Do you think lockdown will be lifted for Christmas?

[BlusteryShowers]

I can't help but feel quietly confident that there will be an announcement some time in December allowing an easing of lockdown measures for a short period over Christmas.

I propose that the govt suspect many would flout rules any way, so they may as well make it Part Of The Plan and take credit for their benevolence.

The timing of the announcement would be interesting. The spending that goes into Christmas is huge and lots of businesses rely on it. Can we even afford a very very low key Christmas?

Does anyone else think this?

[quote tootyfruitypickle]@expectingnumber3 I’m so sorry . I think previously Whitty has explained that people who have terminal illnesses will make their own decision of risk, and that is right and I don’t think anyone would judge you for your decision , I would do the same.[/quote]
Thank you, I appreciate your understanding, it's in short supply at the moment!

I don't think they will make an allowance for Xmas.

@MJMG2015

“Nope, but how many of them are you
Prepared to kill to have your Christmas? You're an adult FGS, you can have a summer family day instead.”

Harsh but true! Well said!

I don't give a shit about Christmas. It's one day. I'd like to get on with my life now, thank you. I'd also like to have some work. This is more important than one "special day".

I hope not. I hate Christmas. A year with minimal fuss would be a dream come true.

@expectingnumber3

This Christmas will be my DF's last as his previously treatable cancer is now terminal due to lockdown suspending his treatment. I will be seeing him and my DM on Dec 25th if he is still with us. I am not selfish for doing this, I am obeying the rules in all other areas and it is devastating that I cannot be with my parents as much as I wish at this time. It is not about being stupid or selfish for so many of us, or spoiling our kids or any of the other condescending and unpleasant terms that have been flung around on this thread. So I expect I will get Covid and die now as that is what I clearly deserve, eh?

I don’t think anyone would grudge you spending Christmas with your parents in your situation. There should be some leeway in situations like yours and I certainly don’t think that you are selfish, just someone who is going through a terrible time at the moment. It is those who don’t give a shit about the rules, because they don’t care about others, that are selfish! I really hope your df makes Christmas and you have a chance to be together @expectingnumber3 (plus gets to see his new grandchild, if I am assuming correctly about your name?). For you 💐

No. Christmas is when everyone mixes and gets sick. January is when everyone usually brings all the lovely germs back to the office.

I hope I’ll be able to see the family for Christmas as I was overseas last time, but if we’re restricted then we’re restricted. I don’t fancy taking a train halfway across the country with loads of other people in the middle of winter. We’ll just have to do a belated ‘Christmas’ when we can.

If we can’t travel then plan B is obviously stay home and have a friend who lives alone over (hopefully we will still have bubbles!). It’s not ideal and I’ll miss seeing my family so much, but it is what it is sadly.

There will be something they will want people out spending £££ Personally i think a harder set of restrictions will come in the next couple of months and christmas will dangled like a carrott on a stick. Things relaxed over christmas get ppl out spend spend spending like they did over the summer by allowing foreign holidays and eat out to help out and then come January when everyone is skint and cases rise again then restrictions will be brought back in again

They didn’t for Eid so not holding my breath

@PonfusedCarent

No. Christmas is when everyone mixes and gets sick. January is when everyone usually brings all the lovely germs back to the office.

If i'm wfh for the next 6 months that's one thing i'll be very glad to miss. Sitting around sick people who make you ill.

@HappilyHoppily

No, for the opposite reason than a lot of other people have said! Cases will go up after Christmas due to households mixing. The government can either take the blame for it, if they’ve endorsed that mixing, or they can blame the public for it, if they’ve banned it and it’s been flouted. The last thing they are willing to do is raw any responsibility.

I think this is the post that has convinced me the most. They absolutely will want us all to feel cross with each other in the cold January/ February months and to be able to say 'we warned you' sporting a Daily Mail Sad Face.

A less restricted Christmas would undeniably lead to more cases, I'm just not sure how it needs to be managed to encourage people to be as compliant as possible. I want so much to avoid a full lockdown. I'll be gutted to see more businesses fail this winter.

I couldnt care fucking less. I wont be spending anything on Christmas this year. All out of fucks im afraid!

I'm not so sure but the only positive to it is I don't need to decide which side of the family to see on Xmas day and which to feel guilty about not seeing. It will be fair and equal this year. I won't be setting foot out the door xmas day, xmas eve pjs will be changed into xmas day pjs in time for xmas dinner and ill be sipping bucks fizz and eating quality street from present opening may need to prep the dinner the day before

@Devlesko

How many are actually ill and dying now? Hospitals are empty, do you think we're being had?

'Been had'? So the government are trying to keep us away from our families unnecessarily for... why?

Let me guess, Bill Gates and George Soros are trying to microchip us with vaccines too?

It’s one day you are missing out on, one day. However, if you choose to go ahead and mix with family then don’t complain when you’re floored by New Year. Utterly ridiculous the way people are whinging.

It’s the attitude of ‘I ALWAYS do Christmas this way and I’m not going to go it differently this year’ that just shows how selfish and entitled people can be. Just do something different this year it won’t kill you, catching covid might though if everyone has the same selfish attitude as some on here have

Whether Christmas is 'too much' or not is entirely up to the individual. There is no rule that you have to buy too much food, etc.
However, many people will now be redundant from their jobs because plans are made now for Christmas.The businesses that rely on Christmas such as the hospitality industry have already received cancellations after the rule of 6 was introduced.
These business will already be going bust.
In Scotland families have been told not to meet anyone from outside their household. This could be lifted by Christmas, but for the majority of people it will be too late to change their plans. Otherwise, I am not sure how this would be policed anyway.
It is really the theatres/pantomines - mainly all cancelled; the carol singing - cancelled; restaurants - if 6 or less, otherwise cancelled; office parties - cancelled (generally I disliked the office party, but found it very useful for getting to know what was going on).

I obeyed the lockdown I wear a mask. I had my mum crying on the phone to me most days during lockdown. Shes 84. I still kept to it. But the way ive been spoken to on here and other social media when ive pointed out that some just cant wear masks showed me that whatever a member of the public does...........it will never be enough. And Buffoon Boris rubber stamped that with his ramble tonight. It makes the decision about Christmas a lot easier!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No it wont.

Does the virus know it's Christmas?

I bet that many of the same people who are set on doing Christmas with all sides of the family would also have been judgy as all hell of the families who wanted to do the same at Eid.

We can't make religious and cultural exemptions, given they are EXACTLY the occasions that cause a lot of spread, often across multiple generations.

So basically two weeks after Christmas day the emergency services will be at breaking point. 👍

I think they wish to, but it depends on what’s occurring at that time. If the current restrictions work, yes, but if it escalates badly then they won’t no.

I think they'll try to keep shops open. Highly doubt they'll relax socialising restrictions - would be a bit mad to do so on the days when everyone would travel, drink, sit in cramped airless rooms, all at the same time and right in the middle of flu season.

That said, govt policy hasn't always been the most logical so they may well thinl that's an excellent idea...