"Call off Christmas!"

[dk168]

As said by the late great Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

No one has said it out loud yet, however, I expect the new normal to stay with us for a while, which would mean much less opportunities to go out and about like I did last year.

It is unlikely for me to bother with cards and gifts this year (I make my own) except for a small handful of people whom I consider as my bubbles.

Effectively, Christmas is cancelled for me.

In addition, as I shan't have my campervan until late November/early December, compounded by the ever-changing travel restrictions, I decided against taking the van over to France, as I would like to spend more time to get used to my van closer to home first.

Hence I have decided to go camping in my new van over the festive period a few days ago. Camp site and cattery booked.

I shall still cook up a feast or two for myself (and the dog), however, the menu would need to be adjusted as I shan't be able to roast a duck in my tiny oven.

I last camped over Christmas in 2012 and it was great fun. The site was only 6 miles from home, very quiet and peaceful.

To cheer myself up, I shall plan my trips for 2021, at least once every month, including a trip to France in June.

What is everyone's planned for the festive period this year?

DK

 

[missy]

I’m disappointed but will power through. Last year greg and I had to cancel joining the Christmas Eve celebration at my aunt and uncle’s house. My whole family was there but sadly Greg’s kidney stones started misbehaving horribly and off to the ER we went. Where he had surgery to remove. And before that we had canceled our Thanksgiving celebration that we host. Because of ringworm. 2019 was a helluva challenging year. And 2020 is no sloucher in the challenging department either. :/


How will we celebrate? With each other. Not with my parents or sister or BIL or nieces or aunt and uncle however. Hopefully next year though. Fingers crossed!

Wishing everyone a healthy holiday season.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

We're holding our small annual Christmas gathering like usual but I'm pretty sure hubby's uncle and his family won't be able to make it.

We're not that close to them but they are lovely people and they often tell us they really look forward to our Christmas lunch. We are the only family they have here and I will always remember how thrilled they were the first year I invited them. Since then it has been a tradition every single year and they've often told us it makes their Christmas less lonely because they know where they need to be on the day and everything is taken care of. They have a severely immune compromised child so I doubt they will dare to come over this year.

We bought this house in the hopes of having them (and others) over for lunch more often and not just at Christmas (old house was very difficult to deal with and there was just no space to have guests frequently) so it's all a bit sad.

 

[Big Fat Facets]

Christmas this year will be very DIFFERENT, that's for sure.
Not neccesarily "calling it off" BUT making the best of and adapting to a bizarre and surreal situation. Generally, life as we know it, will not return to "normal" for quite awhile. We will still try to be celebratory just to have some holiday season fun. Will prepare special foods and treats to enjoy, just less of it than in the past. Will celebrate christmas with just my immediate household, which is my husband our 2 cats and myself.

 

[MarionC]

I’ve had some Christmases where I went to the barn, fed the horses, came home and watch TV. And I’ve had fabulous Christmases, huge family gatherings, exciting presents.
So, some happy times and some sad lonely times. But it always felt like Christmas with a certain spirit in the house.
This year I don’t know what’s going to happen. My daughter and her husband are heading for the states in October and will spend Christmas there, and I don’t know if I will be there or still here waiting for safe travel.
All up in the air.
Heck it’s only September...anything can happen.
So it’s not time to be depressed yet.

 

[dk168]

I normally spend Christmas on my own when I am on my own, prefer it that way, as I cannot put up with other people's dramas especially those I do not know well.

Last December, I was either making homemade gifts or going out for an event every day.evening through to New Year's Day!

It would be a lot quieter this year for certain.

I am looking forward to camping in my van with the dog at my favourite site not far from a beach.

The entire beach allows dogs that time of the year, instead of just a small section.

I went there with him one year in between the public holidays, about 1.5h's drive from home, and it was like a doggy beach party with lots of dogs and their owners. It was fabulous!

I booked a hard-standing service pitch with water and grey water drainage, to see if the extra expense is worth it.

I am really excited about camping over the festive period again, or just to go camping as soon as I have my van which is estimated to be ready by the end of November/early December if all goes according to plan, as I have not camped since my last trip in 2018 for various reasons, and am eager to be on the road again.

DK

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Can't really call off Christmas with young kids so depending on what the situation looks like we will with celebrate just the four of us or with the extended family like usual.

 

[dk168]

Simple things make me happy, and I do not know why I had not thought about this until now, in that although my tiny 12L electric convection oven in my campervan is too small even for a small chicken, I can roast smaller birds such as poussin/guinea fowl/patridge/grouse/quails/etc., woo hoo!

