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Original poster

Will you be cancelling your Christmas plans?

402 replies

Illy605 · 15/12/2020 19:46

With the impending news that the govt may do a U-turn on the relaxation of the rules over Christmas, will you be cancelling whatever you may have had planned with family and friends?!

I only ask as I’ve seen so many people posting on social media that there’s no chance they are cancelling now, this close to Christmas.

I must be in close contact with hundreds of people everyday due to my job, I travel from region to region- tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3. It just seems unreasonable that I might not be allowed to spend a day with a couple family members who are also out and about for work everyday.

OP posts:
Peppafrig · 15/12/2020 20:54

@Illy605 nothing has been announced yet so don’t worry yet. But if she does announce it you can be sure she will have police there making sure .

backaftera2yearbreak · 15/12/2020 20:54

@Illy605 go. Tell them your going to care for you mum. Get her to send you frantic text messages that make it sound like she’s cracking up. I really am sick of this bollocks now!

ilovebrie8 · 15/12/2020 20:55

I hope she won’t stop travel to Scotland from England Shock not seen family for a year...due to fly next week....I reckon sturgeon will cause trouble as she has to make her point...sick of her to be honest.

RaptorInaPorkPieHat · 15/12/2020 20:55

Nothing would change for us, but it's just us 3 (DD tested and home from uni).

Presents have been dropped off to relatives but I'm not planning on being indoors with my elderly parents until they've been vaccinated.

Scottishskifun · 15/12/2020 20:56

[quote Illy605]@ilovecardigans Gutted to read this, but also glad I have. My mums in Scotland, I’m in the North East. I wasn’t sure what the roads situation would be like in regards to policing 😢[/quote]
Currently the England/Scotland travel ban is exempt for 23-27th but have to wait and see what Nicola says.

There are exemptions to it as well including resbite, care, shared custody, work etc

Darbs76 · 15/12/2020 20:56

Let’s face it people will die because of Christmas. I guess everyone needs to take their decision that is it worth it if they plan to see people vulnerable (including things like obesity etc). I personally don’t want to risk it. It’s one day, yes we have had a rubbish year, but it will be an even worse year ahead if we end up infecting our vulnerable relatives. So dinner for 3 and one dog, safest way this year

Scottishskifun · 15/12/2020 20:58

[quote Peppafrig]@Illy605 nothing has been announced yet so don’t worry yet. But if she does announce it you can be sure she will have police there making sure .[/quote]
I think this will depend on the road it's not going to be possible on the very busy roads as they simply don't have the resources to be pulling every car over!

SendHelp30 · 15/12/2020 20:59

@Darbs76 completely agree re vulnerable. None of the family were seeing are, we aren’t seeing my in laws for that exact reason.

DigitalGhost · 15/12/2020 20:59

No we'll be carrying on with our plans regardless. My DD finished nursery last week so we could limit contacts and not risk the bubble bursting.
My parents are in our bubble anyway as we have a baby under 1 and my brother and partner barely leave the house.

PhilCornwall1 · 15/12/2020 21:01

No matter what the government come out with, our plans aren't changing.

efes · 15/12/2020 21:01

Our plans are staying the same - just the two of us for a quiet day in. I've bought a new board game for entertainment. Living our best life! Grin Envy (not envy)

HailFairy · 15/12/2020 21:01

We’ve already decided against seeing family anyway as we’re too risky for them due to our jobs.

But we’re seeing our best friends on Christmas Eve and I’m doing that whatever.

Demitri · 15/12/2020 21:01

No change for us. We decided to stay home this year as my parents are both shielding and I don’t want to risk it. I have 3 dc who are in primary school and dh works in a customer facing role so it’s just too risky to meet them. Luckily for us, they live on the next road so we will walk over after lunch and sit in the garden for a bit, as long as it isn’t pissing it down!

2pinkginsplease · 15/12/2020 21:02

We have scaled back our Christmas plans, we will only be seeing my mum as we are her support bubble, no in laws and so sibling visits. We’ve came this far since March and don’t want to be taking any chances. We’d rather family were safe, we can celebrate at a later date.

PrincessNutNuts · 15/12/2020 21:02

People must think it won't be the people they love who'll be dead in January because of who they mixed with at Christmas.

But since they're the ones doing the mixing, for some of them it definitely will be their family members who die.

It's going to be thousands of somebody's family members, right?

SnowySheep · 15/12/2020 21:02

I must be in close contact with hundreds of people everyday due to my job, I travel from region to region- tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3. It just seems unreasonable that I might not be allowed to spend a day with a couple family members who are also out and about for work everyday.

For me it's not unreasonable that you might not be allowed, it's unreasonable that you'd want to.

