In light of Omicron, how are you doing Christmas this year?

DD & husband for Christmas Day. They will test before they leave home and are WFH for the previous week. Not seeing DiL as she refuses the vaccine. Hope to see DD and family at some point, but not all together. However hope to see DS and GS at some point. Will ask everyone to do a LFT before they arrive. DH is vulnerable too, and although we would like everyone all together its not going to happen for us this year.

Foxglove - our relatives caught Covid. Both double jabbed and in their 70s reasonably fit and active. The chap is still in hospital after a week in ICU and another week on a Covid ward, however his wife just had relatively mild symptoms. That's the issue with this horrible disease, you just don't know how its going to go.

We will be doing our normal christmas with children and grandchildren. The only thing that will stop it is if hotels are closed as neither family have room to put us up.
Unless I hear that the new variant makes people more severely ill than the others I shall not worry about it.

We are not mixing this Xmas. Not only is there an unquantified risk from the Omicron variant for over 70s but we expect a wave of fresh infections after Xmas mixing and that will put pressure on the NHS. Despite Johnson's bluster about it I would not be surprised if he imposed more rigorous measures soon.

M0nica Tue 07-Dec-21 23:15:27
I now feel free to ignore any instructions on COVID coming from No 10

I can see where you are coming from, M0nica but you are an intelligent woman and I am sure you will be following the “instructions” of common sense and your own conscience.

We will have all our family here. I can’t wait

Thank you for this thread. I am quite anxious about the whole thing and appreciate hearing other people's plans. I am due to have lunch in a local restaurant with seven friends on Monday. I don't want to be a wimp but I am a bit concerned. Daughter and grandchildren due to come up on Boxing Day as SIL is a Police Officer working shifts and will be sleeping off his night shift. My daughter is very vigilant about testing all of her family if they are going anywhere and will do so before they come here, Both children caught covid at school in the past two months. I know she will not come if there is the slightest risk to us.
Would it be rude or unreasonable to ask if friends are going to do a test before meeting for lunch?

You do know they reduce the risk of death but not the risk of catching it

We are going to DD1 and Son Outlaw (SoL?) on Christmas Day, then taking them to DD2 and SiL and family 27th/28th. These are the only fixed points. All other arrangements with wider family members are being thrown into chaos because of new travel arrangements.

I am trying to be zen about it all.

You feel free to ignore no 10 instructions, utterly ridiculous , for an overhyped media frenzy over a party Boris Johnson wasn’t even at or knew about,

We're in Scotland and rules are a wee bit more restrictive already but that's fine. We've had 3 jags and will be having Christmas alone, but son and daughter are coming for breakfast on Boxing Day, along with their partners and baby GD. We will ventilate well, keep our distance where we can, and be careful to gel our hands regularly. Everyone will also do LFT's before coming, as we are doing every time we go out, even shopping. We just want everyone to be safe and they are all at least double jagged. It will be better than last year in the garden!

Brownowl564

You feel free to ignore no 10 instructions, utterly ridiculous , for an overhyped media frenzy over a party Boris Johnson wasn’t even at or knew about,

Do you think the people who couldn't see their family, especially those in care homes, think it's overhyped?

We will be at church services on Christmas eve and Christmas day, seating carefully spaced and mask wearing encouraged.
The rest of Christmas day with youngest DD and family. Boxing day they will be with us.
DH and I both had Covid at the beginning of November.
Both double jabbed (booster delayed as was due as we came out of isolation but we need to wait 28 days).
We know exactly where we caught it and don't regret being there.

I appreciate others being cautious, especially those who are clinically vulnerable, but I believe that this situation is one we need to learn to live with, albeit carefully.

we go to a sporting event on Boxing day that was cancelled because of covid 2020 and because of rebuilding/asbestos in 2018 & 2019, previously we'd been every year for 35 years even when we lived overseas, so unless they cancel it we are going

It is really difficult to make plans for those who have to travel - as Johnson will not make final 'rules' until the 16th ...

Booked to travel from France on 18th (Tunnel - no way am I going anywhere near a plane or airport at the mo) - PCR tests booked for late Thursday- and day 2 tests booked and paid - but no idea if we will be able to go. Stressful for sure.

Will stay at our own flat, then DD1 and later DD2 - no Hôtels, etc.

DH and I have been triple vaccinated and were going to a gathering of eight but I'm suddenly feeling a bit doubtful. I'm not so much worried about the virus in the short term but about the long term result. Two of my friends have been left with nasty problems and neither are overweight or classes as vulnerable. They both caught it early on in the pandemic and so neither had yet had even the first vax. But it occurs to me that DH and I are in that position now with the new variant. DH says it's up to me (isn't it always? so that means I'm the spoilsport if I say no, or to blame if I say yes and we both catch it.)

I read this morning that the R rate for the new Omicron variant is up to 3.47.
I think that should be a warning for us all to be more careful regardless of the time of year.

My usual plan for Christmas Day is to go to a charity dinner for people who would otherwise be sitting at home alone. If it happens I should be there.

We will be spending it as we have already planned. Family gatherings on 3 days but only with a few people. 10 maximum on one of the days. The only thing that will stop us is obviously if anyone is ill. This year the government won’t stop us seeing our family.

We had not expected our son and DIL to visit as she runs her own business and as Christmas Day is a Saturday and Boxing Day falls on Sunday this year, she will be opening her beauty parlour as usual on the 27th so driving from one end of the country to the other after closing time on Christmas Eve and back again in the afternoon of Boxing Day would make little sense.

So DH and I will be alone and for the first time in sixteen years without a cat or two.

I don't really understand how anyone could be optimistic enough to imagine that it would be safe to hold large gatherings this Christmas even if a new mutation hadn't turned up. The statistics all year clearly showed the pandemic was not over.

It’s rather irresponsible to suggest you will ignore any restrictions there might be aonk. What about the people in your family who might catch covid?

I’m all booked hotels for Christmas and new year’s having Christmas with my oldest son and wife and granddaughters in a restaurant few days with them then going to spend New Year’s Eve and few days with my youngest his wife and grandsons. I am not spending Christmas alone this year. I will take test before I leave and when I get back. We have to learn to live with covid not spend rest of our life’s hiding behind our doors.

Thank you xx

Having a big happy get together & nothing will stop us

No we’ve cancelled.. husbands brother now tested positive decided one meal. Isn’t worth the risk ..
we can re plan it anytime does not have to be the 25th December just to follow some Pagon festival after all