Christmas bubbles doing my head in already and we don’t even know the guidelines/rules yet....

[Letsgetgoing888]

Just that really...

We don’t know for sure yet. Personally I think it’s quite generous (May end up being foolish?!) to be allowed to mix any households, especially based on the numbers in some areas. But some people still aren’t happy!

3 families, but they wanted 4. Wanting to see all sides of the families plus siblings and extended family etc etc...

Can’t everyone just have a slightly quieter one this year, making sure those people who live alone have somewhere to go and exemptions for those who are terminally ill.

The only reason we will be able to meet other households will be because there will be capacity in hospitals after this lockdown, not because the virus has gone away. And I’m worried the rush of Christmas shopping after 2nd Dec could cause another spike, knowing what it’s normally like. It is quite a high risk decision.

Haven’t got a clue whether to risk seeing our elderly parents or not, with 3 dc in school. What is everyone else thinking of doing? And how will you mitigate the risk?

Shouldn’t they be called baubles?

I think we are just going to stay at home and celebrate it as our small family unit. It’s far too stressful planning on being part of people’s bubbles and there is far too much uncertainty.. what if one person tests positive etc, we could end up with no Christmas provisions.
I don’t want to be responsible for killing my mum, dad, aunty etc because one of my children was asymptomatic. It’s just not worth the risk.

@sandyjag

We’re just having our household for Christmas. We have kids in school and Grandparents on both sides have decided to minimise their risk and either see family members with no children or “have a romantic couple Christmas for the first time in decades”. Fine with us, think it’s a very wise decision on their part, happy to have a small, more relaxed Christmas with entirely our own choice of food, activities etc and we'll have a big family Easter or summer event instead. Meanwhile, online/zoom board games tournament here we come....

Love the idea of a ‘bauble’!

It's fucking stupid. I mean, are we safe to mix or not? I'm not pro-lockdown but I have even less faith in the government now, they're just undermining themselves.

@borntohula of course its not safe. We all know that. But the government know if they tell us that, and say we cant meet, that people will do it anyway, and the backlash will be shocking.

I also think people will fail to understand the 3-household concept and think that it can be any 3 households at different times rather than restricted to the same 3 households for the 5 days (or whatever it is going to be).

So, if we (my household and MIL who we are already in a bubble with) bubbled with my parents and my sister and her family, that would mean my sister couldn't see her PIL, MIL couldn't see her other son and his wife or her sister. So if we bubbled with BIL and his wife, I couldn't see my family

So it is basically making people choose between one side of the family or the other...which is why I think people will deliberately misunderstand

Oh and just to add, I think it is a bloody stupid idea and just asking for trouble

YANBU. I’m finding it all so stressful. DH is mooting taking the children out of school and locking down because his parents want to see the kids. I don’t have the leave and already have a full work calendar up to the end of term. That’s saying nothing about the absolute bedlam on the roads. I wish they hadn’t said anything just yet but of course they need people to think Christmas is happening for the retail sector. I think we should all just sit tight and wait for spring now.

Haven’t got a clue whether to risk seeing our elderly parents or not, with 3 dc in school. What is everyone else thinking of doing? And how will you mitigate the risk?

Bubbles or no bubbles, I haven't been within 2m of parents or in-laws since March and don't intend to now. Having school kids and uni students in my household, I think it's just too risky.
Intend to eat turkey and stuffing rolls outside with my parents - and might see the in-laws inside briefly (just long enough for presents and fizz) if we can organise the house to do it at a good distance (they're older and frailer and can't sit outside in the cold).
My DD can use our bubble allocation to bubble with her boyfriend who she's not seen since September.

It makes me really sad...we have been in higher restrictions since August and have only seen friends outside 3 times since March. Our families live hours away however due to the fact that we are the childless ones we will end up alone at Christmas as grandparents jostle to see grandchildren. Our families live in rural areas and low risk so apart from actual lockdown have seen each other very frequently throughout due to various bubbles. We hoped someone would give us a spot to actually have some company in 8 months but no chance...now we face Tier 3 and won’t even be able to go out and do anything like a nice meal together which although doesn’t make up for not seeing anyone would have been a nice treat outside of the house. My mental resolve is quite frankly gone...

DF will have to stay in his nursing home. I have no idea whether any of us will be able to see him. I don't think he's ever had a Christmas away from his family - he's the one that it's hardest on.

DS1 lives on his own and is in a bubble with us so he can come to us for the day

DS2 and gf currently live 50 miles away in probably Tier 1 whereas we're Tier 3. DS2 has spent every Christmas with us so far - we'd love to see him but I have no idea whether it will be possible. Unlikely to be the day itself, more likely to be a frozen walk on Boxing Day half way between us.

Rules or not, it won’t suddenly become safe to mix multiple households over Christmas. But imagine the backlash if we were told that we couldn’t spend Christmas with family? Everyones circumstances are different, you have to weigh up the risks and take some responsibility. I’m hoping for a quiet Christmas with just DH and the DC’s. I haven’t seen my DM and her DH during the pandemic as they are CEV and I don’t want to put them at risk, they understand this.
My IL’s on the other hand appear to be out and about now at every opportunity because they are bored and the rules allow it, (not in England). They would be happy to ‘take a risk’ and come and spend time with the DC’s but I really hope that they consider the risks they may be posing on us, before they ask.

@borntohula

It's fucking stupid. I mean, are we safe to mix or not? I'm not pro-lockdown but I have even less faith in the government now, they're just undermining themselves.

Not safe at all. The virus is infectious, you don't need to know anything else.

I just hate all the speculation

We won't be following the government's stupid rules. We're going to respect lives, livelihoods and the NHS and celebrate once we've had a vaccination.