Christmas bubble! What a load of shit

[doodledo92]

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

I think it's clear we can meet as my living alone not in a bubble so far son joins with my household and my daughters are numbers 2 and 3 households. Christmas lunch may be saved - our first meeting since Christmas 2019.

(In our case I back off if someone wants to kiss - a nod at a distance has always been the best thing for me so no chance of lots of slopping kissing stuff; far to British for that although I suspect most of us are immune anyway. My son at university says every single one of his friends have ether had it / are immune.

Xenia I'm not sure it's clear that everyone who has the virus is immune at all.

Certainly, there is no differentiating in terms of restrictions for those who have previously tested positive and those who haven't as far as I know.

That is one reason I follow the rules.

So on 25 December my family can meet inside. London is Tier 2 (so when outside only 6 people). Does that mean if we have a family walk a Christmas exemption applies or that as soon as you are outside the house you are in tier 2 on Christmas Day and would need to walk/gather in groups of no more than 6? In other words can you take your Christmas exemption outside with you?

The Christmas exemption counts for the whole of 23rd to 27th. Yes, the bubble can stay together.

The guidance says "Between 23 and 27 December you can form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of people from no more than three households"

stupid question, but is your household one of the three, or one of four households? I read it as the latter

The bubble is composed of 3 households.

This pandemic has ruined the word "bubble" for me. Who the hell thought up that needs strangling, along with all the other infuriating phrases. "Stay safe" being the worst.
What I object to is being talked to like I'm a primary school child.

No, ‘Hands, face, space’ is the worst offender. Whoever came up with that one needs shooting.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay

No, ‘Hands, face, space’ is the worst offender. Whoever came up with that one needs shooting.

Some plonker on a good salary, courtesy of tax payers.

I don't want to break any rules but i have 3ds and all live away from home. 1 in a flat on their own and the other 2 living in shared houses. none of us live close to each other what am i supposed to do i d'ont want to leave one on their own. Can't see any solution.

@Nicklebox

I don't want to break any rules but i have 3ds and all live away from home. 1 in a flat on their own and the other 2 living in shared houses. none of us live close to each other what am i supposed to do i d'ont want to leave one on their own. Can't see any solution.

I do have massive sympathy for this. Can any of them bubble with you?

@Nicklebox

I don't want to break any rules but i have 3ds and all live away from home. 1 in a flat on their own and the other 2 living in shared houses. none of us live close to each other what am i supposed to do i d'ont want to leave one on their own. Can't see any solution.

Can't one be your support bubble?

The one on their own can be your bubble, that makes you and them one household. Then the other two are households two and three.

Unless you have a different support bubble already?

We are thinking along those lines. The one living alone has a girlfriend and is in a bubble with her atm. She will be going home to her family at Christmas. Not sure if that means they will not be able to see each other for a while before he comes home. They are in the north whereas we are in the south east so they have a long way to travel as well.

My main worry is that making a bubble with one of the children just for Christmas might not be allowed.

You're not supposed to swap out your support bubble, no.

He will be able to see his gf when she's back as he remains her support bubble.

To be honest, it's a total muddle. I think the govt thinks everyone lives in neat little first marriages with two kids and that Christmas means getting those three households together. No understanding of adult kids, single people, second/third etc marriages, blended families, people who live and work away from their family....etc etc.

No idea Xenia.

We're going to give mixing with family a miss. It's all too confusing and will so clearly lead to more cases in the New Year and even longer restrictions.

@Aloeverable

The guidance says "Between 23 and 27 December you can form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of people from no more than three households"

stupid question, but is your household one of the three, or one of four households? I read it as the latter

One of three. Bubble can have up to three households in it. Yours would be one of those three.

@Nicklebox

I don't want to break any rules but i have 3ds and all live away from home. 1 in a flat on their own and the other 2 living in shared houses. none of us live close to each other what am i supposed to do i d'ont want to leave one on their own. Can't see any solution.

One who is in a flat share with you and the other two together in the home?

Aloe, after some help from mumsnetters, we are three households. The reason we get to that is because my adult son lives alone and has no household bubble so I am told he counts as ours for Christmas and then we add on the other two households of my daughter who lives alone and the other who lives with her family. That gets up to three (rather than the four I originally thought it could be). That is as long as my daughter's non live in but in her bubble boyfriend who is not coming does not meet anyone else over that 5 day period.

The tiers however I think continue in some sense over the Christmas special period which is why I think if we go on a walk we might be subject to rule of 6. however when we have had other lockdowns like that if you live in one house in a big family eg when I had 5 children and spouse here and household was 7 in the old days - then we could obviously mix as a six indoors and like students who share a house with 9 others can do a walk with all of those.

I am also waiting for the legislation not the guidance as guidance is not legally binding and is not the law. These laws are the biggest hit to our rights and freedoms in my lifetime and are not for the greater good. I do realise the nation is divided and I respect the views of others who support these rules and those who want even tighter ones however and I will also follow the law as i do with all laws as if we don't we get anarchy in society and we cannot just pick and choose the ones we like.

To be honest, it's a total muddle. I think the govt thinks everyone lives in neat little first marriages with two kids and that Christmas means getting those three households together.

The government doesn't really want people to get together. The guidance is full of "consider this carefully" and "things you can do to make it safer". The Christmas bubble is an attempt to placate the people who were desperate to see some family at Christmas (and who, in many cases, will ignore bubbles and just see who they like).

The Christmas bubble is ideal for hardly anyone, but that's not the point of it.

Completely agree. This isn't back to normal for Christmas and wasn't meant to be. It's an imperfect way to try to ensure families can meet to some extent and no one is alone. There is no perfect answer.

I check each morning for the legislation and it is still not out. Since March they seem to have brought out the regulations about the day before they come into effect. I do think the Christmas bubble is better than not having it however particularly for people who have not seen the whole family since Christmas 2019!

I am very confused!!

So... My Mum, sister and her DH can come to me for Christmas day and we form a bubble.

Currently we are in a tier 2 area so can't eat in a restaurant.

If we drop to tier 1 when they reassess, can we then eat in a restaurant as there will only be 4 of us?

Any ideas on what I can do in terms of Christmas, I'm never going to please everyone...

My household consists of me, dc, dp and we have bubbled with my mother who lives with two other people. (bubbled up as I am home alone 6 days a week as dp works away)

DPs parents are household two - FIL works with DP closely 6 days a week, MIL babysits for SIL from household 3.

SIL, BIL and their dc are household three - see above re childcare.

My father and partner are household four - they are bubbled with a elderly relative.

My elderly relatives are household six - completely isolated.

Household 7 is my step sibling and partner who are young and likely to Christmas bubble with household four.

Household 8 is my step sibling, partner and dc who are likely to bubble up with my household and support bubble.

The government seem to have it in their head that this christmas bubble is going to make everyone's Christmas but no matter what my family do someone is going to be spending Christmas without seeing someone they love.

My problem is how do you pick your Christmas bubble, its like picking your favourites!?!?

So I have Christmas with my household and support bubble, my elderly relatives and my step sibling and family... Meaning I leave out my in laws, DPs grandparents, my other step sibling and my own father... I mean there is no solution here.

My problem is how do you pick your Christmas bubble, its like picking your favourites!?!?

Yes, it is. You have to come to a consensus across all the different groups so everyone has a group that they are happy with. No one will be able to see everyone that they want.

The government do not have it in their head that everyone will have a perfect Christmas. They have come up with a plan that means everyone can see someone.