Will you see more than 2 households at Christmas?

[MummaBear4321]

My family live abroad, so we only have DHs parents and sister to see. We wont be seeing DHs GPs as to us that's too much of a risk. So we dont have any decisions to make about who to see and not see. However, DHs parents will most likely see us, their daughter, and their parents, so basically they will break the rules. I also imagine DHs sister will see her inlaws as well as her own parents and will justify it as 'how can we be expected to choose?'. I have seen lots of people on MN talking about choosing between one side of the family and the other, seeing one set of parents but not the other. Also, I see people struggling to get their head around the idea that if you see both set of parents, you are in a bubble, and none of you can see anyone else, despite both sets of parents not meeting each other.

So, my question is, will you be sticking to the 2 families, or just ignoring it and seeing who you want? Or will you just be staying at home and seeing nobody?

@hazelnutlatte this is my issue too. It's that we will be keeping to 2 households, so 3 in total most likely at the same time in my PILs house, but I know my PIL will see their parents, who will see their other kids, and my SIL will see her inlaws who will see their other kids and probably their parents. So it's not a bubble at all, but how can we say to my inlaws that they can see us but nobody else? My MIL is a very.... emotional.... woman. She bursts into tears at the mention of her parents because she hasn't seen them since August and she just feels like its 'unbearable torture' (I have seen mine twice this year). I know she just wont not see them. I also know my SILs DH will 100% insist on seeing his parents. In total, we are looking at a minimum of 8 households indirectly seeing each other as none of them will stick to the idea of a bubble. I am not massively concerned with us getting the virus, and I wont be dictating to my inlaws, but I can see how the rules are easily bent by people.

It works perfectly for us by chance - my single SIL is already a support bubble with my PIL and my brother, his wife and their new baby will be a support bubble with my parents when the new rules come in. All her family are overseas. However, I'm also not going to dictate what my parents/in laws can do either. We are all sensible people taking precautions, none of us go out to work and I'm the most vulnerable person and I'm happy with the risks.

Not mixing here either. Partner and I both work for NHS and I will be getting home tests soon, but I am still not mixing. I am devastated by the Christmas bubble news tbh as January will be hell. I am glad there will be no one on their won. But once that is covered it should stop there. Nobody will still to the same bubble. We are so close and don’t see why we are throwing it all away now for the sake of a day. People WILL die from the Christmas get togethers. would it really have been worth it?

On their own*

No mixing here. I will go to see my elderly aunt who lives alone on Christmas Eve. If my husband's children want to come round, they will meet outside for exchange of presents. I know they won't be sticking to the 3 households rule as they have a large extended family, and I would rather not take the risk of including them in my bubble.

We’re not seeing anyone. I think we will do a big gathering next summer, if we’re allowed.

@Racoonworld

Yes & no. That means the others need to agree to be in the bubble and not see anyone else. I imagine most sets of parents won't want to 'waste' their bubble being included with inlaws and not see their other kids or whatever.

It's a very basic rule really, but people want to keep stretching it.

3 households agree to being in a 'Christmas Bubble' for the 5 days. You can ONLY see the people in that 'Christmas Bubble'. That's it!

(You can see others outside Socially Distanced').

@FourTeaFallOut

Does a support bubble count as one household?

I'm going to be a complete geek here and reply to my own post but after a bit of searching then, in England, a support bubble does count as one household even for the purposes of Christmas bubbling.

Anyway, so yes - with that sorted- it seems we will be having Christmas within the rules.

I’m sticking to the rules but there are some difficult family politics to play. Husband’s family live too far away and I’m working Boxing Day so we aren’t seeing them this year and they are forming a 3 household bubble anyway. There are 5 households in my extended family locally, complicated by the fact my parents are divorced. Normally we would have my parents (2 households), my sister (she is part of my mums household as she university student) and step-brother (part of my dads household, again uni student) so in a normal year it would work. But this year my grandmother and her partner are here (they normally go away for Xmas) and my stepdad’s parents. Add to the fact I work in healthcare so pose a bigger risk to people I’m not sure what we will do. My mum would still like to come to us so she can spend Xmas with her grandson. My thought would be my parents plus sibling/step sibling as that would be 3 households with no one high risk but not sure how my grandmother would feel about that or what my stepdad’s parents want to do.I’m going to wait to see what other plans people make and then go from there.

No. Just our household for Christmas. I don't want to risk anyone's health.

I'm hoping for a socially distanced walk outside with my mum and MIL on different days over the Christmas period but we will avoid any indoor socialising for now. I regard it as too high risk regardless of the rules.

We will hopefully have our big family get together at Easter or early summer when we will, fingers crossed, be able to be together without the current level of risk.

@Lindy2

No. Just our household for Christmas. I don't want to risk anyone's health.

I'm hoping for a socially distanced walk outside with my mum and MIL on different days over the Christmas period but we will avoid any indoor socialising for now. I regard it as too high risk regardless of the rules.

We will hopefully have our big family get together at Easter or early summer when we will, fingers crossed, be able to be together without the current level of risk.

