Risk of mixing now=missing Christmas??

[WombatChocolate]

I’m interested in the views of those who aren’t keen on mask wearing, or restrictions in general, about how they see this impacting their Christmas.

If you’re choosing not to vaccinate or not to wear a mask (not medically exempt issues) or planning to just carry on with all social plans in run-up to Christmas, are you worried about your Christmas itself plans being affected? Or if you or someone in your household catches Covid, would you still just carry on with a family Christmas anyway?

We are cancelling meals out in restaurants, theatre etc which were booked over the next days, because we are now within 10 days of Christmas. We aren’t terrified of catching Covid and serious illness, but someone in the family needing to isolate and therefore all of us not being able to be together. But are others not worried about this? I don’t quite understand what those who are continuing with absolutely everything or refusing to engage with any recommendations about limiting contact, see as potential impact in their Christmas.

Is it that people aren’t thinking ahead, or is it that they don’t intend to restrict their Christmas Day activities even if they have Covid?

I'm vaxxed and wear a mask but I am not reducing my socialising. Simple answer is, I'm not seeing wider family over Christmas (had no plans to anyway) apart from my mum, and it's not a big deal if I don't see her as she lives local so we see her all the time anyway.

My wider family all live locally too so it's not as if I only get to see them at Christmas. I saw them last weekend for a coffee. Christmas is just a day.

Yes you’re right, we should all hunker down and do what everybody else is doing and cancel all the things that we enjoy or night look forward to.

FYI- not everyone has family to spend Christmas with. Some aren’t bothered about a low key Christmas. Some don’t have elderly relatives left. Some think well, enough is enough and I’ll take a risk and chances are it’ll be totally fine. Some are worried about the theatres and bars and restaurants and the people that have to work in that industry.

Rather spend my time in the run up to Christmas doing things I enjoy and seeing friends than eating a Bernard Matthews turkey joint and frozen veg at my FIL’s.

HTH.

Okay. I can see if you live near family and see them all the time, missing out on one day isn’t a big deal.

We have to travel 3 hours to see parents, and there are plans for our siblings and children to be there, some of whom we haven’t seen for over a year….so would be huge shame not to be able to go because one of us tests positive.

I'm not really doing anything in the run up to Christmas anyway, but if I was, I'd still carry on as I would have any other time.

You can catch it from anywhere at anytime, so I personally find it pointless not doing things you'd want to do in order to try and do another thing. Because you could still catch it and find yourself unable to do what you had planned anyway.

If somebody tests positive, then we would isolate. If Christmas day plans are unable to go ahead, then so be it. I see my family regularly anyway so it wouldn't be a hard hit.

I'm not vaccinated, but wear masks and agoraphobic so socially distanced naturally.

I am vaccinated and wear a mask but otherwise continuing as normal. Mainly because last year taught me you do what you can while you can…so many parents pulled their kids out of school to “save Christmas” last year and it was cancelled anyway!! I was very pleased I did as my child got a Christmas party at school at least before everything turned shit! I am taking the same approach this year continuing as normal until getting covid or a lockdown stops me. If I miss Christmas it just wasn’t meant to be

I do wear mask and am jabbed (happy if masks stop regular viruses too) but hell yes I am socialising. I have had Covid in the summer. I’m not at all bothered about catching it, no one in my family is and I won’t be taking asymptomatic tests as these seem to have become a hobby for some people.

I’m not limiting anything, we have events planned with friends this weekend and a couple of things next week, my little one is in nursery until next Weds and I have no intention to take them out early. No one I know is cancelling plans and everywhere I have been has been packed. I’ve never had covid and I think after 2 years nearly of avoiding getting it if I get it in the next week it will be very unfortunate. None of my family are vulnerable, all are boosted and my 83 year old Nan has a better social life than me, spoke to her on the phone last night and she has no intention of cancelling any of her lunch dates or her carol concerts as she wants to live her life while she’s still able to.

I don’t live near my family either- but have no plans to travel to them at Christmas.

Theatre, restaurants, plans with friends are all going ahead as normal.

I'm vaccinated, and wear a mask when required but I'm also not any cancelling plans. After last year, I want to enjoy as much as I can whilst I can. Christmas is just one day of the year, and honestly if we got poorly we could just see family at another time and swap gifts. I don't see why giving up a life for one day is worth it.

Yes I have cancelled all plans and will be living like a hermit until Christmas. If I catch it now I will miss out on Christmas with my family (they are 1 hour away) and I will be celebrating in my flat by myself. No thanks.

I suspect the real answer here is that people in this category or who are just fairly oblivious to covid won’t test. I read a government figure that only half of those with the official symptoms do a pcr (no idea how they would know). With typical omicron symptoms you wouldn’t even be eligible for a pcr test. And I imagine that pcr capacity will run out if we actually get to 1m cases a day.

