Christmas Bubble - what are your plans?

[ClaireP20]

Hi all, I can't sleep as worried about the bubble! Determined to be good and stick to the bubble, but struggling to work out how. My mum is going away to stay with her sister. That's good, one less. I have my brother and children, my mil and fil, my sil and children. My mil and fil, and sil and children all want to meet as 1 gathering. But they will definitely see others during that time. Tricky..

But...what are your plans? How are you managing your bubbles..are you honestly sticking to the 3 households?
X

@ClaireP20

Hi all, I can't sleep as worried about the bubble! Determined to be good and stick to the bubble, but struggling to work out how. My mum is going away to stay with her sister. That's good, one less. I have my brother and children, my mil and fil, my sil and children. My mil and fil, and sil and children all want to meet as 1 gathering. But they will definitely see others during that time. Tricky..

But...what are your plans? How are you managing your bubbles..are you honestly sticking to the 3 households?
X

Usually we'd have between 15 and 20 people for Christmas, between 6 homes.

This year, we're all doing Christmas alone in own homes. The hope is that we'll meet for a distanced walk.

Covid won't stop come 24th,so neither can the precautions, in my opinion.

It's going to be so hard and difficult. But better being able to see everyone next year, alive, than this Christmas and never again for us.

The whole point of the bubbles thing is to minimise contacts, not to stretch them as far as possible. It sounds like your mum is sorted and your inlaws are seeing each other (and maybe others). So perhaps just bubble with your brother and his family, or maybe, shock horror, just having a quiet Christmas this year?

I have 2 DC at secondary schools. I can't see that them mixing with anyone so soon after the end of term, is a great idea. So I've opted out of the whole bubble thing, which has had the net result of also making it simpler for everyone else.

No bubbles here, we will be sticking to just our household for Christmas. I have no desire to contribute to spreading the virus. It’s one year, we’re getting so close to being able to move back towards normality that I feel we should all be doing what we can to keep contacts as limited as possible. (I accept that there are exceptions to this, terminally ill relatives, caring etc but that’s the exception, bubbles are a limit not a target)

We usually spend Christmas Day evening with 2 other families, playing games. Not this year we all have kids returning from uni and have chosen not to bubble this year. Going for a walk together instead.

We are seeing my PIL because we and them have been consistently incredibly careful since March. But only for Christmas Day itself- they won't be staying over.

We’ll only be seeing the in-laws and neither they or us will see anyone else over Christmas. We are also in the fortunate position that we can pretty much isolate from 12th December so the risk of catching anything is greatly reduced.

Some of my family are breaking the rules i.e DB seeing my DP and his inlaws but my DP are also seeing my DSis and her partner and children. We are staying out of it.

DMiL is spending Christmas with DBiL and his family including his wife's DM so we won't see them either.

We will however get together Christmas Eve with DS's girlfriend and her family. So just 2 families and whilst not ideal they will have been at school together so mixing anyway. We will also see DSS after the 5 days as he's in our bubble (lives alone) but is spending the 5 days with his DM. He's a teacher in Tier 3 and has been told he can get a test after school closes.

@Littlefluffyclouds13

Do you want me to be honest? I think the whole think is a terrible idea. I work in a school and have two teens at big secondaries. We won't be seeing anyone, as sadly the people we'd normally see at Christmas are vulnerable to covid and there just isn't enough time to self isolate before Boris's 'magical' little Christmas window. The whole thing is a joke! I'm dreading returning to my crowded classroom a week after everyone has been doing 5 days of indoor mixing

This is so true! I hadn't even thought of the impact when classes get back to school x

We are lucky that normally for Christmas is only us (2 adults), my PIL and my BIL who is single, so that will be our Christmas bubble.
My parents live in Spain so I haven't seen them for a year but hopefully we will be able to go for NYE.

@Heartofstrings

We're pulling our boys out of preschool a couple of weeks early to have Christmas with my mum, step dad and nan. My nan had sepsis in lockdown 1 and nearly died so there's no way I'm missing this Christmas. I recognise I'm very.lucky to have this option

This is a good idea x

We are going to be living with my parents over Christmas due to a house move so we will obviously have Christmas with them. They are vulnerable so we will be being very careful and seeing no one else indoors. We are going to meet my in laws for a walk.

I will likely only be seeing my parents who are in my support bubble but kids will be seeing their dads family too so will see a lot more people likely.

We’re going to my parents, who are fortunately both in their 50s and in good health. One works solo outside and the other is fastidious with covid measures. One sibling lives with them so is part of their one household. Other sibling will visit over the Christmas period but not stay over. I think that makes us three. We won’t see anybody else indoors throughout Christmas. One of our household has recently had a positive test too so we are working an a partial assumption that we won’t have another positive test between now and Christmas.

We're my df support bubble as he's a single parent, so classed as out household anyway . Seeing him boxing day and Xmas eve and prob most of the days anyway as see him 3 or 4 times a week.