You're already seeing so many, why would you voluntarily add to it? I work in school so in a similar boat. I won't be seeing anyone I don't live with, but maybe it's different because I'm in a newly tier 3 area and things feel riskier now than they have at any point here.

ilovecardigans · 15/12/2020 21:03

@Illy605 the Scottish police have been doing folk for travelling from Eyemouth (only shop is small, expensive Co-op) to Berwick (choice of several, large supermarkets) to get their weekly shopping. These people have been doing their shopping in Berwick for years! I get my hair done in Kelso, so I'm likely to resemble Cousin It for a while yet...

Having said that, this was published today on www.gov.scot, so (assuming things don't change again), you should be okay,

^Christmas bubbles: what you need to know
Between 23 and 27 December, to help reduce loneliness and isolation:

-you can form a Christmas bubble of up to 3 households, including 1 extended household, up to a maximum of 8 people (not including children under 12)

  • you can travel anywhere in Scotland and the rest of the UK to meet people in your bubble, but you should follow local travel rules once you arrive
  • bubble members can meet/stay in each other’s houses, in self-catering accommodation within a council area a member of the bubble lives in, public outdoor places and in places of worship
you do not have to form a bubble if you do not want to. The safest way to spend Christmas is to stay in your own household, in your own home and your own local area.
  • you should not go to a pub or restaurant or entertainment venue, for example a cinema or theatre, with your bubble
  • if you don’t form a bubble you must follow the rules in the local authority area you live in

Hogmanay and New Year: Christmas bubbles will not apply at Hogmanay and New Year. Instead, you should follow the rules on meeting up and travelling for your level.^

Original poster
Illy605 · 15/12/2020 21:04

@backaftera2yearbreak Thing is, my 94 year old step gran has been unwell for the last year, moved into a care home. As horrible as it sounds, she’s not likely to see another Christmas so I really do have a reason to drive up. I’m only able to stay in Scotland until the 24th due to commitments with my partners mum. I was really hoping to be able to travel up on Tuesday. Then I could spend time with my mum, visit my gran (albeit through a window) But I don’t want to risk being pulled over... surely they can’t be pulling everyone over?! I’ve just driven 200 miles for work with hundreds of other people on the motorway 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
CountFosco · 15/12/2020 21:04

We've just got DBro coming to us. He lives alone and has seen no-one in the family since last Christmas. DH is driving down to London to take him to us. There is no way we're changing our plans but we count as a support bubble anyway. But none of us have underlying health conditions and we're all under 50.

SIL has already travelled back home to be with 85yo MIL to be her support bubble for Christmas. They are self isolating for 10 days so they can be together for Christmas. All very sensible. BIL plus his adult daughter were planning to go there as well, SIL and I do not think this is sensible (adult daughter is not being sensible about mixing households) so if they are stopped from travelling I think that is probably a good thing. DH disagrees and was all 'poor DBro' this evening, I told him there was nothing poor about someone spending Christmas with their partner and adult child. No-one in the family will be alone and that is what is important.

Milkshake7489 · 15/12/2020 21:04

No, numbers are going down in my area and I feel more comfortable about bubbling with family than I did when the news was announced.

Plus most of our food had been ordered and it would be a pain to change things now...

RumHoney · 15/12/2020 21:07

We both work from home (no kids) so have pretty much been isolating in the lead up. Our plans involve seeing a handful of family members on the 23rd and 24th then spending Christmas itself at home. We've already exchanged presents with the people we're seeing on Christmas Eve just in case we can't see each other on the day so if it gets cancelled it gets cancelled. But as rates are falling here I hope it's not affected by what's happening elsewhere.

Original poster
Illy605 · 15/12/2020 21:07

@Scottishskifun You really wouldn’t think so eh. Ugh, I just don’t know what to do.

OP posts:
EckhartLolly · 15/12/2020 21:08

I didn't make plans to see anyone. It's just not worth it. I couldn't live with myself if we passed it to my frail elderly parents, or anyone else in the family. It's Zoom present opening for us. It'll be fine.

Petitmum · 15/12/2020 21:08

DH works from home, dd has been isolating for 2 weeks and is online learning this week (South Wales). DS is disabled and in a special school, we have pulled him out and he is staying home now as the case rates around me are sky-high. I am using click and collect / deliveries for shopping and we are in a bubble with my elderly parents who live on the same street - we will be having Christmas lunch with them.
We have tentative plans to have lunch with the inlaws on boxing day but it is not set in stone so we may postpone that. Everyone is local so no travelling or staying over.

Dartsplayer · 15/12/2020 21:09

I had already cancelled my plans before this as my DSis has multiple complex health issues including a damaged lung from contracting pneumonia 3 years ago and hasn't left the house since March. My DC don't finish school until Friday and my DH is out working until the 23rd and the closer the time has got, the more concerned about it I am that we will be putting her and my DM at risk so we've agreed to collect presents from the doorstep on Christmas morning then take them home and open them together on Zoom/Facetime