Ditto.

Yes I will be.

I live with my OH but am spending Christmas Day with my own parents and sister.

OH has kids so he's spending Christmas Day with PIL and possibly his brother's family too (depending on if they join in or choose to go to SIL's family). I am going over there on Boxing Day so would see PIL.

So potentially between us we could be seeing 4/5 households.

It's so difficult!! I know that just because its allowed doesnt mean its safethough so I'm very torn about seeing anyone really.

However, I know my family will not not stand for that, but who to exclude? because unless you are a small family you've got to choose someone to exclude!!

It could happily be me, DH and DS, then my DM and DDad, then my brother, his wife and their kids. Thats 3. But I'm sure my Sil would rahter see her own parents and sibling's family than her DH's (my DBrother) than her in-laws. That's not even bringing my DH's family into the mix. My DMum will be very unhappy if she doesn't see my brothers family, theres a lot of history of competition with my brother In-laws, but nothing to do with me at all thank god!

I know we'll end up breaking the rules, so I'm suggesting we meet indoors but try and socially distance as much as possible while there.

I also think its a little unfair to NHS workers who have to work over the 5 days too. I'm on call for 2 of those days, so not only do I miss out on time off over christmas, I miss out on opportnities to see family while its allowed.

Just me and DH for Christmas, with a socially distanced walk on the beach with my mum on Christmas day. My dad is going to my sisters with my other sister, although they're all still trying to work out the logistics of their OHs spending some time with their families over Christmas (which will be against the rules), all seemed v complicated and I thought I was best off opting out, especially as the area they want to meet is one of the highest in the country, and both my sisters have jobs that put them at higher risk requiring regular testing.
Looking forward to a more normal summer next year and spending time with everyone, but not willing to put everyone at risk with the vaccine imminent. If the vaccine wasn't imminent I might feel differently, but the end does seem to be in sight now

We're going to decide nearer the time depending on the number of cases etc.

Basically, we'll have to choose mine or dps family. That won't be possible so I don't know. Maybe just the parents at different times of the day?

No because my whole immediate family is only two other households. Although I have been with my Sister and her husband and son since March without restriction as our Dad died and I am her childcare too.

Yes. I will see in laws Xmas day and dsc will be here. . I see my dm and sis almost daily anyway so will see her over Xmas. Then boxing day my db, sil their kids and his kids from his past relationship all going to dad's (who is our bubble as he's a single person) as well as my teen dsis who lives between my dm and df

My ds will go to his dad's at some point.and dsc will return to her dm

We will stick to the rules. We will open up our bubble to both sets of grandparents. Obviously that means they won't be able to see anyone else, so we won't be offended they choose not to. I'm fairly sure they will though, as they would prefer to see their grandchildren over anyone else! If we're allowed we'll have a coffee in the garden with siblings and celebrate properly next year once everyone is hopefully vaccinated. No point in blowing it all for a couple of days after everything we've been through in the last fee months.

@SprogletsMum

The only one I know for sure I will be seeing is my mum. I will probably see my dad and my sister too. The kids have had such a shitty shitty year that we would have done anyway. People can say all they like that its one day or just another day, which is true but this has been dragging on now since March with no real end in sight and they miss their grandparents desperately.

Would your kids giving your parents Covid make this year better or worse?

There IS an end in sight. The vaccines will change everything and spring/summer is on the way when you'll be able to see your (vaccinated) parents a lot.

Really consider what getting COVID would be like fir your parents and many children are asymptomatic transmitters.

Christmas Day V Lots of days in the future

Is it really worth it?

No just adult DS who will come down for the five days, he is not in a bubble with us as he is in one with a friend

No. I think it has worked out ok though.

Sister 1 will join with her son and his family, so we won't see them.

Sister 2 will join Mum and Dad and then we will make the third. We won't see anyone else (DH is an only child) and MIL is our bubble anyway.

It is actually unworkable for many, so I think loads will just break the rules.

I will see my parents at Christmas, we intend to basically self isolate for at least two weeks before hand to minimise risk to them.

We will probably visit PIL, to be honest they haven’t been that careful and have been carrying on as normal more or less. So in that case more worried about them passing it to us. Will definitely see them after seeing my parents.

Nope. Won’t see 2, never mind more than that - last time I looked the virus didn’t care about Christmas.

@ApolloandDaphne

My DM and my DDs are all coming to mine. Technically they are three households, 4 including us, but my DM lives alone and is in a household bubble with us so I think that is still within the rules.

Yes, that's in the rules IF none if you see anyone else for those 5 days (DD's friends/partners families etc)

And really, ask yourself if your family (school kids??/work) and your DD's are really wise to be seeing your mum.

What we 'can' do & what we 'should' do are not the same thing.

If ONLY the virus would agree to take 5 days off and NOT make the most of transmission in unventilated confined spaces!

(Im staying completely on my own, just so you don't think I'm not making any changes to my normal plans).

We are not having everyone here as normal. We could, because it would be the 3 households, but we don't want to put everyone at risk.