Seeing ils Xmas day they're our childcare anyway and see them all the time.
And we're also seeing my db and family at my dfs on boxing day. And I will see my mum as I normally do.
So it's more than 3 households as 4 but don't see what the extra risk is really as see inlaws few times a week. And I've seen my dm all throughout the pandemic
I could easily go withiut seeing my db but my df is insistant that were all at his boxing day ' because no prime Minister will tell him what he can and cannot do'
Thankfully his house is big and even with both mine and dbs families in there there's plenty of space as the kids will no doubt be in the play room /garden. Then he has a very large open plan lounge diner. And conservatory.

DS will hopefully get back from Uni at the weekend - he's had his 1st negative Covid test and a 2nd one is booked for Saturday. Once home he'll be part of our household by Christmas (not a bubble). Other than that we will see no one indoors - although we might go for a walk with friends.
The idea of this Christmas bubble arrangement was (to my mind) to ensure that no one spends Christmas alone and that those who may have to travel long distances to see loved ones and who haven't been able to get to see them this year because of travel restrictions etc, could perhaps make the journey. It should never have been a green light for everyone to cram into 3 households bubbles around the dinner table just because the rules allow and when such families live near enough that they have seen each other in the fairly recent past, even if that was outdoors in the garden.
Spend Christmas with your own household if you are lucky enough to have one. Enjoy the peace and quiet or the joy of being able to give your undivided attention to your children for once instead of stressing about how to get X number around the dinner table or how you're going to fit all the dinner in the oven. I'm sure there'll be plenty of that for Christmas 2021.

A year ago people were pushing MH and trying to be mindful of it. Now it seems people are weak, lame, if they can't handle the dark gloomy weather and not seeing other people. Humans are social animals.

If people actually follow and understand the guidelines, One bubble, 3 households the risk is low.

Not every household having another two that they are mixing with or people jumping between bubbles. That becomes a chain.

Those who are saying its terrible are probably those who are working outside the house and who actually get face to face chat.
Many who are retired have no where to go and socialise, old peoples clubs are all closed, and those who are WFH are struggling not seeing other people.

I think we'll be seeing my in laws who pick up our children after school sometimes anyway, so already in our bubble. And their other grandchild and their parents. Retired or wfh. So fairly safe, it's the kids I guess who are on the obvious risk.
I'm really keen to see my parents but thinking the window makes it too tight to be safe. But maybe we'll drive over (long drive) and see them from outside. I cant decide, makes me very sad just thinking about it! Maybe it would be harder to do that.

Those who are saying its terrible are probably those who are working outside the house and who actually get face to face chat.
Many who are retired have no where to go and socialise, old peoples clubs are all closed, and those who are WFH are struggling not seeing other people.

Nope. Working at home. Don't see a soul apart from my family for days at a time. Bored silly. Would love to meet up with groups of people, but am contenting myself with socially distanced walks and virtual meetings. Because with 2 children in secondary school, that's the responsible way to behave.

My parents, who are retired, are the ones whose lives have scarcely changed at all. Their level of socialising is far more than mine! Every one has a different situation.

@Bikingbear or maybe those of us that think it’s terrible have spent the year dealing with covid patients, or working in a school that has been badly affected by positive cases amongst staff and pupils? It have had relatives suffer from this illness?

Each to their own but I’m really worried about another lockdown in jan/feb and a big rise in that could come from this. Which won’t just affect the people who do gather.

I havet been in my dads house since March he lives alone. One day at Christmas isn’t risking his mental health he will see us but differently for one year so hopefully he will get vaccinated and we can get together next year. It’s so close now it’s not worth it!

@Bikingbear. I'm home all day. DH goes out to work but I see no one from 8.00 - 18.00 each day. MIL is 92 and lives alone having been widowed 18 months ago. She has no desire to see us over Christmas (we've travelled to see her at Christmas every year for the last 16) and even at 92 says "there'll be other Christmases!"

I don't really understand this obsession with "government guidelines". Just use your common sense. I've got no grandparents left, only young relatives. I work from home, no kids, do all my shopping online and am in tier 3 so not seeing anyone socially. The chances of me and my partner having covid are essentially zilch. The decisions I'm making around Christmas would be very different if I had elderly / vulnerable family members or worked in a frontline job.

Well good for you if your fine never seeing anyone other than kids and DH. Some others are missing family and friends.

Some areas of the country haven't been allowed people in their houses for months and unlikely to be allowed people back for another 3 or 4 months.

I’m about to tell my DM that we’re just going to do Christmas with the 3 of us this year (me,DH and 2 year old DD). I do miss her but I will be 34 weeks pregnant on Christmas Day and can’t justify the added risk especially as DM works at a GP surgery and DN who would be coming too goes to a high school that has year group bubbles of 350.

All being well we will be able to have Easter together indoors and I will have a newborn to worry about rather than worrying about testing positive for COVID when having a c-section in January!

We are only bubbling with PIL and BIL but even then will only be seeing them outside, masked and socially distanced.

Two dc at high school and dh are frontline NHS. We are glowing red with metaphorical radioactive Covid risk. I’d rather I not gift them a horrible virus as my Christmas present this year.

There will be no bubbles for us. Christmas is one day. It's not worth the risk this far in. I know lots of people who have had it some have died. We are not prepared to risk our health or those around us just for one day.