Christmas bubble! What a load of shit

[doodledo92]

Christmas bubble.... really! Sorry but what a load of bollocks all this shit is now!!

Some people will moan, whatever happens. You sound like one of them!

@Tumbleweed101

Thankfully this works perfectly for us.

Works well for us too.

So, no, not "a load of shit"

They couldn’t please everyone unfortunately! Even if it was six households the families of seven siblings were going to be annoyed. It was always going to be crap this year, surely people get that?

Pretty much (between the 23rd and 27th you can meet other people outside according to rule of 6, but not inside).

Based on MN threads, lots of people set a huge store by Christmas itself, so would not consider meeting family members on the 23rd to be "good enough". But your idea sound sensible (but only really workable in Tier 1, unless family/friends live close enough that you don't mind a socially distanced walk. ).

This.

It doesn't suit everyone, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy Christmas and see people if you grow up and stop being a baby about it.

We're going to stay near my parents in mid-December to have a few days of walking with them, then a call with them on Christmas Day, when my sister and her husband will be part of their Christmas bubble.

@ParkheadParadise

What about Hogmanay?

I know many people will ignore the rules and get together at Hogmanay. Pissed, kissing, wishing each other Happy New Year.😂😂😂

I suspect that is why it won’t be covered - back to isolated households by then

I think they’ve done it as they knew people would get together anyway, this way maybe people will do it in a more controlled manner rather than a free for all. I’m not sure how to explain what I mean though.

Does the rule of six go out of the window though, the rule of six works for us as our teens can have a friend round each, the limit of 3 households could stop them having this if their friends families have bubbled. We don’t plan any other mixing, just these two particular friends who we spent time with as a six in the summer.

RedCherries that was what Mark W said this morning. Controlled and mitigated. Numbers will go up still.

In Scotland I found Hogmanay was celebrated more than Christmas but they have cancelled it

@Orangeblossom7777

In Scotland I found Hogmanay was celebrated more than Christmas but they have cancelled it

Probably because of the different nature of the celebrations makes it a lot more risky

If a parent can’t ‘decide’ which child to potentially catch covid from, perhaps they could either stay safely at home, or if they are on their own (which my mother is so I do understand this pressure) pick it out a hat. Then spend Easter/ a weekend in the summer/ some other no pani period with the other children. It’s not because anyone is loved less (well other than any favourites) but because we are in the middle of a pandemic. Chose, be safe, get over it

@MarshaBradyo I’ve not made it out of bed yet 😉. I think numbers will raise too, January is going to be bloody bleak. We haven’t mixed through this other than allowing the teens these friends, they’re adults and contact (at a distance) is just as important for them, me and dh have each other. It’s hard knowing the right thing to do, within the rules, as it’s still a risk.

3 households could still be a party sized group and once alcohol is flowing people do tend to forget the rules.

Support bubbles count as 1 household. There are new rules for who can form support bubbles. I'm forming one with my mum and dad - brother and SIL live there too - so our household is 8. My grand parents and great nan are a household of 3. My aunt is single and formed a bubble with a friend so they're a household of 6. In theory all of us could meet at Christmas and be a Christmss Bubble of 17 from 3 "households" but actually 6 homes.

We wont be doing that, I'll probably just see my parents, but it's easy to see that these bubbles can get out of control. And that's even before we start to see people misunderstanding (deliberately or not) that its 4 households at any one time and therefore seeing 15 households over the 5 days.

Well, I'm thrilled!

My sister can have her adult DC, my mum can have her golden child and I can stay home on my own "being sensible". Even better if somewhere locally is doing Christmas lunch.

I'm very glad not to have to do any festive driving.

What about those of us who have core family members working over Christmas, but usually celebrate with them the weekend before or after?

This government has lost the plot. The answer should undoubtedly be "you know the risks. It is up to you to decide what risks to take." with no rules at all.

I agree with Genevieva. I think that squeezing things into a number of days may cause rushes in transport and business, and the whole thing causes pressure on people to see one another without considering individual circumstances.

It would have been simpler if they just said go for it at your own risk. With Covid it's not just your own risk though, is it? Sure, I could get the train to my dad's, pick up Covid on the way and give it to him. But then he might pass it to someone in a shop/hospital (where he would doubtless end up). And I might come home still with Covid, perhaps unaware of having it, and pass it to someone in my household/a neighbour/a cafe worker.

We should have had a lockdown, a severe one, over October half-term. The government might have stood half a chance then of being able to pander to the 'Christmas is a human right' wing (which is all this 'guidance' really is) without it being so risky.

@StealthPolarBear

English rose I believe so but agree its weird. For areas in tier one the arrangements over Christmas might be more restrictive

Not necessarily. There’s no requirement for social distancing with the bubbles whereas while you can meet 6 other people inside in tier 1 you need to be 2m or 1m+ from people not in your household all the time.

These are the government guidelines:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family

I think it is well explained. Pre agreeed and exclusive bubbles of 3 households (the three includes your own household). Any household in your bubble cannot then see someone outside of your bubble or be part of another bubble.

For example xmas will be my family, my mum and my brother&gf. This means I cannot go see my PIL and brother&gf cannot go see her family.

However, brother&gf could split for the period and stay with their respective familes and be one household in each bubble

The days of Scotland celebrating New Year more than Christmas are long gone. Everyone over 30 watches Jackie Bird or the Hootenanny ('oh god not the Hootenanny, anything but the Hootenanny'), kisses their spouse then goes to bed. Older people might still first foot but it's dying out.

Rich, thanks for the link. It will be interesting to see it when they write it into law (guidance is not law). It is certainly very complicated and means as with Easter and summer and right through the year we cannot meet as a family at Christmas. Christmas 2019 was our last time to manage that! Easter was cancelled. Summer holiday cancelled etc etc, every single event all year which is fine for those who are in favour of the lockdown laws but very hard for those of us who do not support them, get no furlough money and yet still abide by the laws. So one of the children will draw the short straw and be handed their turkey in the street at a distance I suppose in the snow.....

Ah. This means that having my adult daughter who doesn't live with us over for xmas day, plus an adult daughter who does live with us's boyfriend over as well means that's us done!?

Which means we shouldn't see DHs family?

(my mum lives with us)

Blimey. That's going to go down like a bag of sick.

@Sparklingbrook

It’s guidance. You can do that if you wish and the neighbours can’t report you. However back in the real works you make adult decisions as to what would be the best for you and yours. Don’t ‘give up’ just do whatever you need to keep everyone safe.

Is it guidance? I thought they were going to put it into law?

@Laiste or you could have your PiL over but not your daughters boyfriend.

@Charleyhorses

I think Boris Johnson is an arse. Can't believe he is our Prime Minister. But apart from the extremes of no measures and total lockdown, what else to do?

There’s a billion options in between these two.

Is it guidance? I thought they were going to put it into law?

They have said what's allowed. As I said above I doubt they will be kicking anyone's doors in. It seems that people can't make a decision for themselves regarding risk do the Government have to do it for them...