Christmas Plans 2020?

[pete9012S]

What are your best hoped for plans this year - or have you decided to write off Xmas 2020?

As usual, my wife will be working looking after those in her care home for a 13hr shift.
I usually do a couple of runs taking people in who work with her who have no transport.

As our kids have flown the coup we always offer to do this so the Mums with kids can have Christmas day together.

Then a few days later we have our dinner with all the trimmings etc.

What about you this year - any plans - lockdown notwithstanding!

[Courtenay]

Oh gosh, early this year I was hoping to be back in Australia this December for Christmas with my family for the first time in quite a few years. Not on, obviously. (Well, restrictions in Australia have eased a lot and in many ways I'd rather be over there — I could go, provided I have two weeks' quarantine on arrival. But I couldn't afford to stay too long, so it wouldn't be worth it at this stage.)

I work in a care home too, so I usually choose to work over Christmas and enjoy a huge Christmas feast there — we put all the dining room tables together end-to-end to make one long banqueting table and have turkey with all the trimmings. Normally we have plenty of visits from residents' families and friends and a big carol-singing session on Christmas Day, which obviously won't be happening either. I'm guessing it'll have to be all in-house, just staff and residents, as I don't think we'll be allowing non-essential visitors again by Christmas, even once the actual lockdown is over. But I'm sure we'll manage to make the best of it.

I'm just grateful that I do still have my full time job and we've remained 100% COVID-free all this time. (We staff have to self-test for it every week, which is not fun, but it's the right thing to do, of course.) Hope all has been well where your wife works too, Pete.

I will definitely have a video call with my family on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and Mum has informed me my parcel of Christmas goodies is already in the post. And she assures me it includes my favourite Mint Slice biscuits from Australia (dark chocolate with mint), without which it just wouldn't be Christmas.

[Katharine]

All very vague for me at the moment.

Hoping my son will be able to come over from Bath, but that obviously depends on whether there are any travel restrictions at the time. Also hoping he'll be able to get a lift somehow rather than having to travel on public transport, especially as it would mean passing through London.

Presuming any larger family get togethers will be out of the question, and even if there is a temporary lift on restrictions, I'm still not sure I'd want to risk seeing my parents indoors - since my daughter returned to school we've gone back to only chatting at the doorstep.

My older daughter will presumably want to spend Christmas day with her boyfriend - assuming that's not breaking any rules - but hopefully she'll be able to pop in for a cuppa and a chat at some point over the festive season.

My Christmas preparations are actually quite advanced for me, I made the most of shops being open a few weeks back and have already bought cards, some festive food and stocking fillers. Am in the process of compiling a list of 'main' presents so that when the non-essential shops re-open I can hopefully get those quickly just in case they have to shut again.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I'm just hoping we can meet with my grand-children - if the rule of six is still in place, then the meetings will have to be staggered as there are eight of us.

Not seen my sister since last summer - 2019, so there's no chance of me getting up North to my homeland anytime soon, with the Covid numbers being so high up there.

Seems a quiet Christmas will be on the cards for hubby and I. Happily we do live in the same Cornish village as my daughter and grand-children, so even if we have to keep a distance, I can see them in the village.

[Boodi 2]

It will really depend on which rules are in place at Christmas, although I do hope that my son and his girlfriend will be able to come as I have not seen them since the summer. They even missed my birthday in October, although while disappointing, it is better that they are doing their bit and abiding by the regulations.

[Lucky Star]

Was hoping to return to Ireland to spend it with my family but its looking a bit doubtful at the moment between quarantine restrictions and work commitments. I'm back as a temp in the supermarket for the moment and no doubt they'll want me over the Christmas period so its all very vague for me too at this point. I'm not really that bothered as the rest of 2020 has been a write off as far as I'm concerned so if Christmas goes out the window too it'll just be a fitting end to this awful year.

[number 6]

I'll do what I do every year...wait for the first of the three Xmas Ghosts to arrive! Humbug!

[Katharine]

I'll do what I do every year...wait for the first of the three Xmas Ghosts to arrive! Humbug!

Not sure that will be allowed - you can usually only form a 'bubble' with one other person.

[Moonraker]

With our son, wife and their new baby daughter living in the north, plans were in place for a Yorkshire family Christmas. As there are eleven of us in the extended family, we hired a cottage next door to our son's house. It is extremely doubtful that this will now take place, so we are in the lap of the gods. We can cancel the cottage up to the 18th of December, so it's a case of fingers crossed!

[Hannah]

I'm hoping to go to my parents. So far there are no travel restrictions in Germany (except that hotels are closed for tourists) but I might decide that it is too risky to travel 9-10 hours by train even with an FFP2/N95-mask if numbers stay as high as they are. I'm worried about myself in case of an infection but even more that I might infect my parents who are in their seventies.

If I can't go that would mean very lonely two weeks for me . Not sure if in that case I'd try to make a nice time for myself or if I'd rather try to completely ignore Christmas.

[Fiona1986]

We've no idea, either. Ideally we would visit my sister in law and family, my parents in law, and have my parents over for an evening meal but who knows if we will be allowed to do that this year? If it's dry at least we could do garden visits but if it's raining it might just be the three of us.

We have decided, though, that this year we will splash out a bit more than usual. We may get our family Christmas but if not at least we will have enjoyed fancy advent calendars etc. Not expensive but we have also decided to do Elf on the Shelf for Brodie through December.

[number 6]

I'll do what I do every year...wait for the first of the three Xmas Ghosts to arrive! Humbug!

Not sure that will be allowed - you can usually only form a 'bubble' with one other person.

Hmmm...there may be a loophole. Technically, Ghosts don't have bodies as such. Therefore, if the Fuzz come round knocking on my door, I can say that I've got no-body with me! Hurrah!

[Katharine]

[shadow]

Not expensive but we have also decided to do Elf on the Shelf for Brodie through December.

Good luck with the elf. You'll be up at 4am trying to work out what he can possibly be up to that doesn't give your son naughty ideas

[Fiona1986]

Oh I plan to be organised and have 24 ideas ready in advance . (With lots of the ideas stolen from Pinterest etc, obviously!)