It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Off Topic Chat

DvB

Since mid June we've been back in the office on a part time basis (no more than 40% staff in at any one time with zero crossover of anyone other than senior management). We managed during full lockdown but given the nature of our work we really needed to be in together to collaborate on multi discipline projects (all associated with essential services/indutries) so it was unsustainable us all WFH.

We have loads of space in our office though & can easily socially distance, have a clean desk policy & have FT cleaners in here wiping down & cleaning common areas constantly. We have sanitiser at each desk & throughout the common areas & dont even share bins or suchlike with everyone bagging their own rubbish daily & binning in one central bin area. So far its worked well, with any staff considered 'at risk' continuing to WFH as necessary. We've had 1 or 2 people stay home with colds etc. & 1 person tested due to a close contact (came back negative) but so far we've managed quite well & most staff are delighted to be back in the office as the majority wouldnt have a set up at home anything like the set ups we have here (multiple monitors, printers, deskspace, display areas etc)

Posy

wes wrote: »

I don't think I will be back to the office on any kind of regular basis until there is a vaccine.

I think any who can work from home should work from home until there is a vaccine. My reasoning is that those who have to go into work, will have less traffic and less people on public transport, means less chance to catch the virus.

I suppose there will have to be a contingency plan though for never finding a vaccine.
Malaria, for example, they could never work out a vaccine for.

Neyite

I've been WFH since mid March and will until the end of the month at least - all depending on covid. People with any risk factors will likely stay WFH, and then priority will be given to those who have poor broadband /facilities to effectively WFH after that, after that the rest of us will do part WFH, part WFO per week with the aim of having half the amount of people in the office.

wes

Posy wrote: »

I suppose there will have to be a contingency plan though for never finding a vaccine.
Malaria, for example, they could never work out a vaccine for.

I think we don't need to worry about that, as there are several vaccine candidates and everything I have read has suggested that a few of those will work, the issue is when it can be made available, as the testing to make sure its safe will take a while.

Also, as they say necessity is the mother of invention. We need this to work, or else we will all be wearing hazmat suits to leave the house.

eviltwin

Front line worker here so still working with some obvious changes. Its going to be weird this Christmas. I'm doing Christmas Day and its not going to be anything like a normal Christmas day. No idea what to expect on the day itself or in the run up. We'll have none of the activities we usually have an no Christmas party for the staff which I will miss most of all.

freshpopcorn

SarahLil wrote: »

I agree weeks are going by so quickly,
How many Elves are WFH with the current level 3?
I am WFH since 14th February

Speaking with an older colleague of mine his son grows pumpkins in north county Dublin about 5K of them.. he thinks he is going to be stuck with them his regulars arent putting in the orders

what dates are the kids mid term? I wonder will they extend them while they are on mid term?

Level three seems okay to me to be honest. I'm in Cork so there is a good selection of places to go to.
I'm not into eating out and prefer bringing it home.

I'm thinking back on the year and in Mid February people were talking about it coming into work. Then the last week of February we knew it was here and it was confirmed on Leap Day(29th of February). I think I always remember sitting at home and hearing about it.
Then the toilet rolls, etc started selling out and the schools closed.
I think in Mid March there was just sort of an un ease around the town. It just felt weird. Then Leo made his big announcement and I had to go into work the next morning to do a few things but what got me for the next month was really weird how quite the town was. It almost felt like Christmas day.

It's hard to know about the Pumpkins but I hear about lot's of people planning on decorating for Halloween and making it extra special at home. However Halloween is at the real end of the mid term and parents are probably on panning to do stuff that week to kill time.

SarahLil wrote: »

Yes disappointing with what is online for Carraig Donn
I imagine there is more in store, they usually have baskets with individual baubles
You think they would have more online considering so many people have under lying illness or are terrified to go the shops

I know some people would purchase gifts from them online but if you had a few baubles online I would easily add them to my basket to get my order as free delivery along with gifts

I find with Carraig Donn they can be left with lot's of stock that they are left with in store until there sale just before Christmas and they might be concerned about being over stocked this year.

freshpopcorn

Loughc wrote: »

Time going by in a flash, is anyone else feeling like the weeks are bleeding into each other at this stage, I think it's cause I haven't gotten away this year and can't do too much outside of the home on the weekends.

Time is certainly flying buy.
I'm planning on ordering some furniture for the kitchen and we've the Kitchen, Living room, Hall, Bathroom and maybe the spare room to paint and the Christmas baking and I don't want to get the furniture to soon or leave it go late and it might be awkward this year.

TRS30 wrote: »

It's probably a bit late now however I wonder if supermarkets will get a bigger range of Christmas stuff, decorations etc in case they are the only ones open in the run up to Christmas?

