“Cancelling Christmas” what would this look like?

[CraftyGin]

Imagine that at 9pm on Christmas Eve, a government minister tweets that lock down is intensivied with immediate effect. How would that affect you personally, recognising that we all have different ideas of Christmas.

Our church activities are 11pm service (which would be unaffected), and Christmas morning service. TBH, I would be happy to skip this service but generally have to show up as a warden. All of our services from March onwards are streamed on YouTube, and this will continue indefinitely

Presents - Amazon.

Guests - my DS1 and his wife have stayed for the last two years. With a short notice announcement, they would already have been here for four or five days, so presumably they would continue to stay. My locally living DS and DIL would not be able to socialise, but we could give them a food package.

We would continue to Zoom relatives far from us, and DS would be included as he is now.

Christmas food has leftovers built in, so we would not have any waste.

Well by Xmas Eve, we would have everything that we need. We always spend the day just the 4 of us so that wouldn’t change. We wouldn’t be able to visit the in-laws on Boxing Day but I think I could cope with that. 😬

I’d miss friends that we meet up with between Xmas and New Year but other than we would be fine.

I can see it would affect other people much more and it’s a shame but if it’s necessary then what can you do.

We usually have DM and MIL for Xmas. DM is local so doesn’t stay over. MIL has 5 hour train journey so stays. Under current guidance we wouldn’t be able to have both and as DM is just out of shielding still trying to work out what we can do.

Obviously if we go ahead as normal and then Christmas cancelled assume MIL would have to stay indefinitely and DM wouldn’t be coming.

But as PP said anyone with half a brain cell won’t be planning the usual massive Christmas plans as lockdown could happen anytime.

And if anyone has school age children I bet most of them by that time will be trying to avoid as many people as possible to ensure schools can stay open the next term after they have spent the previous term lurching between a constant cycle of schools being opened and then closed, as 2 positive tests in a school can be classified as an outbreak which can result in a year group/school having to self isolate for 2 weeks.

I'll be making sure my Mum is over before Christmas Eve this year, or pick her up after midnight mass (if it's on). It's me, dh and ds (who lives with us anyway) and Mum, so only two households, and I've been doing Mum's shopping all through lockdown. We are Mum's bubble and vice versa.

All the food will be in; I'll have made the stuffing, cooked the ham, and if no church service, then having a glass of something whilst doing the Christmas crossword in the paper. The presents will have been sorted well beforehand, and wrapped, so no issues there.

No difference at all.

Presents and food bought, decorations up, and Christmas at home with the DC and DH, just us, exactly how we like it!

However, if I wanted to spend Christmas Day with extended family then I probably would anyway, being honest.

Hopefully the prospect of ‘christmas being cancelled’ will reduce the amount of pure gluttony and consumerism that usually overtakes people in the name of ‘celebrating’ something they don’t even believe in.
Every cloud eh? Hopefully we won’t see the Christmas drama posts appearing in Chat anytime soon 😉

We normally host a lot of family on Christmas Day so we would be stuck with huge piles of excess turkey and potatoes and DHs siblings and their D.C. would be at home with very little in.

Literally wouldn’t affect me. I’d still cook the food but I wouldn’t have to text anyone so I’d be fine.

For the first time ever we might have a peaceful Christmas just with our family with no guilt about it and that would be lovely.

We have Christmas dinner at home each year regardless. Other visits etc would be off, as would extended family get togethers during Christmas week. We'd just have to wait, wouldn't we?

I think anyone who plans Christmas without the prospect of it potentially not happening in mind or built in somehow, is a bit daft. We should all know the drill by now (much like with holidays etc) - plans are at risk of major last minute change. Have to learn to roll with it a bit.

(I also doubt that a major reinstatement of lockdown would be instigated at 9pm Christmas eve. But then again, 6 months ago I'd have doubted anything that's happened this year!)

Truthfully I would just ignore no one would keep me from seeing my granddaughters on Christmas day .

@aprilanne if family gatherings are banned well before Christmas would you still see them on Christmas Day?

It would make no difference to me personally. I’ve got no Close family apart from dh and Dd and we wouldn’t see anyone over Xmas.

