Christmas needs to be cancelled.

[AlternativePerspective]

So the suggestion to make it possible for the world to go and be super spreaders at Christmas is to stay in lockdown until Christmas, then open up for five days, then go back into lockdown for another 25 days (at least), five days for every day we’re out of lockdown.

Are people really that desperate to have a get together they could have at any other time of the year, maybe in the summer when this pandemic is under control, that they’re willing to spend months in lockdown to achieve it? Really?

My personal opinion is that it is our duty as a society to have a low key Christmas regardless of whether they take this ridiculous measure or not.

I understand that for some they want to see family at Christmas, but these ridiculous suggestions have gone too far.

Just cancel Christmas and give us an extra bank holiday next year to make up for it.

I'd prefer a low key Christmas with the chance of things being opened up in January. But I think the government are aware that a lot of people will just go ahead and meet with other people anyway and there is no way of policing it, so they need to mitigate for that.

I haven't seen my DD's for month, one has serious mental health issues (only my mother offering 24/7 care saved her from sectioning), why should they (who have stuck to the rules, not socialised) be stuck alone at Christmas - I work from home, dp works from home. Not everyone has neat lives living mum dad and two kids and can walk to grandmas you know!

I wish people would get a grip.....’cancelling Christmas’ It’s still going to be Christmas FFS.

It will be what it will be, prepare for low key and anything else is a bonus.

Just cancel Christmas and give us an extra bank holiday next year to make up for it.

Christmas is more than just one day.

Oh good grief, do we want a generation of children living with guilt because they think they killed granny? Seriously bad idea.

Although getting the John Lewis ad makers onto a promotional campaign isn’t a bad idea. Appealing to people rather than ordering them, might work a bit. Season of goodwill, look after the sick, the poor and the vulnerable, the real meaning of Christmas... if quite a lot of us had a low-key Christmas that would leave room for those who really need to be with their relatives.

But yeah, January and February are going to be awful, aren’t they?

They can cancel it all they like.

But the reality is, do you think everyone in the population is going to follow that rule? You are 99.9% likely to get people ignoring that and gathering anyway. Just as you are likely to get nobody reporting rule breakers as loads are doing it - including themselves.

Having the police out enforcing it over Xmas would be absolutely pointless. They wouldn't scratch the surface.

I know where you're coming from but this is a battle they'd never win.

Well people will be doing Christmas anyway. You won't be able to stop everyone. They'll be meeting in their houses, big groups of them, and we'll all be paying the price of that come January, and even right now tbh. I don't care about Christmas that much personally. But people are so fucking selfish that we all have to be restricted to pander to their stupidity.

I think your OP is contradictory. You say
My personal opinion is that it is our duty as a society to have a low key Christmas regardless of whether they take this ridiculous measure or not
That is still Christmas - a safe, responsible Christmas that will hopefully ensure that elderly or vulnerable relatives are still here next Christmas and that the NHS is not overwhelmed in January with tens of thousands of severely ill people who caught Covid-19 by mixing households over Christmas.

People need to get a grip and remember that Christmas will be pretty shitty for those with small businesses that are paying for the roof over their head and the food thier DC eat - lockdown, break and lockdown would be absolutely disaterious. Just for 5 days? Really? I'm sure they'll be someone out their with a really good reason to want to visit family but they'll equally be someone whos business is about to fail or who is about to lose their house. Christmas isn't cancelled its just different this year. Like many things have been

I think cancelling it would just cause so many issues. Also because so many won't stick to it it could undermine the government. If we have a lockdown before and after it should help keep rates down.

If you cancel it you'll get some people abiding and then getting upset and bitter when they see their neighbours having relatives over for Christmas. And although a lot of people have stuck to the rules there will be a lot who don't at Christmas. So what do the people who stick to the rules do at Christmas, call the police on their neighbours?

A low key Christmas (which is the right call) is not the same as cancelling Christmas which of course we cant do - the impact on children to suddenly cancel something they look forward to it is madness

But I think as always in this people need to make the decisions that they feel is right and sensible

I really worry about the mental state of people who think an advertising campaign guilting our kids about possibly murdering their gps is a good idea.

@makingmammaries

I think "What are you giving Granny for Christmas this year? Covid-19?" needs to be on advertising posters everywhere.

I agree with you, OP.

Does anyone ever consider what granny actually wants??

What if granny is willing to take the chance to see her family??

Talk of cancelling Christmas won't help, I honestly think most people would fight back and do their own thing altogether. There is absolutely no need to cancel Christmas. Even those of us who have to work over Christmas every year don't 'cancel' it. Obviously we can't be having Christmas parties etc, but there is a lot more to Christmas than that op!

Actually I think we should go back to rule of 6 for Christmas

Some people would break the rules, but others would stick to "the rule of 6". Speaking personally, I got roped into hosting again and I am kicking myself and so I'd jump at cutting it down to 6.

I really hope they do this.

Granny wants to be in the back of the riot van after being nicked for being abusive to police after being found to be holding an elicit rave for more than 30 people featuring a turkey.

So what you mean is a low key christmas, not a cancelled christmas.

@blackcat86

People need to get a grip and remember that Christmas will be pretty shitty for those with small businesses that are paying for the roof over their head and the food thier DC eat - lockdown, break and lockdown would be absolutely disaterious. Just for 5 days? Really? I'm sure they'll be someone out their with a really good reason to want to visit family but they'll equally be someone whos business is about to fail or who is about to lose their house. Christmas isn't cancelled its just different this year. Like many things have been

For many small businesses, particularly restaurants and pubs, Christmas is when they make their money.

Sorry, hogging thread.

"I'm dreaming of a low-key Christmas".......

I would love, love, love to be able to tone it all down. Tell everyone I am not hosting. tell everyone I am not buying expensive presents and just token ones etc. I could totally reset Christmas.

I think that a good rule of thumb is that anyone still going on about beaches can be safely ignored.

What if granny is happy to take the risk? What if granny still works full time and uses public transport to get there?

In our family and my neighbours, the elderly people just want to be here next year and for many years to come, so are perfectly happy to not mix on Christmas Day.

The problem is there is a large section of society who will automatically think that something is 100% safe because it is allowed. To some people things are black and white. They will not exercise discretion about whether it is wise to mix households and see the grey area where there is still risk. If it is allowed they will do it because their mindset is to do the maximum allowed (or just beyond). But the virus doesn't know it's Christmas and the risk is the same on Dec 25 as on Dec 20 or Dec 29.

@Iamthewombat

Steady on, Oliver Cromwell!

@EminemsMandMs

Sorry, hogging thread.

"I'm dreaming of a low-key Christmas".......

I would love, love, love to be able to tone it all down. Tell everyone I am not hosting. tell everyone I am not buying expensive presents and just token ones etc. I could totally reset Christmas.

Have you considered getting a backbone and not relying on a pandemic to solve your social problems for you?

Berry “ So Christmas will just be your household and any support bubble member.”

I asked this on another thread

Support bubbles are two households.

So out of me, mum, sister, who stays alone?