Ideas for making a COVID winter bearable

[WearyandBleary]

I need some plans to make winter bearable with social distancing etc. I assume it will be much like now. I am dreading christmas without church and carol singing and family occasions.

I’ve been thinking about buying a whole load of festive lights and maybe some posh furry throws. It’s a bit desperate but I need ideas. Anyone got any plans or suggestions?

Why go on a thread and just all over it. This is a lovely thread and is making me look forward to Christmas more, which is a positive vibe.

You can try t9 carry on as normal but you may find it tricky.

Deepening how stupid people are, you could be trying to carry on as normal but be unable to get medical help for a broken foot due to hospital overload. You may find local lockdown imposed so everything is shut. You may be grieving for the friend or relative who you didn't realise might die from this. You may find you are out of a job because demand has fallen because too many people are too scared to do more than the bare minimum.

So some people thinking about what they might do in those circumstances is perfectly fair.

@IndiaMay

This is ridiculous everyone is back to normal mostly. Seeing family, going on holiday, visiting parents etc. Things will be back to normal by christmas. Quite frankly the cases will be lower still and if they arent I think people will say f it. We cant sacrifice the many for the few any longer and just carry on as normal.

Many firework display around here have already been cancelled and a quick google search tells me many around UK 2020 display are also being cancelled.

I think it's partly uncertainly and fact planning for big displays we tend to go to is done around now.

The local theater just sent out e-mails saying they won't be opening till January 2021 so are refunding panto tickets

www.londontheatredirect.com/news/qdos-sets-deadline-on-when-to-decide-whether-34-pantomime-shows-will-go-ahead
The UK's biggest pantomime producer, Qdos Pantomimes, has set a deadline on when it will decide whether 34 of its Christmas pantomime productions this year will go ahead or be cancelled. If by 3 August 2020 Qdos does not get clarity from the government, it will "have to begin the process of unravelling the season," according to the Qdos Managing Director, Michael Harrison.

The news comes after BBC reported that some pantomime productions are beginning to cancel their shows ahead of what's been referred to as a "make-or-break" holiday season for many UK theatres

So it sounds like decsions are being made now in many parts of UK.

I agree seeing family is more likely to be back to normal though - if you drive we're dependent on public transport so may have issues still. In Wales it's still essential journeys only which is limiting us even now.

It might be case of swamping pantos for cinerma and having some kind of home firework display so not quite normal but not far off depends on what winter brings I suppose.

It's not ridiculous at all IndiaMay no one knows for sure how things will be by the end of December, but judging from the current rising figures in many European countries, it would be foolhardy to assume everything will be back to normal by Christmas. Even Boris has radically changed his tune on that one!

My DH and I own a business and some of his clients have already told their employees to remain working from home for the next six months.

Christmas is going to be cancelled due to Covid!? Brilliant.....

@IndiaMay

This is ridiculous everyone is back to normal mostly. Seeing family, going on holiday, visiting parents etc. Things will be back to normal by christmas. Quite frankly the cases will be lower still and if they arent I think people will say f it. We cant sacrifice the many for the few any longer and just carry on as normal.

Things are no way near back to normal. People may not be following the rules but atm according to rules in England: No soft play No night clubs No hugs with parents/grandparents etc unless in a single person household bubble No contact sport in its normal form No concerts No singing groups Weddings have to be less than 30 people Our parks haven’t fully reopened where I am Our local theatre are not opening until next year. My life is no where near what is normal for me and I don’t think it will be this year. Im dreading returning to work soon (currently on maternity leave) as I think Winter pressures are going to be worse than normal from all this and there probably will be a rise in Covid cases alongside normal flu season.

Thank you at @WearyandBleary for starting this thread as have got some nice ideas for things to make things nicer when I am off work. Maybe I won’t need it and we will be ok but I doubt it and so do most of my colleagues.

I think it's better to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

We often have a day out to see Santa, last year we went to Chessington and stayed in the hotel which was lovely. I'm not sure how many days out will be possible. Pantomime seems a no-go. So it's nice to have some simple things to plan and look forward to. Actually my DCs always remember these things more anyway. Like making decorations, walking on the beach and collecting shells to cover a trinket box to give to Granny, printing brown paper to use as wrapping paper, a fabric advent calendar filled with a mix of chocolate coins and real things. Stuff like that.

