Covid Christmas

[Davycc]

Sorry you boring old whatsits, but I bloody love Christmas, always have, always will. In fact, I’ve been into town today to get a few presents

That said, this year is going to be very different by the looks of it. We’ve lived in our village for 16 years now, and most of those 16 years, at Christmas, my Mum, Dad, Daughter & Son would come over Christmas Day and stay over. My son and I would then go to the football on Boxing Day.

Now, my mum is no longer with us, my daughter lives in Australia, my son lives with his girlfriend in Newcastle and my dad is in a vulnerable group. Lord knows how this one will turn out, but I’m hoping, at the very least, we can get my Dad over for the night.

Don't get me wrong Kev, I love Christmas, but it should be the way it was when I was a lad. Christmas only started in September as a threat that Santa would leave you nothing if you didn't behave, other than that the tree went up around the 10th of December and was back down just into the new year. That short period meant we really looked forward to it all year, those 2 weeks or so of great festivities and TV, were worth waiting for. As for the TV even that's poor now.

PS ... if anyone id looking a kids Christmas book either paperback or ebook try this, apparently the author is a massive Leeds fan https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Santa-Got ... oks&sr=1-2

[Westminster]

Never really been a fan of Christmas so we normally head to the Canary Islands for the duration. I love taking off before Christmas and coming back in the New Year when it's all over. Change of scenery and get a bit of sun on my face. It's cathartic.

That won't be happening this year, even though the Canaries are apparently back on the safe list. I just don't want to risk anything, I wouldn't forgive myself if I passed anything on to my father, who's nearly 86 now. So I'll be playing it safe and staying at home this year.

[Selby White]

Mrs SW & myself sadly no longer have our parents with us but the other week we were discussing that it would be far more worrying if we did.
Really feel for all you folk with elderly parents must be really tough knowing what to do for the best.
Hope everyone gets through all this and you get the chance to have a quality Xmas with them.

As for travelling would love to go abroad but no way am I getting on a plane until covid is beaten so will be sticking with the UK for now.

[johnh]

The medical experts should produce guidance for the elderly (like me) and the vulnerable and trust them to manage their lives. Everyone else should just get back to normal.

[Deleted User 728]

The medical experts should produce guidance for the elderly (like me) and the vulnerable and trust them to manage their lives. Everyone else should just get back to normal.

But you'd never go out, John

I look at the figures every day and it's utterly inevitable that we end up in lockdown again and right now I'd guess it should be at Xmas, looking at the curves of the graphs :


(today's numbers)

Let's say the under-30s "go back to normal". The virus would spread like wildfire between them and they'd be transmitting it to their family, their work or schoolmates and everyone else they come into contact with. I don't think you can trust the general public. I've said before in here that as soon as the pubs opened again all bets were off.

I don't know what the answer is but the only thing that might stop us peaking even higher than before in a couple of month would be a total lockdown, possibly by martial law but I cannot for one second see the population accepting it. There would be riots, mass demo's and too many arrested people to put anywhere safely.

I also don't see how the government can ask us to behave given the example they've set, but this is beyond politics now ..

[Westminster]

The medical experts should produce guidance for the elderly (like me) and the vulnerable and trust them to manage their lives. Everyone else should just get back to normal.

But you'd never go out, John

I look at the figures every day and it's utterly inevitable that we end up in lockdown again and right now I'd guess it should be at Xmas, looking at the curves of the graphs :


(today's numbers)

Let's say the under-30s "go back to normal". The virus would spread like wildfire between them and they'd be transmitting it to their family, their work or schoolmates and everyone else they come into contact with. I don't think you can trust the general public. I've said before in here that as soon as the pubs opened again all bets were off.

I don't know what the answer is but the only thing that might stop us peaking even higher than before in a couple of month would be a total lockdown, possibly by martial law but I cannot for one second see the population accepting it. There would be riots, mass demo's and too many arrested people to put anywhere safely.

I also don't see how the government can ask us to behave given the example they've set, but this is beyond politics now ..

I totally agree with you, rigger.

If the question is "how do we control a deadly virus?" The answer is not "open the pubs".

It was a very stupid thing to do.

[Mr Russell]

My Xmas will be pretty much the same

Lunch at my parents
Dinner/tea at our place for the family (at this time we are allowed 30 people, that might increase or decrease)

We don't go away over the holiday period unless its a day trip up the valley or to visit friends. Big question will be if my cousin and her husband will be coming down from Queensland as they are still playing politics with their hard border closure to other states (like Western Australia), they keep saying its for the safety of the country/state but really its about their elections with Queensland's on this Saturday and WA next March, all medical advice says there is no reason to have the border closed. Even Victoria which is finally starting to open up have little or no cases now after being in lock down for 90+ days. NSW was locked down in March for 3 months but since then we have being open with some restrictions and limits on places.


As for the UK i shake my head at what their doing or not doing! My best mate has had to go into 14 days isolation as one of his colleagues was positive so hopefully he will be ok. Their indecision is worse than making a decision and sticking with it. i can only see you guys going into lockdown and a hard lockdown at that to curb it and yes people will protest, riot because their not thinking of the bigger picture and that more deaths will occur if something is not done. You either go down the way that Sweden has gone and look after your elderly (basically locked away) and let the rest of the country carry on and use the herd immunity option or you lockdown and contain the virus like New Zealand did but even they after over 100 days of no infections had some low numbers, Australia basically went this way. Until there is a vaccine this is how it is, COVID normal!!!

[Chilihead]

Oklahoma doesn't have much of a winter. The occasional snowfall and/or ice storm (like now, no power for 48 hours and running).

We usually drive up to Colorado for Christmas and spend a couple weeks. The rest of the family lives near Colorado Springs where I grew up. One year we showed up at the start of a blizzard. Couldn't even leave my parents house for 4 days. Our Siberian Huskies always have a blast. Hard to get them in the house.

Not happening this year. My parents are 77 and 76, so we have to think about them first.

Bob

[Barlow Boy]

Really feel for all you folk with elderly parents must be really tough knowing what to do for the best.
Hope everyone gets through all this and you get the chance to have a quality Xmas with them.

Yes, it’s a very fine balance SW. My dad is 83 years old, diabetic, had loads of heart trouble plus lots of other ailments. Absolutely prime to the virus to wreak havoc on his body.

Do I leave him sat on his own at home, with only the television and a couple of phone calls for company, which will absolutely do his head in and potentially leave him lonely. The alternative, bring him over to our house, with me, my wife, let him open a few presents, have a couple of drinks and thoroughly enjoy himself. The latter option leaving him open to potential infection, however small that chance may be.

The decision might be taken out of my hands one way or another, and in some ways I hope it is.

[NottinghamWhite]

We’re booked into our usual hotel in Scarbados but are waiting to see what’s happening with Covid-19. Whatever will be will be.

We’ve cancelled our room as have many others looking at the hotel website. There is normally a lengthy waiting list as people book as they’re leaving for the next Christmas but there’s only 12 rooms booked. Looking at the availability of rooms we looked at which of the people who’s company we enjoy aren’t coming was what gave us our final decision. It’s a long time since we had a Christmas at home but that’s what we’ll be doing this year.