I don't give a FUCK about Christmas

[AnyFucker]

I know I am not alone in this. It's just another shitty day in this bloody nightmare.

SoloMummy

I do think people forget that some of us have worked through this whole pandemic, at times with kids at home trying to work and hardly ever leaving the house. That was never, ever easy and I felt I was on the verge of breakdown. I haven't benefitted from any interventions other than the effect of reducing infection (which we all have). We will all have to pay for this one day too. Apparently these people who WFH are suddenly the enemies. I am not middle class, I do not want schools closed, I wasn't 'making memories' through lockdown I was crying in the bathroom as I was trying to meet deadlines, care for a one year old who wants to eat everything and educate a child who was very anxious - oh and a relative of mine actually died of COVID too!

I get annoyed when people want to close everything down and nail people's doors shut too, but I am not one of those people just because I WFH. I will still have a Christmas of sorts, because my eldest has had a terrible year with this and it would be the last straw for him. We have got all the presents already as we wanted to spread the cost over the year, so it would be bonkers not to.

I have to say, I'm sort of hoping that Christmas feels like An Event at least. I feel a bit rudderless this year with all the traditions and anchor points just gone.

But like others I assume that this lockdown is really about trying to slow the curve again to stop hospitals from collapsing - I doubt that any politician really gives a shit whatsoever about Christmas, except as an economy boost and PR opportunity.

I’m looking forward to Xmas, and will make sure it feels special.

This lockdown whilst trying to keep the economy going as far as possible and not impacting kids education is a good compromise and it should, looking at other areas, suppress it enough that we can move back to the tier system at the beginning of December.

Yes JAN might be the same, but hopefully we are getting close to a vaccine being rolled out at this stage.

It's not about Christmas though is it

It's about having a bed available for your child with meningitis
Your friend with cancer
Your aunt with sepsis
Your colleague having her knee replacement
Your neighbour who was in a car accident.

Plus those who have serious COVID.

So what choice is there.

I feel incredibly sad for families where they’re already struggling financially suddenly having to manage Christmas for their children in the middle of this as well.

Christmas is one day, not celebrated by all religions, and this is one year. Decisions around economy/health should be made in the best interests of everyone. If the reason we’ve locked down so late and not done the circuit breaker with schools shut, is to ‘save’ Christmas it’s horrific! Individually I love Christmas, one of my favourite times of the year, but you just make the best of whatever situation your in.

As for families who are struggling, all he schemes that normally help people around Christmas (toy donation, Christmas food item donation etc) have all stopped. I have kids clothes I could give families.who need them, but it feels like you can't give them away - charity shops have stopped taking donations, as as they are closing won't resume for a while.

Although personally I'm in the 'bah, humbug' camp, this is a shame - one worthwhile aspect of Xmas is people trying to help others. This point has made me wonder - is there anything constructive MumsNet as an "organisation" could do to help families in need?

If schools close, a lot of people will not be able to go to work and the economy will be completely shut down. It's got little to do with education. Schools are glorified childcare - without them society can't function.

Agree. I find Christmas such hard work. Trying to find money for presents, getting them wrapped up and posted off in time. Rushing around trying to get everything done. I am happy to see I'm not the only one who finds it all hard work for just one day. I thought I was alone in this.

@Forgetmenot157

I actually think this year that Christmas is more important than ever. It will give our children's who mental health has already taken a hit, something to concentrate on and look forward too.. Over the next 2 months Christmas will help us keep the kids entertained from, Christmas movies to baking cookies, to decorating the tree to decorating the house. To walking around at night and seeing the Christmas lights to having Christmas songs blaring out.

Yes there May not be Christmas parties etc for the adults and trips to the pub etc. However kids don't care about that stuff. Let them half a shining light in this shit shower of a year.

Fuck me if during a world war people can use Christmas as a time to drop the weapons and be happy for a day, then I'm sure some grumpy ass scrooges can do the same for the young of the country.

They need this time of happiness. It helps them think about something different than what the world Is currently like. Regardless of whether this lockdown works or not, people Will be spending it with their families and there isn't anything Boris can do to stop them. He knows this.