I’ve seen people who are apparently pro restrictions with typical covid symptoms not test because they think it’s a cold. Even my parents who are very fearful of covid and generally keen to follow the rules didn’t understand the difference between a lateral flow test and a pcr test. I think the knowledge of the testing rules and concern about following them is much higher on this forum than in society in general.

Our Christmas was always going to just be our household anyway so makes no difference to us whether we have covid

@Dghgcotcitc

I am vaccinated and wear a mask but otherwise continuing as normal. Mainly because last year taught me you do what you can while you can…so many parents pulled their kids out of school to “save Christmas” last year and it was cancelled anyway!! I was very pleased I did as my child got a Christmas party at school at least before everything turned shit! I am taking the same approach this year continuing as normal until getting covid or a lockdown stops me. If I miss Christmas it just wasn’t meant to be

Agree with this

@Chessie678

I suspect the real answer here is that people in this category or who are just fairly oblivious to covid won’t test. I read a government figure that only half of those with the official symptoms do a pcr (no idea how they would know). With typical omicron symptoms you wouldn’t even be eligible for a pcr test. And I imagine that pcr capacity will run out if we actually get to 1m cases a day.

I’ve seen people who are apparently pro restrictions with typical covid symptoms not test because they think it’s a cold. Even my parents who are very fearful of covid and generally keen to follow the rules didn’t understand the difference between a lateral flow test and a pcr test. I think the knowledge of the testing rules and concern about following them is much higher on this forum than in society in general.

This is spot on. I have several elderly relatives who've never taken a test and have no intention of taking a test.

Every time one particular relative gets a cold/cough type symptom she says it's just a cold, even when I suggest testing. She then goes to a myriad of shops/visits, happily spreading her germs. Mind you, she has described Covid as a bully that we need to stand up to. and sees it as a minor inconvenience to her shopping trips - mask always under nose!

As Mr Whitty said you need to prioritize your social engagements.

As with everything that is a choice or opinion, some people (vaccinated or not) will choose the big family Christmas day, others will go to the pub. Some will do both.

@WheelieBinPrincess

Rather spend my time in the run up to Christmas doing things I enjoy and seeing friends than eating a Bernard Matthews turkey joint and frozen veg at my FIL’s.

HTH.

This.

I’m going to a wedding at the weekend, along with 100 other people. The wedding has already been cancelled twice, if they postpone they’ll lose tens of thousands of pounds, and next availability is in 2024. So I think it would be very rude to cancel on them, just to safeguard a family Christmas. And yes, I’ll be testing in the days ahead of Christmas and staying at home if required.

I don’t treat my friends as second class to my family. Not everyone has a family Christmas to go to, others do but it’s not necessarily a happy experience. So sometimes the gathering of friends ahead of Christmas is the special time to be protected and cherished.

Thanks.

Yes, definitely feels like a case if pick what you value most.

Fair enough if you value friends and so choose to see them over next few days, in knowledge it might mean Covid and isolating over CHristmas and not seeing family. Fair enough if you choose to have a quiet time from now until Christmas to get a better chance of Christmas Day going ahead.

To me, it seems we all just have to choose and are unlikely to be able to have everything. Tricky choices. But choices which need to be made now with 10 days to go, because once we’re 3 days before Christmas, it will be too late for lots of people to choose the big day, as they will already have a positive case in their household and have to isolate. No prob if they chose seeing friends or family ahead of Christmas…not so good if they saw them without really considering g what might be consequences.

Hope everyone gets to do the thing they’ve really looked forward to most, whatever it is.

We are only cancelling plans as we don’t want to miss being with family at Christmas. If we were staying at home with just us we would absolutely be carrying on as normal as isolating affect that.

We plan to carry on with plans for Boxing day for my soba’s birthday as normal providing events are still on and restaurants are still open. We are going to get it at some point anyway so once Christmas is out the way we will live within the rules but not add self imposed rules.

We feel the same as you, DH has to drive for about 3.5 hours to pick up his Mum who is almost 80. The poor woman had Christmas alone last year, DH sister lives overseas.

I haven’t seen any of my family since the pandemic began as most are in Hong Kong and America. I was supposed to see my few relatives in this country in the Summer but an emergency op for one of them cancelled it and leave constraints meant it couldn’t be rescheduled.

We have covid right now despite that we've worn masks, been careful, distanced and don't go into crowded places. Dp caught it at work off someone who and was poorly and had relied on a lft. I'm gutted we are missing the build up to Christmas. We wouldn't have done much anyway. But things like taking a drive to see lights, a take away (no take away delivers where I am), going to visit my grandpas grave. All the small stuff we do before Christmas - gone!

We wear masks, both have our boosters on Friday but we're still cancelling social plans up until Christmas. We paid £50 to go see Santa at a farm this weekend but we're now not going and no refund but it's not worth the risk to us if we have to isolate and miss seeing family at Christmas. DS is still in preschool til Tuesday but it's important he goes as much as possible so that's the only risk we're willing to take. I guess it comes down to what your priorities are, ours is to see family but not everyone's is.