It's The Most Vulnerable Time Of The Year

[flotemysost]

(NB: I appreciate Christmas is going to be incredibly difficult for anyone who's lost loved ones during the last few months - obviously my situation pales in comparison to anyone who's gone through that, so I'm sorry if this post is upsetting or triggering for anyone.)

Bit premature perhaps, but have any of you made plans for what you'll do over Christmas this year?

Normally I'd stay with my mum and dad for a few days, but as they're both in their seventies with various health conditions, I haven't seen them since February and rocking up during flu season is probably unwise. And I doubt my brother and his girlfriend would want me bringing my grotty London pathogens over to their lovely new home in Sheffield.

The thought of spending Christmas day in my poky rented flat, with my flatmate who I barely speak to some days (her family are abroad and I doubt she'll be going home due to the cost of flights) is excruciatingly awkward, but seems the most likely option.

I've volunteered with Crisis a couple of times in the past but I've got no idea if their shelters will be able to open in the same way this year (which is a worry in itself, for the many people who use their services). And most of my friends have been seeing their families regularly already, and so will likely stick with their usual plans. Maybe I'll just book myself into a Travelodge on my own, might be fun.

Anyone got plans for 'vidmas 2020?

[BlodwynPig]

Travelodge sounds fun, honestly

[Small Man Big Horse]

We were told back in January that we'd have to work this forthcoming Christmas (I teach online, so it's not too much of a hassle) but whether I'll be doing it from home or at my mother's or girlfriend's I just don't know. The idea of spending Christmas on my own in London if there's a second lockdown is a bleak one, I did that once before when I had to work Christmas 2002 and was abjectly miserable, though at least I smoked weed back then and that helped get me through it. I guess I have to just try to persuade myself that it's a one off, and that things will be back to normal by December 2021, which may be naive but being pessimistic about it all just doesn't help my mental state.

[Huxleys Babkins]

I'm already talking about Christmas being at least potentially fucked this year with my 60+ (as in years, not number) relatives. There's no way we can risk them in the run up to peak flu season with all the kids back at school. Most of them have their hearts set on the traditional get togethers (and, of course, Legend Boris has vowed to get Covid done by Christmas, so they reckon it'll be fine because why would he lie?) so if we cross the subject now, the disappointment will hopefully be less crushing.

Already figuring out how we can do video link-ups and such, distributing dinners in tupperware, etc. Most of them are online to some degree, but a supplemental SIM card like this chucked in a wi-fi dongle or cheap Android tablet for the big day(s) could be very useful.

[Captain Crunch]

I've got into a cosy little rut over the last few years – time off in early / mid December to see my family and friends and go to Southend for, well everything Southend is good for.  Then 'work' over Christmas picking up the odd call and knocking off at 2 to eat pickled onions and make my fantastic stuffing and watch Bottom.  Ideal. 

[flotemysost]

Honestly, I don't actually think I'd mind working this year (I can also work from home and it would at least give me an excuse to minimise awkward forced jollities with my flatmate, rather than just obviously being an antisocial depressed shit) but my workplace always shuts between Christmas Eve and 2nd January.

In normal circumstances this policy is very welcome, and the way those dates fall this year would actually be perfect for a nice long break - Christmas Day is a Friday, so I'll get over a week off - but this year it's most likely going to be a week of staring at my walls.

Really petty thing to whinge about when people are losing their jobs and being turfed into the streets, I know, but it's a bit annoying.

[olliebean]

What normally happens is my housemate visits her parents for a couple of weeks, so I get to relax with the house to myself, catch up on box sets and pretend it isn't Christmas, which suits me fine, so I'm hoping for the same this year. Probably end up stuck in a lockdown with said housemate having to endure some kind of obligatory forced festivities, though.

[hamfist]

If my kids get pulled out of school in a nu-fuckdown, we will go to Switzerland and stay there until it's over, probably incorporating christmas (we are going over then anywhere). Just wanna do the next fuckdown somewhere else, going totally fucked up stuck here now.

[dissolute ocelot]

Looking forward to having an outdoor family gathering in Scotland in late December. No, I'm lucky because I have a small immediate family group I am not isolating from, and while I'd like to see everyone else and drink their booze, I suspect we'll manage with technology and doorsteps (the poor person's Zoom).

[imitationleather]

The past four years I've just spent Christmas with my girlfriend, and it's been great. Would have done that again even without COVID.

[Attila]

The past four years I've just spent Christmas with my girlfriend, and it's been great. Would have done that again even without COVID.

It IS great. The first time I was married, his parents insisted we spend Christmas and new year's with them -- a 900 mile drive. It took two days to drive down and back given the state of the vehicles we had at the time. He was glad enough to see his parents, but I knew none of his tribe, and being pretty introverted, was not into becoming 'one of the family' (I'd spent years trying to get away from mine; I did not and still do not have any desire to become part of anyone else's family, ta).

I really like Christmastime, but not the whole slog out to a near-stranger's house, spend the holiday with them happy you're there, but you're uncomfortable the whole time around all of these people. The long commute during the worst driving time of the year.

I finally put my foot down and said if they wanted to see us at Christmas, they could swap the trip every other year -0 which was met with howls of anger at disrupting their holiday to make such a long drive when they so enjoyed doing Christmas at home. Uuhhhmmm, well, sure, but you expect us to do it.