Ooh these are lovely ideas 😊

I’ve not thought that far ahead.. but jumped on here to see ideas!!

Thank you Bluewavescrashing Just bought two of the oversized hoodies from EBay as not seen them before and they look lovely for winter.

I've also finally knocked my falling down shed down and will hopefully have a little summer house in October. It'll be somewhere for the dc's to do arty projects or play Minecraft . I know it'll be too cold in the bitter winter weather but it should take the edge off.

Lovely ideas! Little clay houses for nightlights sound wonderful!

Get everyone one of these badboys The comfy I got one last christmas (not this exact one, but same idea), and omg it is amazing! You look like an actual mountain in it, but it's sooooo snuggly to cocoon in. My kids are forever stealing it (it's as big as them) and decalring it an invisibility cloak.

Besides that, i'm following for ideas. My kids are super obsessed with perler beads at the moment, so we're going to be making lots of decorations with them. There are loads of patterns on pinterest (I've got my eye on a nerdy gamer perler bead wreath), so i think we'll while away lots of rainy afternoons making things with those, listening to an audiobook together(we're currently listening to the Harry Potters). We've gotten into doing jigsaws tigether these last few months, so i'l keep and eye out for festive ones as well

@IndiaMay

This is ridiculous everyone is back to normal mostly. Seeing family, going on holiday, visiting parents etc. Things will be back to normal by christmas. Quite frankly the cases will be lower still and if they arent I think people will say f it. We cant sacrifice the many for the few any longer and just carry on as normal.

This.

I sincerely hope we have all got a grip by Christmas.

For the overwhelming majority of people Covid is no threat at all.

Sadly, the tiny minority of people for whom it is a threat will just have to stay isolated while everybody else gets on with it.

[quote lockdownalli]@IndiaMay you sound a bit thick.[/quote]
Ad Hominem.

(and therefore reported)

Link for ebay hoodies please, have looked at Oodies, seem expensive for what they are, will look at the comfy ones too thnx

@lexloofah I linked one a couple of posts up, which is much cheaper. I'm not sure which one I've got, might be the actual comfy, but omg it's wonderful. Soooo cosy and warm. I literally spent winter evenings encased in it, hood up, snuggled on the sofa

@WearyandBleary please could you link to the clay houses that you've been looking at? I live that type of thing.....

*love

I think we should use it as an opportunity to revive 'proper' Christmas spirit and do away with the materialistic crap.

PP suggested leaving Christmas cakes/cookies on a doorstep every night, I love that idea. You could also bake for care homes, shelters & food banks.

Christmas shoe boxes - only done it now and then since I left school, but would love to reprise this year if covid allows.

I'm going to have a look at the wishlists of local charities and see what I can do.

We also have a local charity which collects elderly lonely people on xmas day and takes them for a slap up christmas lunch in a local hall. I did some fundraising for it a couple of years ago but would love to do it again.

I would also love to start knitting again and make baby clothing for NICU/premature baby charities.

Fuck it, let's make it a really good Christmas without the crowded shops and drunken pub nights. It will be very wholesome but really good for the feel-good factor! ☃️🤶

@Wolfgirrl

Love those ideas- especially re-claiming the meaning of Christmas

Thread inspiration alert..! Do you think a Christmas giving thread would catch on? So anyone that fancies doing it can swap ideas, etc.

First thing to do is book in a knitting refresher day with my grandma for the autumn!

There are some really lovely ideas on here. Despite what some posters are saying, I don't think this is being pessimistic or fearful of going out. For many I think it's about making the very best of winter and all the good things about it

I’m stocking up on hot water bottles and rugs so we can sit outside with family & friends for as long as possible.

I’ll put more effort into how the outside of the house looks, to make it nicer for my neighbours.

Log fires, carols at home, big stews and mulled wine. Cooking treats for neighbours, rather then having them round for drinks.

One of those jigsaws that’s a photo of something special like our wonderful dogs.

This is probably the year to do something to help out in our homeless shelter.