I usually have the vast majority of Christmas presents organised by the beginning of december so that wouldnt be an issue

So with manufacturers having been closed for months, unrest with China, imports not coming through, part manufacturers either closed or working part-time at a loss, bills mounting for a lot of companies, staff laid off and no future job prospects, products made solely aboard, especially the electronics sections, add int he tat which will stop production because they probably lose money unless there’s mass production, and I very much doubt they’ll be presents.

Then don’t forget the Covid outbreaks on food production sites as they struggle to reduce lines and distance, then food will be limited as well.

Christmas won’t look the same.

This is everyone assuming they’ll still be sitting on enough money to be able to afford Christmas.......

I tell you what if I’ve worked my arse off during this pandemic to find out we’ve lost our jobs due to everyone not doing as they are bloody told and ruining the economy in the process you’ll have more to worry about than your tinsel and having enough chairs. Il come and get your sodding turkey for 20 through the window if I have to.

We'd have lunch at home and FaceTime family, the rest would be normal. We normally eat out on the day but always have enough in to cook a meal, we aren't religious so that doesnt matter.

It wouldn’t; we stay at home on Christmas Day and visit family earlier in December or in January. We’d already have food and presents sorted.

By Christmas Eve everything is done and anyone who is coming for Christmas is on the road or already here. There could be a problem with my mum - although we live as one household so I do all her meals etc she has Christmas lunch with my cousin because she is unable to make it up the stairs to my dining room.

If she couldn't go to my cousin (lives locally) and the rest of the family would be unable to come to us we would take the food to her living room and eat with her. I think it would actually be quite fun - Blitz spirit type thing.

For me the real stress would be if we went into lockdown on the 1st December. Youngest away in university, no chance to shop etc.

DH is a vicar and we are already working on plans for Christmas that are flexible in either direction. E.g. a Christingle service in person, a Christingle 'experience' where families can walk through the church socially distanced and masked up, watching various videos, hearing music, encouraged to do different activities (all v hygienic without having to touch anything) and then collecting their Christingle on the way out, or a completely locked down service fully online. We are expecting a mixture of the last two and putting our energy into that. The church usually has 1000 people in it over four services on Christmas Eve so whatever the government announces we don't think it would be responsible to go back to normal anyway.

We will probably plan similarly for our family - flexible for more or less regulation. Either way we will be celebrating, and it will be an opportunity to create new traditions.

I doubt we would see the news after 9pm on Christmas Eve, or on Christmas Day, so we would probably be pretty oblivious to any lockdown announcements. I guess someone might say something on a facebook feed or something.

This wouldn't affect us personally. Christmas we always spend alone, just the four of us. We tried spending it one year with my Mum at her house and she had to cancel at the last minute (Christmas morning) as my brother was ill. We thought she might cancel but not for a genuine reason (she bailed on looking after dd1 the actual day I went into labour as she saw her arse that day), so we had the makings of a small Christmas dinner in anyway just in case (although we forgot the spuds, luckily the Spar was open!)

I would genuinely feel for those that would have their Christmas plans disrupted, more so for those that would inadvertently find themselves alone. I feel for those currently in the Muslim community who are now in this situation with Eid celebrations.

I do understand why it has been done though, and would understand if it happens at Christmas - doesn't stop my sympathy for people but I also understand the wider implications of not locking down when they have the information to see cases rising. Although I do question the timings, surely they must have had insight that they would be doing this (didn't Leicester get advance warning for a full lockdown?)

Inneed of a holiday now ...the answer is yes even if they were banned well in advance I would still ignore .if his advisor can go see his parents and go fuck it who cares then so can I..we are a small family not a mass gathering.

It would be a blessed relief. No tat in the shops, no crap music, no over-eating or over-drinking or over-spending. No spending time with fuckwits you wouldn't see any other time of year. And best of all my 60th birthday won't happen. Bring it on.

Why would anybody sit here at the beginning of August and look for the worst case scenario for 5 months time? Sure there is planning for getting stock in in case you end up in lockdown without notice and shopping is difficult , but why sit here and think of worse case scenarios? There are some people who are struggling enough with the current reality without this .

We would normally spend Christmas Day at home, just the six of us so no difference. I'll be present shopping through September and October and organising Christmas food in plenty of time.

Normally see extended family close to Christmas but will wait and see what the situation is.

I will miss cancelled school events such as their plays and Carol service though!

We would be absolutely fine; it’s one day.

It’s those living alone, the elderly, in hospital etc it would be awful for