That vision may be the reality for some children this year but for many others they'll be in living nightmares - DV incidents will rocket this Christmas, close-knit families will be dispersed and there will be parents who are simply too depressed to get out of bed. The number of suicides will also go through the roof. All of which will take their toll on the mental health of kids all over this country, and indirectly because of lockdowns.

You're definitely not the only one. Christmas is generally a lot of women-work which is then ironically credited to a fictional old man.

But I really am hoping that the lights, food, music etc give a small sense of "time and place" for once.

I also hate this feeling that we are all naughty children and the government are doing all this for our own good so we can have a nice Christmas. I hate even more the people that believe this .
No one locked down harder or earlier than the Italians and they are not in a much better position now . I hate this blame culture and finger pointing that is stupid really because a virus is a virus and it will do its thing no matter what .

I care about the religious side,but we'll just being doing that remotely,like we had to with Easter. In a way it makes its a sharper experience. But for the more secular bits,which I still enjoy,it's just a day and we'll see everyone when safe to do so.

@Dontforgetyourbrolly Absolutely agree with every single word.

@Barryisland

Don’t do Christmas if you don’t want to. It’s a religious festival and in my opinion if you don’t believe or celebrate the religious side of it you shouldn’t be joining in with the rest of it. Too much overindulgence and money spent and not enough though re the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas didn't start as a religious festival. It started as an opportunity to get royally pissed at the midwinter solstice and was adopted by the roman Christians (in the same way as Easter which was derived from celebration of Eostre, the Germanic fertility goddess).

As people for 100s of years have decided to feast, drink and have a midwinter party, I fully intend to do so on whatever basis I can.

@middleager I also feel like this: I cringe every time I hear the media or PM reference Christmas, like it's the single most important thing.

I don't like statements like 'we ALL will want to do this that or the other at Christmas' - no, for many people Christmas is not a time of year they look forward to, for a whole range of reasons. I was impressed with Jason Leitch in Scotland who at least brought some honest reality to the discussions a couple of weeks ago.

Agree @SorrelBlackbeak - there’s a lot of onus on it being a Christian celebration and it ain’t.

I absolutely love Christmas - but I love the economy (and therefore a working heath, education, social care system and national security) more. I value families being able to feed and house their kids 365 days a year vs 1 albeit lovely sparkly day a year.

Christmas vs the security of our entire nation?

This Christmas lover says Christmas can fuck right off.

Me too.
The energy used for one day is ridiculous. I'm quite happy that it won't be the same this year.

I bloody love Christmas (see username) and everything leading up to it. But it’s just one year, just one day that it won’t be the same.

On the bright side it will be a quiet family Christmas and as it will be different hopefully I’ll remember it better as a lot of Christmas memories blend into one! I don’t drink btw, it’s just we do very similar stuff every year. I did suggest we don’t have a turkey this year just to be different, but it didn’t go down well, we’ve settled on a chicken!

One thing I am not looking forward to is a cringey socially distanced Bono/Chris Martin style Corona Christmas song. We all know it is coming. 😩

I think most will be paring back a lot of things this Christmas due to so much uncertainty, so maybe the absence of the excess that annoys people the most about Christmas might make it more bearable. I think most people have accepted seeing extended family isn't going to happen this year or is at least very unlikely.

I'd already resigned myself to Christmas being just DH and me. Even if it's legal by then, I wouldn't want my elderly parents using public transport to come and visit us (5 hours away) and I don't have any time off work to go to them. The 'carrot' is meaningless. I am more motivated by the hope that a vaccine will be ready in the New Year.

luckylavender

I was talking about children under 18 can still see both parents

You cant see your parents (unless you are there carer, which i doubt)

And you cant see your children if they are over 18

So you really dont chose.

The rules are the rules

@luckylavender
You cant see your parents (unless you are there carer, which i doubt)

And you cant see your children if they are over 18

So you really dont chose.

The rules are the rules

I realise that, doesn't make it easy.