The Christmas 2020 rules

[Gemini]

We should probably wait until Thursday for clarification, but it has all been leaked and I can't imagine there will be anything different on Thursday.

I think it will cause a lot of problems and difficult decisions, as well as making many happy, especially lonely people.

Basically between December 23rd and 28th you can mingle with two other households. They are then your Bubble for that period. You can't see others on other days. If you are with them on Christmas Day they are the only people you can see across those 5 days.

We were invited to DD2s for Christmas Day along with SIL's parents. We get on very well with them and I would love to spend Christmas Day with them all . I have never spent a Christmas Day with grandchildren.
However that puts DD's in-laws in our bubble, so my other DDs and GS can't be in it.

Not sure what we will do yet.
Maybe have Christmas dinner here alone and just pop in when the in-laws have gone. Their DD and other GD live in Greece so they have no choices to make.

[Enfys]

I can understand everyone wanting to get together with their families, just hope we don’t see too big a surge in the cases afterwards. A lot of difficult decisions in many families, Ut for us it’s only DD, her family and me so no difference from now really.

Maybe a good excuse to enjoy a second Christmas Later when things are more settled. We’ve been doing that for the past few years since DGD has been working over the Christmas period and it’s proved very successful, something else to look forward to.

[Gemini]

I think there will be a few late Christmases Enfys.

[Oma]

Christmas day we will spend with DD, SIL, GS1 and SIL's parents ,
7 of us and we like SIL's parents have no other people coming to our homes so we are in a confined bubble .

It will be only the one day we are not having everyone at ours over the Christmas and New year like we usually do .

[Plantaholic]

If that is right Gemini, it is going to make it difficult for us all to be together. GD1 and her partner are still part of our household until they move into their flat so they had better stay here until after Christmas. GS1 and family is second household and that leaves GD2 and her partner who are here at present and GS2 and his partner who are in London. If GD1 and her partner stay here until after Christmas could they be included in our household I wonder.

[Daisy]

Plant - these things are never straightforward are they! Individual circumstances vary so much. Would everyone who is at present living in the household, even if they are separate groups like GD2 and partner who don't live there permanently, be considered one household. That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

We had already planned to go to DS1's and family for Christmas Day and since we are allowed to travel, I can't see any reason why that shouldn't go ahead. We are always very careful, and will obviously take even more care in the 2 weeks before, just to be on the safe side.

Our only issue will be GD2's birthday on the 27th, but since we already look after them sometimes we may be able to at least drop off her birthday present. I hope so. They bubble with DIL2's father, who lives alone, and I think I read that this constitutes one household for Christmas purposes. But we're not supposed to meet with any other household except DS1's even though there're won't be 3 families there.

Are everyone else's arrangements working out ok? I do hope so - I think we all need a bit of relaxation and family time at the moment.

[Gemini]

This is already causing problems in our family.
We may just hole ourselves up here with food, drink and TV for the duration

[Lizzie48]

Gem, I was listening to a discussion about this on the radio yesterday, what a carry on!!!

[Daisy]

This is already causing problems in our family.
We may just hole ourselves up here with food, drink and TV for the duration

Oh, Gem - what a shame it's causing problems. I know you usually spend the day with S and your mum, which obviously won't happen this year, but I can imagine with 3 DDs and grandchildren in two separate families it will be difficult.

We have arranged to go to DS1's for the day and may stay overnight and come home Boxing Day. My poor DS1 is worried in case it is his last Christmas, which breaks my heart into a million tiny pieces.

[Gemini]

Oh poor DS Daisy! I suppose he is just preparing himself, but you must wish he wasn't thinking that way.
I remember my OH, some 12 years or so ago, wondering the same thing xx

There is some disagreement (mainly between DD3 and myself) as to to how to interpret these bubbles of three! Watch this space.

[Sunshine]

Daisy, so sad to think DS is thinking this may be his last Christmas. Encourage him to stay positive and try to enjoy EVERY day as if it were his last. I feel your pain. Two Christmas’s ago we thought it may be my DS’s last, but then the following Easter he got two new lungs and continues to do really well. Even though he has been in isolation for the best part of two years. Never give up. Love to you all.

[Daisy]

Gem and Sunshine - thank you both so much. We are staying very positive, and on the whole so is DS, but he has an occasional wobble. It didn't help that he accidentally hit on something online (he was looking for something completely different from his condition) which gave him a bit of a shock. Mostly he's doing things he wants to do - and enjoying them, and now he's started treatment it helps.

Sunshine I remember how worrying it was for M, and it's such a relief to see how well he's done since his transplant. xx

Gem - S must have been very worried, but here she is, fit, well and enjoying her life. xx

[Lizzie48]

Daisy, I do understand your DS, but, so hope that the treatment works and he has many Christmas's to come! As for seeing things on line, I can understand that as well. A doctor once told me, don't look on line, we have studied 7 years to become doctors and have the knowledge we have.

[Gemini]

Thank goodness my OH rarely looks things up online, I know more about her condition than she does. I stopped looking every early on as it made me so tense and unhappy, and it helped.
The 3 years prognosis that I read before stopping has been well exceeded!

[Plantaholic]

Daisy, I am sure your DS1 would love to have you and OH stay for Christmas, he seems to be handling his illness very well apart from the slight wobble.