Covid safe Christmas 🎄

[Anotherducker]

Would anyone else like to share tips for keeping safe within a Christmas bubble on Christmas Day? We have young children and the grandparents will be eating with us.

So far I thought:
We can isolate mostly for two weeks beforehand.
Detol wipes in the bathroom
Keep some Windows open (within reason I don’t want to freeze everyone to death)
Apparently it’s better if one person serves the food so there is no sharing of serving bowls and spoons.
Make the day shorter than normal.
Maybe a walk outdoors.

What are you thinking of doing? (It would be nice to keep this a safe space for those who are mixing households as per the rules and not a debate about whether we should do so).

We’ve got quite a long sitting room so seating will be more spread out than usual.
Table is big enough to keep people apart.
The downstairs bathroom will be exclusively for the two guests.
We’ve withdrawn the offer of them staying over so it’ll just be for the afternoon.

Many elderly do not understand the risks, they are living as normal, going hear, there & everywhere, endangering them selves then endangering their children who may them selves be in their 60's. Don't kill Granny but also don't let Granny kill you.

Kitchen roll in the loo instead of a hand towel
Ask guests to wash hands as they arrive
Ventilation is key

We are just having my parents we will all get tested and they are staying whether they stay all day or the night it won't make any difference as we have spent all day together

We have decided to do a buffet rather than sit around a table together because that way we can remain more distanced to eat (parents have a big lounge)

Arf April that's so true, but also one can hardly blame them!. Its a different prospect to be told to stop living when you could drop dead any day from any number of ailments!!

It's selfish however when they then expect to spend Xmas with their families.

Good idea about one person serving op. I'd suggest two windows open, even a little tomorrow create a draw and air movement... Perhaps every half hour open them wider and doors to outside to pull air through.

Turn heating up more.

Try not to breath over communal plates etc.

I reckon the ventilation is the biggest thing we can do to protect ourselves and reduce viral load if someone does have it.

what??? we are carrying on as normal!!!! dinner with grandparents like very year. Certainly no testing, isolating, disinfecting or other madness!!!!!

@loulouljh

Guessing you don’t live in a high risk area?

It is immaterial where I live...we will not carrying out any of the above measures. I really cannot imagine doing any of it. Nor would the grandparents expect it..they would think we are crackers. Each to their own mind...but no special measures here.

@Aprilrainbow - broad brush exaggeration here

Thanks to the posters who took the thread as intended.

Kitchen roll instead of hand towel is a good idea. Or for the sake of one day I could change the hand towels a few times.

I agree ventilation is key and should be easily achieved. The house is always warm at Christmas with the oven on for hours and two fires lit.

For those in tier three perhaps community testing will be up and running for us to get tested?

Is anyone considering wearing PPE to cook and serve food? I know it might sound extreme to some people, but it’s the norm in cafes and restaurants.

These are all very good idea's, bar loulouljh obviously. We will have no mixing of households to think about, but I'm glad so many of us are being careful.

Instead of hand towels in the downstairs WC I keep a pile of folded large size face towels so each person uses a separate one and drops it in the bin.

Hate the idea of sharing towels, from long before Covid-19.

Nothing different than normal.

I have read that there has actually been some serious research which suggests that using an ordinary mouthwash may reduce the amount of virus you emit when talking. Who knows whether that will turn out to be right or nonsense, but my view would be that it's worth doing because the worst that happens is that it has no effect. I would also encourage the grandparents to take Vitamin D supplements if they don't already - similar thinking. But by far the best risk reduction measure you can take is limiting contact with others as much as you possibly can in the two weeks beforehand.

I'm not really sure to be honest. We are spending the 5 days as a 3 household bubble under 1 roof. We've said we will try to be careful but really my thoughts are, 1 bathroom only and 5 days... if one of us got it, the likelihood is that it will spread. But we will try to be careful. Adults not hugging and we will wash hands more. But there is a baby and everyone will want a hold. And the parents of the baby want everyone to hold (grandparents first time meeting etc...)
We are being careful leading up to the days though, although some of our jobs are such that social distancing doesn't happen.

@wildbarnet

We are just having my parents we will all get tested and they are staying whether they stay all day or the night it won't make any difference as we have spent all day together

How are you getting tested and when?

OP I think if everyone agrees to isolate properly for 2weeks you should be ok to be normal? Don’t quote me but I reckon so....

But it’s really hard to isolate properly for 2 weeks, especially in the run up to Christmas as there’s always stuff you need to get and very limited delivery slots.

I can try our best to isolate, but I can’t expect the in-laws to turn away an 84 year old relative if they turn up on the doorstep with a Christmas card.

Make the day shorter than normal
Sitting in a room with people for 4 hours isn’t any safer than 6 or 8 hours. Close contact is defined as 15 minutes. Towels and stuff aren’t going to make a difference when you spread the virus by breathing the same air. Your best shot at reducing infection is to isolate for as long as possible beforehand.

Is anyone considering wearing PPE to cook and serve food?

Sorry but that is completely nuts quite honestly.

Sitting in a room with people for 4 hours isn’t any safer than 6 or 8 hours. Close contact is defined as 15 minutes. Towels and stuff aren’t going to make a difference when you spread the virus by breathing the same air. Your best shot at reducing infection is to isolate for as long as possible beforehand.

Totally agree, it's just moving the chairs on the Titanic all this palaver. Isolate as much as you can leading up to it and then just enjoy it or don't do it all. Opening the windows every couple of hours and washing your hands frequently obviously makes sense.

@Thenumberofrebels

Is anyone considering wearing PPE to cook and serve food?

Sorry but that is completely nuts quite honestly.

You might think it’s nuts, but I’m trying to keep elderly relatives as safe as reasonably possible so they don’t have to spend the day alone.

We’re all wearing masks in shops and restaurants to protect each other. I don’t think me wearing one to serve a meal is nuts. It might be cautious. I wouldn’t wear it all day!

Surely the best way is not to see anyone outside your household?? I know it's rubbish not to get together and Christmas is important to everyone but surely keeping people safe is more important? If there was no light at the end of the tunnel then yes, we have to start living our lives again and at some point say sod COVID and get on with things, but the vaccine seems to be just round the corner. Can't we wait just a little longer? The virus isn't going to spread less just because the government have said we can get together for five days. Surely protection of elderly vulnerable relatives and being able to be with them next year and the year after that is more important than this year's Christmas lunch.