd be nice to have something to look forward to at the end of the year, but how different is it going to be, I wonder? I know there are far more important things to be concerned about right now but it'd be so good to have something to look forward to, even if it is months away!

I will be prepping for Christmas.
I will be buying all my presents ASAP aiming to be done by end of September- except one thing that DS wants from Santa.
I will be buying a joint of meat and freezing and will have frozen roast potatoes, vegetables etc. I already have mincemeat but will make sure I have frozen pastry and will buy lots of wine, chocolate and a Christmas pudding ASAP. One drawer of my freezer (I have 3) will be full of goodies.
I think we’ll consider isolating from 10th December so we can see our parents on Christmas Day if that’s necessary by then.

Christmas lights have already been cancelled in our town as obviously the local businesses can no longer afford to support them.

Weve got Brexit in between now and Christmas too so who knows what's going to happen with shortages in supermarkets and import/export issues.

We have a Christmas away (UK) booked with the ILs and I will be gutted if it can't go ahead. DS is prime Christmas age and I would love to give him a fun, family Christmas after such a rubbish year.

I'd like to ignore Christmas this year to be honest...I'm exhausted and fed up...

Problem is the kids only suddenly take a liking to something nov time usually.
But will be looking to buy stuff soon. As lots seems expensive and not in stock.noone is going to xmas shop nov dec

Yes I absolutely love Christmas usually and roll out the red carpet but I really wouldn't mind skipping it this year! I don't want any more domesticity tbh!

Hmm. Looking forward to spending 2 weeks locked in with your families?
Again!

I can understand where you are coming from the I work in hospitality and wonder the same!!.
Personally I don't care about Christmas as I often work all of it.I know from experience it doesn't hurt to miss the celebrations sometimes.I wouldn't expect large gatherings in winter this year,or staff meals out.Anything is possible though.I would be happy with just DS and dh if I did get time off.

Good luck to the government stopping people seeing their families at Christmas.. people just won’t do it. Not after nearly a whole year of this shit!

My mum is really vulnerable & I’m preparing to think we might not be able to be with her & dad 😭 but my in-laws are fine & we are missing them terribly (they live 5 hours away). None more so than my DD. Christmas is a busy, noisy & extended family filled even for us.. I’m praying it still can be this year!

As for gifts, I always start picking bits up from September to spread the cost & im thrifty on marketplace for second hand bits. I hate perfectly good toys going to waste!

Thankfully this is the first year that none of the kids believe in Santa so I’d things aren’t available etc they will understand.
As long as we have some sort of food and some sort of presents it will be fine. I love Christmas and normally go overboard with everything. Will try and stock up on non presumable stuff in advance

We will have stocking fillers bought well in advance this year and probably order our meal from Cook in case we struggle to get food for the day.

I usually do Christmas shopping at the last minute - will be bringing it forward this year because I expect we'll still have postal delays then.

Realistically, I'll be spending Christmas on my own. I live in a Covid hot spot and I am not willing to risk passing Covid onto my relatives.

I choose to see this as an opportunity to not eat turkey and sprouts. I will video call my family (assuming the network doesn't crash like it does at New Year), watch some crappy films on Netflix and eat something I enjoy.

It’s June previous poster! How on earth can you know you’ll be in a Covid hotspot by December?!

@Bol87 I live in London. I'm willing to bet we're still struggling with Covid by December.

I'd rather get my head around the concept of not seeing family now, then hold out until December and have my hopes dashed just before Christmas...

With social distancing measures being held eased by September I don’t see why there would be an issue with spending time with family and the queuing certainly shouldn’t be an issue.

However I work in the nhs and I am dreading it as I imagine Covid-19 will most certainly still be around I don’t want to think about how bad it might be the winter pressures!

"queuing certainly shouldn’t be an issue."

You know this how?

My wife works for a small garden centre chain. Normally by this time of year they have ordered all their Xmas stuff as it has to be on the boats from China in order to arrive at U.K. ports in September.

Nothing has been ordered so far - partly because the company wasn’t sure what position they’d be in now and partly because the Chinese factories still are back operating at full speed.

Expect a shortage of Christmas tat this year.

Chinese factories are still NOT operating normally

Christmas is still 6 months away. That's possibly 6 months closer to better treatment options, better testing and tracking, and a possible vaccine on the horizon.

I'm staying positive.

We ran away skiing for Christmas last year, it was bliss, and we were thinking of going away again. But now there is no way we would not spend it with dm and dmil if we are able, as well as host my brother's family for twixtmas and then travel to see ddad and dsis. All of which I am usually a total Grinch about, but not being able to see them seems to have made the heart grow fonder.

On the plus side - could always tell the kids that Santa has caught it on the 2nd wave and is now resting up/recovering; so he’s unable to jump in the old sleigh and deliver your pressies this year. Oh... and the elf on the shelf is now in isolation too, so I don’t have to spend 24 evenings having to think of bloody ideas of where to hide him.

My children are all adults or nearly So thats not an issue

But like others i am making plans for much earlier including buying a small freezer and Presents well in advance

We have over the last year or so given money as the main part of their presents so will probably increase that

Visiting family may be a little difficult but i doubt many people will not see their families if they want to and are not shielding etc

I'm really going to try to be organised this year. I do say it every year but this time I mean it!

London's not a Covid hotspot