I think Lidl and Aldi will be the same.
Dunnes and Tesco will be hit and miss.
Supervalu's would nearly be your best bet. My local one did loads of gardening stuff this year.
I do find the shops are a lot slower this year to get stock in.

SarahLil

Announcement on Smyths Facebook

We are seeing an unprecedented surge in orders at this time. We have plenty of stock in our warehouses and more arriving each week. Please bear with us while we adjust to meet this early surge in demand.

Click and Collect will not be available over the next few days as stores concentrate on re-stocking. Home Delivery will only be available at certain times until we can bring on extra capacity.

DvB

Pandoras box has been opened with respect to restriction panic, & I don't see it calming down any time soon unfortunately.

Lollipops23

Surely plenty of kids will change their minds between now and Xmas....? Not necessarily the best idea getting all the Santa presents this early!

washiskin

Meath Elves..... the Hill of Tara gift shop has some lovely decorations in..... robjns are big there this year.

Mutleyboo

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Surely plenty of kids will change their minds between now and Xmas....? Not necessarily the best idea getting all the Santa presents this early!

Well the elves have to social distance so only a quarter of the workforce is in place which is why letters need to be in early and once the letter goes theres no changing minds LOL

TRS30

Mutleyboo wrote: »

Well the elves have to social distance so only a quarter of the workforce is in place which is why letters need to be in early and once the letter goes theres no changing minds LOL

Exactly what we told our guys. Christmas letters being done this weekend however will be general enough, Lego, Paw Patrol, bike etc.

Well better be as that is what we have bought already :eek:

SarahLil

washiskin wrote: »

Meath Elves..... the Hill of Tara gift shop has some lovely decorations in..... robjns are big there this year.

Any photos I love Robins

SarahLil

Mutleyboo wrote: »

Well the elves have to social distance so only a quarter of the workforce is in place which is why letters need to be in early and once the letter goes theres no changing minds LOL

Love it..social distancing

Mutleyboo

Well better be as that is what we have bought already :eek:[/quote]

A bit of suggestive thinking with a dash of reverse psychology thrown in.. I'll have to have a word with santa that's way too big.. usually does the trick

Loughc

I need this.

https://www.locustred.com/products/-early-christmas-50-off--custom-led-string-lights?fbclid=IwAR11ACGoIzZrcJKvO5qjIOYEfWj3Ue_3VGBSHMLLgemCxnF9jzUj_GotBPY&variant=81664473

SCOOP 64

Loughc wrote: »

I need this.

https://www.locustred.com/products/-early-christmas-50-off--custom-led-string-lights?fbclid=IwAR11ACGoIzZrcJKvO5qjIOYEfWj3Ue_3VGBSHMLLgemCxnF9jzUj_GotBPY&variant=81664473

They look good,what its mean by recharge in 1 hour,there mains power aren't they? and will it come from UK.

Loughc

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

They look good,what its mean by recharge in 1 hour,there mains power aren't they? and will it come from UK.

I’ll be honest it was an ad on Facebook so I won’t order from that site but if I see something similar in the shops I’m buying.

PaulT21

Loughc wrote: »

I’ll be honest it was an ad on Facebook so I won’t order from that site but if I see something similar in the shops I’m buying.

Agreed. They look brilliant:) but god know what if anything would turn up:o

If any kind person sees something similar locally, please post, cheers:D

Beechwoodspark

Loughc wrote: »

I would say 4pm Christmas Eve until 12pm on the 27th.

Completely agree with the give the retail workers a break.

Given the disruption this year with COVID provided we're not in lockdown I could see alot of stores opening Christmas Day this year.

I have a strict rule I’ll never darken the door of any retailer on Stephens day. Bar/restaurant in the evening yes. But no shops.

It used to be Irish practice and tradition that shops closed on Christmas Eve - Stephens day and reopened on the 27th or 28th.

This changed around the year 2000 - big chain retailers simply would NOT LEAVE IT BE and started opening at stupid o clock on Stephens day.

One bloody day of missed trade yet they bullied until they got their way - ruining Christmas for countless retail staff.

Grrrr.

Posy

I can't help seeing the irony in the shops who couldn't keep their doors closed for one extra day, and the publicans who campaigned so hard against having to close on Good Friday, who then had to close for so many months this year.

Bet they'd appreciate only having to shut up shop for only one day now!

freshpopcorn

For anybody planning a Halloween bed available at Home Store and more!

freshpopcorn

Christmas stock available at Home Store and More!





Wreaths

freshpopcorn

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Other bits from Home Store and More.





I don't know if I did a good thing or bad thing with all the pics.

Posy

Good thing.

Mutleyboo

Definitely a good thing!

Sheep Shagger

Will wait for their usual 50% off text message, specifically looking for an 8 ft tree.

DvB

Great Pics Freshpopcorn. A few bits on there I know we'll be interested in. Must show herself.