And I can slow-cook a chunk of beef short rib the next day.

DK

 

[AGBF]

I could not celebrate Easter with my extended family this year. We always gather for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Now, I assume, I will also miss Thanksgiving and Christmas. The only young children we have are two one year olds who are in Chicago and Ann Arbor, Michigan. I do not know if I would have seen them for Christmas anyway, but I probably would have seen my great-nephew who lives in Dallas. He usually tries to fly here for Christmas or Thanksgiving. It is not great to be apart from family, but if everyone stays healthy, I will be grateful. Too many people are not making it through 2020. My heart goes out to those families who will face the holiday season with family members missing.

 

[MamaBee]

It will be a very different Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...I won’t be able to see my two sons, daughter-in-law, Jackson, and my new..never held yet..grandson, Noah. We will still decorate the houses for the holiday...My son, David, is a like a small child (Autism) so I will make the usual fanfare and menu. It‘s his favorite holiday..I will keep up a happy face for him even though my heart will be sad...

 

[stracci2000]

I suspect people will still attempt to have lots of gift giving, and family gatherings.
I work in retail, and the stores are full of shoppers like usual. Some stores are still counting heads and only allowing a certain number of customers in at one time. This creates a long line on the sidewalk, as you all are aware.
People are chomping at the bit for normalcy, and I predict lots of online ordering, and long lines outside your local Target store.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

This year will be very different for us. Our baby should be about 2 weeks old, all of our normal celebrations will be cancelled. The only thing we're doing is Christmas breakfast at my Mother's house. It will only be our two households and we generally only "hang" with each other. And they all get their flu shots

 

[marymm]

We will still decorate and bake for the holidays - my mother lives for Christmas - but no guests this year for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day - she sends out about a dozen boxes of presents to her children and grandkids, and probably 50 cards (plus Christmas letter) - so we will take our time with the holiday wrapping - she has already stamped and addressed all of her cards and just need to sign them and add a little personal message to each card - frankly I am doing all I can to ensure this Christmas is as special in its own way as all the other Christmases in her life.

 

[lyra]

We have our family living with us (still!). Extended family is across the country and we don't do Christmases with them. Not much will change, but everything just feels more "off" this year. We're not doing Halloween at all. Thanksgiving is mid October but it's just us. I like the decorations? I'm just not in the spirit for much this year.

 

[dk168]

We have our family living with us (still!). Extended family is across the country and we don't do Christmases with them. Not much will change, but everything just feels more "off" this year. We're not doing Halloween at all. Thanksgiving is mid October but it's just us. I like the decorations? I'm just not in the spirit for much this year.

That's it - I am not in the spirit for it this year!

I started making the main component for my seasonal card this year at the onset of lockdown in March, got about 50% of them made, however, lately, I just thought, what's the point?

DK

 

[tyty333]

The point is that it cheers the receiver of the card up @dk168! I'm sure people love to hear from you and to know that you are thinking
about them. I know its a tough year and I can certainly understand your sentiments. For those reasons, I feel like we need to make the holidays
extra special this year for the people we love. I'm just not sure how to do that. I have to put my thinking cap on...

 

[dk168]

@tyty333 I know what you mean, however, I seldom write anything in the card, or include a note etc...

DK

 

[seaurchin]

I haven't really thought about it yet but it will definitely at least be scaled back.

Now I'm thinking about asking my nearest and dearest if they would like to delay it for six months and have a summertime Christmas instead, after the pandemic is over. Maybe just mail a little something for December.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I haven't really thought about it yet but it will definitely at least be scaled back.

Now I'm thinking about asking my nearest and dearest if they would like to delay it for six months and have a summertime Christmas instead, after the pandemic is over. Maybe just mail a little something for December.

Hey we Aussies love to do Christmas in July (seriously it's a thing, they put up decorations in the city and you can go on Christmas in July day Cruises etc - pre Covid) so it will totally work!!!

I have photos of myself and Lil Sis (she's crazy about Christmas) on a Christmas in July outing (pre Covid) and you would never guess it wasn't actually the real Christmas!!!

