Would you prefer 5 days of proper Christmas or a slight relaxation now?

[BecomeStronger]

The BBC seem to be suggesting hat the tiers will be tightened when we come out of this lockdown, in order that we can have 5 days of family gatherings at Christmas.

Personally, I'd far rather we go back to groups of six and outdoor sport than continue to restrict all that so we can have a "proper" Christmas.

I don’t think those are the choices. “Proper Christmas” is not a possibility. Which is ok with me, we are having a single household Christmas this year. It’ll be different but fine. We will see family at Easter/summer instead. I’d prefer a more consistent level of restrictions between now and about Easter than this silly yoyoing we seem to be doing at the moment.

We've been in local restrictions since early September. Its 11 weeks since we last went in anyone's house. At the moment, I just want to be able to take my 5 year old to meet up with one of her our of school friends in a park. And to see my parents indoors for one day at Christmas. I definitely don't want 5 days of "normal" Christmas if we have to have weeks and weeks more like this.

We won’t be having a proper Christmas regardless of the rules. We just can’t risk it with the vulnerabilities in our household. The only extended family gathering we will be attending will be outdoors with social distancing and masks. We will meet outside in the cold so the grandparents can watch the kids open presents.

@Smallwhiterat

I don’t think those are the choices. “Proper Christmas” is not a possibility. Which is ok with me, we are having a single household Christmas this year. It’ll be different but fine. We will see family at Easter/summer instead. I’d prefer a more consistent level of restrictions between now and about Easter than this silly yoyoing we seem to be doing at the moment.

I don't think a proper Christmas is a sensible possibility either but I have a strong suspcion that's what we will be given. 5 days free for all to mix households as much as we can. An entirely political decision that makes no sense at all, but I think it's coming

Yes I agree, back to groups of 6 or similar and get businesses open again.

The only thing I gain by having 'Christmas open to family groups' is that I'll end up sitting in MIL's living room rather than my own 😒 and for that privilege I'm still unlikely to be able to see my friends in the run up to Christmas and DH's job becomes further at risk.

Totally sick of it today.

No way will he allow 5 days of free for all

Its either safe to mix households or it isn't ?the day in the year you mix should be irrelevant

Slight relaxation now.

I felt sick when I read they’re going back to a tighter tiered system after December 2nd.

If you look at the breaking news @unicornparty, it sounds like he's going to...

@TokyoSushi

If you look at the breaking news *@unicornparty*, it sounds like he's going to...

Yes, they're saying he will tell MPs "how different households will be able to mix at Christmas" on Monday whilst also saying that the previous tiered restrictions weren't strong enough.

Slight relaxation now. I’d happily do a full lockdown over Christmas rather than before or after.

I really feel like this promise of freedom over Christmas is the carrot he is dangling as he tells us we've got to live by tighter restrictions up until then.
So he'll tell us we can see family at Christmas but in order to do that we need to return to tiers, which is just really like the continuing of this lockdown.

I don’t see 300 people being allowed to gather at church for candlelit carols, or gatherings of 6 households and 14 people as we would normally have, or the many pre Christmas events, or pantomimes, or office Christmas parties or many many other things being allowed to go ahead - it is not a “proper Christmas”. People may be allowed to visit each other’s houses for a few days in exclusive bubbles of 3/4 households, they may open non essential retail and allow restricted hospitality businesses. I don’t think 5 days of an actual free for all is on the cards.

Let non essential businesses open now (not hospitality) and ban mixing in households and no Christmas relaxation. Given how many are ignoring going out for essential reasons only and are shopping for whatever at wherever is open it seems wrong to penalise other businesses.

For me Chrostmas day is "nice" but the best bits of Christmas happen in all the other days of December, drinks with friends, fancy dress run, going to see Santa etc etc and they'll all still be cancelled.

As we have no family nearby Christmas will be the same for us regardless, so would rather they opened things up now. The joy of Christmas is the run up to the day, with shops open and entertaining (even small groups of) friends. The day itself will be just the immediate family no matter what.

(Not that I am in any way suggesting those things should happen, I’m happy to go low key this year and support some level of ongoing restrictions, but I’m not kidding myself it’s a normal Christmas of the type I’d choose.)

We don't need 5 days. Christmas and Boxing day plus maybe hogmanay/NYD too.

Exactly @BecomeStronger I always say I love the run up to Christmas much more than actual Christmas itself, the nights out, the school Christmas disco, Christmas fetes, the local lighting of the Christmas tree, work Christmas lunch etc etc etc, we'll get none of that, just the bit about spending time with people that you're not particularly keen on doing things you don't particularly want to do! (realise this isn't true for everybody)

Gah! I might go to bed, I'm annoying myself with my miserable attitude!! Sunshine @TokyoSushi will return tomorrow!

What I find really frustrating is that it looks like the government are saying you have to meet up during a period early on in the Christmas holidays or not at all. I would love to see my elderly parents, but with numerous Covid cases at DD's school, I would want to do it at the end of the school Christmas holidays after she's been out of school for 14 days. But the government seems intent on a "Now or never" strategy for Christmas meet ups which pushes people into meeting earlier on in the school holidays if they don't want to break the law.

Well I work for the NHS and can't be off over some key days at Xmas so if they relax it just for a little all I can see they're doing is not allowing some NHS staff to celebrate with their families. Great.

I don't know. I'm not convinced it matters. They're going to remove most of the restrictions because the British public will not do a lockdown Christmas. Options available are to remove restrictions or watch much of the population become criminals.

I thought that the data suggests that tier 3 was working?

How likely is he to have a plan for uni students because if he doesn't then University towns are just going to end up in the same situation as October

What are the odds he's remembered to factor in New Year's Eve?

I think having a short period when we are allowed to mix households, apart from being a problem for the virus transmission, actually makes the holiday period more stressful than ever. It's hard enough as it is getting to see all the various branches of the family, with conflict over who gets priority for the "right" days. If it all has the be squeezed into a few days or you've missed the chance for who knows how long...