Christmas during Covid times

JP Liz V1

No big Christmas parties or pub crawls

SusanC10

Starting to get much more pessimistic now about Christmas given the current trajectory.

Graces7

It will be as it is by choice.

Peaceful out here.

With no living family, and no regrets or yearnings, a deeply meaningful time with enough of the traditions to make it special.

All my friends etc stopped cards and gifts long since by mutual agreement although some do still filter in! And are welcomed ..

Two years ago I was still able to be out and my last outing was to the Meals on Wheels Lunch Club Christmas Dinner which was so good for so many.

But then into the quietude of the time. back on the ferry to home. That year as we crossed I smiled at my neighbours. " Home for Christmas!" and there were big grins and nods of agreement. Lovely moment!

Advent with the candles and greenery. The big white star that will be as always above the drive here.

And Lessons and Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve. Candles lit for love of those gone home.

Small turkey.. and all that goes with it.

It will be different for many this year, but that too can be good. so many lovely posts! If you can, please remember those alone nearby who are not at peace about that state. In earlier years a card or small gift meant so much at what can be a hard time. There will not be the community meals and events for the old and alone this year. Wish I could help with it all!

Mrs OBumble

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Planning on Christmas Eve and day church services as normal, and the annual carol service my wife and kids so enjoy.

Book your seats for those services now, they'll go fast.

Also don't expect to sing any carols: it will be a small, masked,, socially distanced choir at best.

bigpink

jrosen wrote: »

Staying home ourselves. Which we started last year. Im not sure if we will visit family. We usually stroll around town on xmas eve with the kids and go for some food but have booked somewhere local this year.

I work alot of the Christmas anyway so I suppose we have always had a regular low key xmas period anyway.

Places even taking bookings for Xmas Eve??

jrosen

Yeah, a lot of restaurants using open table and other such platform for bookings. Who know if it will go ahead but atleast it’s booked. We’ve been going for dinner for years on Xmas eve and its just lovely.

munchkin_utd

One thing that has been suggested is that people intending on visiting elderly relatives should restrict their movements, eg. take it handy on socialising, the week before christmas to reduce the chance of them contracting the disease(which may be harmelss to them) and passing it to their parents or grandparents, to whom its slightly more serious a problem if they catch it.

We have the kids in school right up to the 23rd of December so for us visiting 80 year old grandparents straight after is just not going to happen, even ignoring other logistical problems with lockdown and whatnot that may prevent us anyway.

Gael23

There will be uproar of people can’t visit loved ones in hospital or nursing homes on Christmas meaning

woodchuck

Are any workplaces getting creative with virtual Christmas events? Not a peep from my place yet about anything festive planned to boost moral...

Seamai

I'd imagine there are plenty out there who would only be too happy to forego a Christmas staff party. Last year there were 7 at my one, 4 weren't drinking as they were driving and there was a bolt for the door once dessert was downed, no one wanted to be there.

woodchuck

Seamai wrote: »

I'd imagine there are plenty out there who would only be too happy to forego a Christmas staff party. Last year there were 7 at my one, 4 weren't drinking as they were driving and there was a bolt for the door once dessert was downed, no one wanted to be there.

I wouldn't mind a JustEats voucher instead :P

Just wondering how workplaces are approaching it. It would be nice to have something to look forward to! Even if it's just a takeaway that can be expensed...

witchgirl26

I think ours will be fairly normal as it's our "at home" year (as opposed to being over in my mams). My mam will come to us this year so that will be nice. Biggest change is that we normally do a big Christmas Eve lunch out somewhere with both friends & family but that won't be happening. It was starting to cause some stress though so might not be a bad thing.

My work have started to think about ideas & are actively asking employees for ideas for something virtual for the Christmas season. Suggestions have been a JustEat voucher, table quiz, bottle of wine & chocolates to everyone.

I think the main thing will be getting the presents sorted earlier than normal. My sister has all of her shopping pretty much done so that if we do end up in another lockdown, she knows she has them there for the kids. It's just adapting.

SusanC10

woodchuck wrote: »

Are any workplaces getting creative with virtual Christmas events? Not a peep from my place yet about anything festive planned to boost moral...

My Husband's place are trying to organise a virtual party. Not sure what it will involve. They are all WFH since March.

JuanBerrosa

Hiding under the bed for Christmas 2021 - Christmas 2035 .... We all should be doing this , remember NPHET knows best !!!!

Sam Hain

SusanC10 wrote: »

My Husband's place are trying to organise a virtual party. Not sure what it will involve. They are all WFH since March.

Cringemas.

screamer

Gael23 wrote: »

There will be uproar of people can’t visit loved ones in hospital or nursing homes on Christmas meaning

Yeh there’ll be worse uproar if nursing homes get covid19 ripping through them again a couple of weeks after Christmas. It’s the festive season for us, and the infestive season for Covid.