 

[Ally T]

Christmas is a HUGE event for us. We both have large immediate families (9 on my husbands side & 14 on my side) so we have always had 2 official Christmases. We take it in turns to spend the 25th with either his family or mine, then have another full on Christmas day with the other side on the 28th. Last year we were down South with his family, which may be a blessing for this year & us being due to stay home & not travel. However, restrictions here still forbid multiple households from mixing indoors, so if that's still the case, it'll be a quiet one here with just us 4, with gifts being delivered & a quick glass of wine at the other 3 houses of my siblings. My mother will bubble with my little sister & the youngest grandchildren, so we will give her gifts there.

It will be a first for us not to be together for a huge lunch & party with our respective families, but it is what it is & we must tow the line. Urgh. It's our favourite time of the year

 

[dk168]

@Alex T although I like to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day on my own, I love December and the days leading up to the holidays.

I love parties, concerts, eating out, dressing up, pub crawls, cocktails, card making and giving, and gift making and giving, etc. etc...

Not much chance of doing much this year, thanks to C19, hey ho!

DK

 

[Ally T]

@Alex T although I like to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day on my own, I love December and the days leading up to the holidays.

I love parties, concerts, eating out, dressing up, pub crawls, cocktails, card making and giving, and gift making and giving, etc. etc...

Not much chance of doing much this year, thanks to C19, hey ho!

DK

Me too! It's usually a month of various events for us too, right through to New Year, so I'm not sure how it will all pan out this time. Your trip sounds like just the tonic though. Maybe I'll follow your lead & book a little getaway, perhaps back to the Tree House again.

 

[pearlsngems]

Ever since my mother passed away in early 2015, it's just been the 3 of us. Our daughter is an adult but still lives with us.

We've been scaling back holiday celebrations for years, buying less "stuff" and focusing on good food and each other's company. So I don't think we will be greatly affected by the pandemic, other than possibly needing to change my menu if I can't readily buy the salted cod for the baccala I ike to make. We'll see.

 

[inne]

We are hoping to rent a cottage in Muskoka for a week or so.

Usually we go to the symphony and the ballet in the days leading up to Christmas, celebrate Christmas at home, then go to my in-laws on Christmas Day. But of course we cannot do most of that this year. Plus, it will be our first time celebrating Christmas without our beloved dog in 14 years, so I'm not even sure we would *want* to do what we usually do since a lot of it would just remind us of her (although she was not a big fan of the ballet ) Hopefully we can sit by a fire, read books, cook tasty food, hike through the woods, and create new traditions. I'm actually looking forward to it.

 

[Cozystitches]

Ours will look different this year. With one sister travelling (with little kids) from out of state and another with pushy inlaws, we are looking at celebrating the family Christmas on Sunday rather than the Friday. It does mean that all of us (parents, the 6 sisters and their families) will be together again. As my eldest has moved out and my middle will be going into the Army it may be the last one with all of us together.

 

[dk168]

@pearlsngems how about making your own by salting the fish, then drying them slowing in a low oven?

I had made salted fish pieces using Coley, a less expensive white fish yet more flavoursome than cod IMHO, before storing them in oil. It did make the house smell of fish for a few days afterwards though.

DK

 

[Bron357]

It’s a bit sad for my family.
This Christmas will be my Dads last, he has had progression with his cancer and is looking and feeling weaker. He won’t get to see his his children and grandchildren again.
My sister and family are in France and their visit in April was cancelled due to COVID and the situation won’t have improved enough for them to come for Christmas.
Ditto my brother and partner (in Perth) and his children (Queensland) who won’t be able to visit for Christmas (We have State border crossing restrictions and next to nil internal flights).
so it will just be me, DH and DD with my mum and dad and DH mum.

 

[monarch64]

The older I get, the less tied I feel to holidays and their associated traditions. I may travel this year if it doesn’t look like a family get together is safe since my parents are nearly 80 and not in the best of health. I can envision renting a lodge or cabin somewhere in the mountains and sequestering myself with a couple good books for a few days. My ex has been taking our daughter to CT for a week over winter break so I’d have the time. Of course, there’s always the beach...growing up, my family would stay in Florida for two weeks at Christmas. Maybe I’ll get back to that, and take my daughter for the week I have her. The holidays seem rife with possibilities now that I think about it!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Alan Rickman was the BEST! For Christmas I'll be watching my favorite "Christmas" movie, Die Hard; other than that, can't guarantee we'll be doing anything else.

cheers--Sharon

 

[MamaBee]

HI:

Alan Rickman was the BEST! For Christmas I'll be watching my favorite "Christmas" movie, Die Hard; other than that, can't guarantee we'll be doing anything else.

cheers--Sharon

I LOVE Die Hard @canuk-gal!