Anyone fed up with we must save Christmas...

[Dickorydockwhatthe]

I just want normality not just for one day 😩

We should only be focussed on doing what we need to get our lives back. Not fucking Christmas.

@namechangenumber204 those are sad exceptional circumstances, it is understandable in this case

Totally. The media need to stop going in about it too. It's only one day.

It isn’t really for Christmas though is it? It’s just a useful focus point for everyone. We locked down before for months, now we are working towards relaxing at Christmas. Lockdown indefinitely sounds pretty oppressive and until end January doesn’t have quite the same ring. Don’t worry, once the end of the year comes, in the absence of a vaccine, the pattern of tightening and relaxing will continue.

This is my mothers last Christmas as she has terminal cancer - assuming she lives that long so yes, I do want the one day, because it means a lot to her. I'm never really bothered about it but I will be going over there because this will be our last one as a complete family.

That’s horribly sad, I’m sorry for your situation. Genuinely curious though, in the circumstances wouldn’t you just ignore any rules and see your mum anyway?

I love Christmas. It’s the one day of the year when all my family, from throughout the UK, get together.

This year my Christmas wish is that my husband can get the “urgent” scans and treatment he needs, that have been cancelled, repeatedly, since March. His condition is deteriorating every day. That my 4 year old granddaughter can get the operation she needs to make her life more comfortable. That my dd can relax into normal family life, instead of being absolutely exhausted every night after wearing full PPE all day looking after Covid patients.

I am more than happy to sacrifice a family Christmas if it means the hospitals can reduce the Covid intake so that there is medical care available for all.

Our NHS service is taking a battering! I wonder how much longer it will be sustainable?

It is pretty pointless people complaining that their relatives cannot get the medical help they need for illnesses other than Covid because “It’s all about Covid” yet are all set to ignore the guidelines because, “I’m sick of hearing about Covid. I’ll do what I want. Nobody is going to tell me what I can and can’t do”.

BTW the lockdowns are not there to make sure the “old people” are protected. They are there in an attempt to prevent our NHS hospitals becoming so overwhelmed that they cannot deal with anything other than Covid patients.

Yes, completely agree! I don't give two hoots about Christmas this year. What I do care about is the economy and being able to work so I don't default on my mortgage (no more mortgage holiday at this point). I'm one of the people who fell through the cracks of the furlough scheme so have been living off UC since being made redundant in March. I'm now working again (just started) after applying for HUNDREDS of jobs in the last few months. I have zero savings left now so being out of work at this stage would be pretty catastrophic for me.

@ukgift2016

Christmas is already ruined for me. For most people it's not just a one day event, it is the lead up which most people value. The trip out to Christmas markets, the pantomime, the Christmas shopping etc.

Christmas means nothing this year if we only get one day to spend with our families.

Try the religious run-up to the Big Day.

All fucked now.

YANBU

Think what it was like for Jews at Passover and Yom Kippur, and for Muslims throughout Ramadan and at Eid.

Israel had major and absolute shutdowns during those two festival seasons - you couldn't even travel more than 1km, or maybe even less, from your house.

Saudi Arabia shut Mecca completely for several months, and then reopened only to Saudi Hajis.

Those two countries chose to preserve lives, over their most important religious events.

But our priority is to bring all our students home from all over the country for a few days, and then send them back out all over the country. Insane! And I say this as a parent of one of those students.

Christmas for many many people now is all about shopping, spending too much, getting drunk and “the sales”. Personally, I think we need to concentrate on staying alive. Bollocks to Christmas.

I'm fed up of people like you who seem to want to ruin Christmas.

No one wants to ruin Christmas. We just don't want all the sacrifices that we've made and are going to make to be in vain because of one frigging day

I don't give a shit about Christmas. I never do.

@Juancornetto

No one wants to ruin Christmas. We just don't want all the sacrifices that we've made and are going to make to be in vain because of one frigging day

It's not just one day and you know that very well.

Loads of people don't do a big run up to Christmas though. It is just one day.

And for people saying "it's the only time I see my family" - well maybe you need to try and see them on different occasions?

I think people need to diversity their sources of happiness if the thought of a small Christmas is so devastating.

"And for people saying "it's the only time I see my family" - well maybe you need to try and see them on different occasions?"

Fuck off! I have NO holidays except 2 weeks over Christmas. Even if I did, some of my family might be working then. Christmas is the only time many families can get together.

The Christmas period is not necessarily the 'run up to Christmas'. It's also the time between Christmas and new year when many people are off work and have time to visit friends and relatives when they are also off work.

Forget about saving Diwali

when many people are off work and have time to visit friends and relatives when they are also off work.

Which is exactly what they shouldn't be doing this year!

What do you do that you only get two weeks off at Christmas? Do you not get any other annual leave?

I LOVE Christmas, it is generally my favourite time of year, my tree goes up early and I am the first to be playing christmas tunes in the office and probably own more Christmas jumpers then I do regular jumpers but I completely agree with you OP - it is one poxy day, and I would much rather miss out on a big family Christmas knowing there is plenty more years to celebrate, then risk passing this horrible disease on to my parents and risking never having another year with them. Just one day, that will be repeated every year. We can make this bloody sacrifice. Every other religion has had to sacrifice - Eid, Diwali, Hanukkah (presumably), what makes Christmas so fucking special it trumps all other religions and trumps actual lives?

I agree with some PP's that it's like treating the country like a bunch of 5 year olds - 'if you're really good and behave, you can have that toy/Father Christmas will come'. My worry is that it will be like 'eat out to help out' all over again. Gov and media saying 'yay it's all over, go out, spend money! See everyone. But if the virus isn't sufficiently under control, it will just undo all the hard work and we'll be 'punished' by another lockdown in the spring! All this erratic messaging and yo-yoing (because they're trying to balance health and the economy) isn't working. I'd rather they were just honest about things and took a more moderate and measured approach all the way through.

I care more about mental health and jobs. Growing up we celebrated Christmas on an arbitrary day due to family commitments so I'm happy to do it any day once I'm not putting my loved ones at risk.

@tryingtocatchthewind

I find it incredibly difficult to listen to considering how some people in the media, and in real life, reacted to those who wanted to celebrate Eid

Christmas is important to the majority in our country (not me so much) whereas Eid isn't because we're not an islamic state. I expect the reverse will be true in actual Islamic states and no one will think that odd or offensive.

The legal, and social reality remains that The Church of England is the Established religion, whatever we think about that.

Therefore, the whatabout'ery of Eid, Yom Kippur, Diwali don't need to feature in the Established Government's narrative.

That's not my opinion, it's fact.

You really, really don't need to have 'lived out there, in the world', or 'been on MN' for more than a few years to recognise that, for many, many people, Christmas is a really important part of their year.

We may 🙄 at the 'where can I buy this year's 'must have' toy? - in October; we can 🙄 at the 'Xmas begins on Dec 1st in my house' threads; the 'Elf on a Shelf' carnage; the 'Xmas Eve Box' fistfights; the endless planning, anticipation. And damned if it's 'one day' for many people- it's a season of events and preparation, secular and religious.

How do you cook the perfect sprout?....

But the 'Let's forget Xmas this year' sentiment on this thread isn't shared with the wider populace at all.

We have to 'do this' new lockdown because our numbers are rising. 'Saving Christmas' is a rallying cry. But he isn't wrong, in that respect.

Christmas is really important for many people. You, deciding yours can be set aside this year- doesn't mean everyone else should feel the same.

I speak as a very low-key Xmas participant, myself! But I recognise the significance, that 'light in the darkness'. So, politically, does Boris. Much though I have no time for him.