Sam Hain

Sam Hain wrote: »

Cringemas.

Why? Sounds like a bit of craic - few beers and a bit of craic with colleagues/friends.

I will miss the Christmas party big time, was always a serious session and I’ve always looked forward to it massively.

My mum’s been driving us insane since spring as she hasn’t been going anywhere. She has a better social life than me usually what with bingo and at this time of year, 25 card games in the local pubs and community centres. We’ve been playing zoom bingo but I had a mad thought for playing 25 over the Christmas period.

Buy 30 packs of playing cards.
Buy a ridiculous amount of envelopes.
Deal as many hands as possible from a pack of cards and put each hand into a separate envelope and the Trump card into another envelope.
Mark these envelopes as PACK 1 & PACK 1 Trump.
Repeat above for all of the packs.
Post envelopes (Pack 1 through to Pack 30) to family and friends that play and are internet savvy.
Arrange a zoom call over Christmas period
Players open the same titled envelope and I open the Trump card.
Play as normal with everyone adjusting their cameras so the cards on the table can be seen.

What do ya think?

screamer

Kaylee Creamy Thermos wrote: »

Why? Sounds like a bit of craic - few beers and a bit of craic with colleagues/friends.

I will miss the Christmas party big time, was always a serious session and I’ve always looked forward to it massively.

I couldn’t imagine anything worse TBH. Work colleagues are just that to me, nothing more and the hell I want to waste an evening on zoom tolerating them.
It’d be nice for companies to offer a voucher or some token of goodwill this year but I don’t see it happening. A lot of them are struggling, the ones that aren’t are battening down the hatches for what’s to come, it’s just the way it is.

screamer

screamer wrote: »

I couldn’t imagine anything worse TBH. Work colleagues are just that to me, nothing more and the hell I want to waste an evening on zoom tolerating them.
It’d be nice for companies to offer a voucher or some token of goodwill this year but I don’t see it happening. A lot of them are struggling, the ones that aren’t are battening down the hatches for what’s to come, it’s just the way it is.

Fair enough I’d have made some of my best friends though work so have a very different outlook. In fact aside from my original group of friends since school (who I’m very close with still) pretty much all my other friends have been made through work, even met my wife as she was friends of a work friend etc.

Graces7

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Book your seats for those services now, they'll go fast.

Also don't expect to sing any carols: it will be a small, masked,, socially distanced choir at best.

Your words remind me of the carol.. " How silently. how silently, The wondrous gift is given."

eviltwin

I'll be working Christmas Day itself which will be strange. Usually there are a few of us on duty and we have an absolute blast but I will be working solo, there will be no fun and games so it will be quite subdued.

Really don't know what else we can do to make the season festive apart from family only things. We'll make a big production of putting up the decorations etc but I don't feel any connection to Christmas this year. It's been a tough year and I think Christmas is just going to amplify that. But we'll make the best of it.

freshpopcorn

RTÉ are going to go all about and be as miserable as possible for the festive season this year!

Gods Gift

SusanC10 wrote: »

My Husband's place are trying to organise a virtual party. Not sure what it will involve. They are all WFH since March.

Great I could email my photocopied arse this year.

bladespin

freshpopcorn wrote: »

RTÉ are going to go all about and be as miserable as possible for the festive season this year!

No great change then

Ah no, the pressure will definitely be on them to perform, all the talk of licence fees etc, now's the time for them to stand up, were pretty good during the lockdown tbh.

munchkin_utd

So.... the third wave will be starting in early january so ????

mohawk

Grandparents are in their 80’s and their school age grandchildren are in school until the 23rd. It’s going to be a ****ty year for them as no one will want to visit.
Best part of Christmas was everyone making time to catch up over dinner and drinks. Popping into see family because your off work and no kids activities so you actually have time to give to people.

People give out about the commercialisation of it and I agree but it’s only commercial if you make it that way.

bladespin

munchkin_utd wrote: »

So.... the third wave will be starting in early january so ????

Schools and workplaces all back after a holiday, yes that would be an ideal time.

bigpink

jrosen wrote: »

Yeah, a lot of restaurants using open table and other such platform for bookings. Who know if it will go ahead but atleast it’s booked. We’ve been going for dinner for years on Xmas eve and its just lovely.

Never heard of Xmas Eve dinner in a restaurant must be a new Celtic tiger thing.Must people want to be a home not working or relaxing

bigpink

bigpink wrote: »

Never heard of Xmas Eve dinner in a restaurant must be a new Celtic tiger thing.Must people want to be a home not working or relaxing

Christmas eve dinner I have not done very often but Christmas eve pints are massive, one of the busiest afternoon/evenings in any pub.