I'd be happy as a clam if Mr Attila did xmas on his own with his family -- they are lovely, and they'd love it if he stayed more than just a day (it's a long drive for him there and back, too).  To me, it'd be win-win -- quiet few days by myself away from people to decompress, and him enjoying the holidays with his parents and extended family without me tagging along and them feeling obligated to be kind to me, &c.

Really not keen to go this year with covid and that -- so many people in and out of his parents' house, and his sister & her family invariably have various lurgies and flus every time we go -- which means I end up spending the new year ill with whatever cold/flu/pandemic they had at the time.

[Blinder Data]

Baby due around Christmas so unlike previous years we're staying put. In-laws will be staying with us to meet their first grandchild - it would have to be an "army on the streets" lockdown scenario to prevent them from visiting.

physical distancing measures will go out the window for most people I reckon, unless a lockdown is announced. Even then people will simply say "but it's Christmas!" and open another bottle

[Sebastian Cobb]

I'm not getting a train half-way down the country at Christmas, it's bad enough without a pandemic.

I honestly hope I can just spend it alone, I did that a couple of years ago and it was great.

[Big Mclargehuge]

So! what usually happens:

*I try to book a week or 2 off at christmas so I generally finish work on the 2nd week of december and use that time up to christmas eve to go out christmas shopping to mop up the last few "To get's" and I often take the missus or my family out for food/coffee/fun times

*Christmas Eve - The whole family go out for a meal in the afternoon, post meal the Missus comes back to my house and stops with me until boxing day

*Christmas Day - Up at about 7:30am, head over to my parents house, open gifts, cup of tea, chatter. Then over to my partners family from 9am till midday for more gifts and more chatter, about 11:30amish I'll break away and head back to my parents house for a christmas dinner while the missus has dinner with her parents. I eat and spend a couple of hours recovering on the sofa watching a movie or idling. then around 4pmish I'll head back over to her parents for an hour or so wind down before taking her back to mine (We'll also stop off to feed and check in on her pets because it's their christmas too!)

Then in the evening we usually head to a relatives house (last year it was my uncles turn) to have a buffet and play party games with the extended family on board, before the whole thing wraps up at about 10pm and we retreat back to my place to catch up on key christmas telly and *Generally* we're both dead to the world full of booze and food by midnight.

Boxing day is then a super chill rest day where we pick off the last of the buffet, keep the booze rolling and play more games/watch more films until the evening when we have a light tea and then I take the missus home so she can destress (Christmas isnt really her thing) and cool down with her pets. I'll then see her on and off till the new year while also going to the shops on and off for food and sale items.


Thats now being replaced with:

*Finishing work on the 2nd week of December, going to the supermarket and buying as much booze and food as I can carry, ordering the mop up gifts online.
*Stocking up the mini bar in the entertainment room and locking the door from about the 16th of December to the 24th.

*On Christmas Eve, going to my parents house with the missus (No extended family) for a takeaway from the restaurant we normally go to in person.

*Christmas Day: Up probably a bit later (9ish) for presents, tea and chatter again with just the parents. If the missus' family decide to have a get together (Most of them were on the shielding list) then I'll take her to it if she wants to go, but I'll be steering clear of it. then back to mine for chilling, food and dossing around. before going to fetch the missus and then having a small get together at my parents place with food and games.

I'll also be spending Boxing day onwards just taking it SUPER easy.

On the one hand I will kind of miss the usual get together in the sense that I dont tend to see a lot of my extended family outside of our 2-3 meetings at christmas. But at the same time the sheer amount of weight in terms of expectations thats been lifted because of this pandemics been rediculously liberating. Knowing I dont have to go and sit in a cramped restaurant with 12-15 of my family members all jostling to be "Funniest person in the room", knowing I dont HAVE to go out in the scrum that is last minute christmas shopping because it's a family tradition, and knowing that I can FINALLY say no to going to family run parties with a damn good reason for doing so has genuinely made me delighted. While im a bit bummed I'll spend less time with my partner this year than usual. I honestly think this may be the best christmas I'll have had since I was a young teenager.

[peanutbutter]

Can't see me going home, likely going to use the fact I've to go home this month as an excuse for not doing so but it just seems a bit reckless and, seeing as my last several trips home have had me coming back with some kind of breathing issue (big mould problem imo), it'd be a fucking dumb move for myself too.

Might finally wake them up to deal with the issues. No way they're good for anyone at home either.

[checkoutgirl]

It's odd because I've gone the 30 miles to my parent's house for Christmas for the last 20 years and enjoyed it well enough except for the last 3 years when I've been annoyed by my brother bringing his english girlfriend. She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer but won't shut up either. Drinks plenty and yammers on. Last year it got so bad I must have spent at least 30 of the 50 hours I spent there in bed, she depressed me that much.

I vowed to spend crimbo 2020 in my flat alone eating turkey, hammering gin and watching telly. Then the pandemic hit and I might not even have to make that decision. Sad that the end of an era is here but it's my sibling's fault for dragging their other halves to our family home at Christmas. I don't appeciate outsiders at Christmas even when they're nice, but when they're arseholes...

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Test results roasting on an open fire

[Better Midlands]

Test results roasting on an open fire

slack mask slipping off your nose

[flotemysost]

Got an email from Crisis earlier in the week confirming that they'll be running some Christmas centres based in hotels rather than the usual day centres, and will need a reduced number of volunteers. It's good to know that they're able to offer some services over that period.

Thinking about signing up to volunteer if there's an appropriate role, although I'm sure they'll have a considerable uptake this year.

slack mask slipping off your nose

Excellent