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Original poster

“Cancelling Christmas” what would this look like?

253 replies

CraftyGin · 01/08/2020 16:01

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.

OP posts:
Splodgetastic · 01/08/2020 20:47

@ChardonnaysPetDragon, also it was as hot here where I live as it was as in Alicante!

annabel85 · 01/08/2020 20:51

I just can’t picture a situation where there would be a sudden lockdown and nobody would know it was coming.

It'll depend on social distancing in the build up to Christmas as it's more likely to spread over winter. Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, Christmas markets, schools open, pubs, 'get back to the office' these are things that will all have an effect on the rates of transmission. We might need a semi lockdown in the weeks before Christmas so it's as safe as it can be for people to see their families over the Christmas week and Christmas day.

My family that I usually see on Christmas Day a few are shielding and I haven't seen since March, so if I see them Christmas Day i'll need to self isolate for 2 weeks before the 25th. That means if i'm forced into the office and public transport every day (rather than wfh) I won't be able to see them, or will be taking the extra risk if I do. It means no work parties.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 01/08/2020 20:57

Patio heaters are evil.

Whathappenedtothelego · 01/08/2020 20:58

We usually have Christmas with my or DH's family.

We live several hours from one another, so if we were hosting, we would already have our guests staying, or if others were hosting us, we would already have arrived, possibly several days previously.
Presumably it wouldn't make sense for those who had already arrived to leave again at that time of night, so we would end up having an illegally mixed household for Christmas Day.

Food for several days would have already been bought. Presents would be under the tree.

Any church-going is on Christmas Eve, either earlier carol service with DC, or Midnight Mass for adults.

We have already thought ahead and decided to have Christmas at home with just our family, to avoid any last minute forced changes of plan.

Original poster
CraftyGin · 01/08/2020 21:00

@annabel85

I just can’t picture a situation where there would be a sudden lockdown and nobody would know it was coming.

It'll depend on social distancing in the build up to Christmas as it's more likely to spread over winter. Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, Christmas markets, schools open, pubs, 'get back to the office' these are things that will all have an effect on the rates of transmission. We might need a semi lockdown in the weeks before Christmas so it's as safe as it can be for people to see their families over the Christmas week and Christmas day.

My family that I usually see on Christmas Day a few are shielding and I haven't seen since March, so if I see them Christmas Day i'll need to self isolate for 2 weeks before the 25th. That means if i'm forced into the office and public transport every day (rather than wfh) I won't be able to see them, or will be taking the extra risk if I do. It means no work parties.

I can’t really picture Christmas parties this year.

I was reflecting a typical run up to Christmas for us, and our usual stuff just won’t happen. We normally do 5 or 6 ‘nine lessons and carols’ as DD is a choral singer, but singing has been banned.

OP posts:
CountFosco · 01/08/2020 21:02

We usually just have Christmas just our household so there would be no difference.

ineedaholidaynow · 01/08/2020 21:03

@Linemanfort DH and kids, plus parents (with unmarried brother in their support bubble) are 2 households not one.

If I were in an area with a high rate of infection I would not be planning for large amounts of people coming to my house no matter how I could fiddle it to make it fit within the guidelines, the risks would be too high. And before people say you only have to look at your own risk it doesn’t impact anyone, what happened in the North of England highlights just how such plans do impact everyone else. Because a lot of people have been impacted who were keeping it very simple in the guidelines.

dementedma · 01/08/2020 21:05

No change really. My mother lives alone so I have continued to visit her throughout Covid and will again. She's 85 and needs physical help, and people to break her isolation. I will see her at Christmas regardless.

flowerycurtain · 01/08/2020 21:06

Respect ✊ to you for being a warden! Hard and thankless task.

We'd have all the food and drink it. I'd really really miss Church.

Other than that no different. We work 7-2 (farmers). Normally have one set of parents for lunch. I'd probably drop off their share of the turkey!

It would be different but could still be good.

Craiglang · 01/08/2020 21:06

Nothing would change for us. Either we'd have visitors by then or be doing Christmas on our own. We don't travel on Christmas Eve or Day. We like to do panto after Christmas so I guess that would be cancelled but we'll be skipping it this year anyway. So it'll be the usual late night wrapping of presents because I'm really disorganised Confused and quiet few days at home.

BEANBAG765 · 01/08/2020 21:06

We are hoping to fly on 24 Dec morning to the Canaries. 9pm will be ok for us ;.-)

Original poster
CraftyGin · 01/08/2020 21:07

@CountFosco

We usually just have Christmas just our household so there would be no difference.
When our children were small, we always preferred to have Christmas with just ourselves.

When we lived in the US, we once went to the ILs for Christmas. It was such a palaver loading up the car with their presents and winter gear. After that, we had our family time at Thanksgiving.

So it is natural for us to have a relatively quiet Christmas, but it gets complicated when they start getting married :). In a nice way.

OP posts:
annabel85 · 01/08/2020 21:17

A lot of people have a quiet Christmas Day anyway (typically with immediate family) and maybe see more extended family on Boxing Day.

It's whether people keep activities to a minimum in December. It's usually peak virus season anyway in the build up to Christmas but it's a busy time usually with shopping, markets, parties, panto's, football etc.

everythingisginandroses · 01/08/2020 21:26

Wouldn't affect us at all Star

Pillypocket666 · 01/08/2020 21:26

DM would be quite happy as she likes a quiet life and although lives Christmas wouldn't mind at all. Myself and DP would be quite happy as no stress of getting all Christmas Day visits done. Actually that idea is sounding better by the minute!

EmpressSuiko · 01/08/2020 21:31

Wouldn’t make a difference here, it’s usually just us, we see my parents Christmas Eve, DH family usually visit after Christmas, so Christmas Day is just a quiet day at home, snacking, watching movies, playing with new toys etc etc.

Thislittlelady · 01/08/2020 21:38

Sick of people moaning about this stuff. If you want to get Covid and pass it to your at
Risk family and friends, then go out act like
Nothing’s changed and get in with it but don’t moan if you get sick. If you don’t want to get sick, suck it up, it sucks in one way or another for most people/families and we have to just get on with it. I’m so fed up with the doom and gloom and ‘ let’s turn this into a cause and make a go fund me page and start writing to media outlets and taking pictures and videos to send to the papers’ brigade. Get in with it. This is how it is now. Sucks for most folk. Sorry but it’s true.

Thislittlelady · 01/08/2020 21:41

Sorry. That’s not a dig at posters answering the original question! Just sick of the media and people having to try to find Anything to complain about cos they’d clearly rather be in agony dying instead of not having Christmas/ eid etc

saraclara · 01/08/2020 21:44

I just can’t picture a situation where there would be a sudden lockdown and nobody would know it was coming

I dare say that the people in the northern areas that can no longer have any visitors didn't see it coming. A tweet at 10pm giving two hours notice of a new ruling wasn't on anyone's radar, surely?

Have you actually been watching/reading any news in the last 48 hours, @RatInADollhouse?

cyclingmad · 01/08/2020 21:45

I agree with you @thislittlelady except if too many people so that and cases eise local restrictions get put in place that impacts law abiding people too...which isn't fair 😕

Franklyyes · 01/08/2020 21:48

It’s August the last thing on my mind is Xmas. So much going on now that who knows what Xmas will look like.
If enough in advance might stop the crazy present buying and maybe we all keep it simple. No Xmas c*ap that gets chucked away. Already used to not buying things so let’s continue it

ChavvySexPond · 01/08/2020 21:50

At 9pm on Christmas Eve the food is bought and some of it prepped in advance. The house has been cleaned, the decorations are up, the extra beds are made. Some of our guests are already with us and some could still be en route since it's often easiest to travel with sleeping children.

Some years at 9pm we would've been the ones on the road with sleeping children.

Some years we've had a party in full swing at 9pm and wouldn't see any news until the next day. Tbh most Christmas Eves we wouldn't be on Twitter waiting for the government to drop a bombshell.

DarkHelmet · 01/08/2020 21:50

I'll be doing Christmas my way as always, regardless of any 'tweet' telling me otherwise. I imagine many more will say the same.

Pluckedpencil · 01/08/2020 21:51

I felt sorry for the people in Northern England trying to celebrate Eid today. We went to an Eid party as we are in another country and could hold it outdoors in a park. I couldn't believe the mountains of stuff everyone had cooked - trays and trays of rice and lovely salsas and fried little bally things, not to mention the lamb. Pretty shit if you have done all the prep and bought a whole lamb to get a notice like that. If it were Christmas I'd probably be tempted to say fuck it, I saw them yesterday, I'll see them today!

ineedaholidaynow · 01/08/2020 21:56

I wonder how many people will disregard whatever the rules are in place by Christmas and have their usual large gatherings because it doesn't impact anyone else what they do, so 2021 will be another great year Angry