COVID

Well up to 50 million Americans are still planning on travelling this week for Thanksgiving (though the actual numbers will still vary, but I know airports are already reporting a fair bit of travel). And it's really bad in the US. People will do what people will do!

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2020/11/fewer-americans-traveling-this-thanksgiving-amid-pandemic/

We've been shielding the whole time so Christmas for us will just be like any other day except (hopefully) with better food! 

I hope that those people who are taking Covid seriously will in some way counteract those who will just do as they please, regardless.

Let’s hope!

We've been shielding the whole time so Christmas for us will just be like any other day except (hopefully) with better food! 

I hope that those people who are taking Covid seriously will in some way counteract those who will just do as they please, regardless.

We're still shielding, too (even from each other).  Christmas will be interesting this year.  We won't have our usual traditions, but we'll have some tasty food.  And there's hope... three vaccines are making progress.  We might only miss one Christmas.  I fully expect that next year will be better.  As long as we all make it through this year, missing out one Christmas is nothing. 

If there's one thing they should cancel it's work parties.  Work Christmas parties are a scourge every year and now that the NHS will pay the price it's even worse. 
We are having a bit of a disagreement in our house because my wife really wants to go to France to see her family and says she is willing to isolate for two weeks on return.  I'm not sure if that means everyone else has  to isolate as well even if we don't go. Hopefully the government will have sense and not allow international travel over Christmas.  Zoom is fine.   

If there's one thing they should cancel it's work parties.  Work Christmas parties are a scourge every year and now that the NHS will pay the price it's even worse. 
We are having a bit of a disagreement in our house because my wife really wants to go to France to see her family and says she is willing to isolate for two weeks on return.  I'm not sure if that means everyone else has  to isolate as well even if we don't go. Hopefully the government will have sense and not allow international travel over Christmas.  Zoom is fine.   

Totally agree with the banning of works parties over Christmas. Tough call for your wife although it sounds like it might only be 5 days quarantine as a testing option is being considered. Will cost about £100 for the test though.

Even with restrictions lifted we don’t plan on meeting up with family who live in the same town, and I certainly wouldn’t fly anywhere. I’d be thinking of all those war movies where the folks die in the last battle before the war ends.

If there's one thing they should cancel it's work parties.  Work Christmas parties are a scourge every year and now that the NHS will pay the price it's even worse. 
We are having a bit of a disagreement in our house because my wife really wants to go to France to see her family and says she is willing to isolate for two weeks on return.  I'm not sure if that means everyone else has  to isolate as well even if we don't go. Hopefully the government will have sense and not allow international travel over Christmas.  Zoom is fine.   

There was a headline on BBC News last week wondering whether the office Christmas party could be saved.  My reaction to the headline was "Do people really want to save it?"

As for the disagreement over traveling to France, be strong in your convictions and keep fighting your fight.  Remind her she isn't making risk decisions only on her own behalf, but on behalf of all the people who matter most to her in her life.  Does her family want her to come for a visit?

I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with the work's Christmas 'do nonsense this year!!

As for the disagreement over traveling to France, be strong in your convictions and keep fighting your fight.  Remind her she isn't making risk decisions only on her own behalf, but on behalf of all the people who matter most to her in her life.  Does her family want her to come for a visit?

  You don't know the French very well.  This fight is not worth it.  There is no scenario I can win other than the government continuing the ban on travel which looks pretty likely.  All I have to do is keep my head down and not mention it, then act disappointed that we can't go hang out with the French family.   

I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with the work's Christmas 'do nonsense this year!!

Same here, or the Secret Santa!   

Full on teenage screaming tantrum today.  No, your boyfriend is not a support bubble and you can't go to his house and he can't come here.  You can meet outside, 6 feet apart.    If you don't like it, go talk to Boris. 

Awww, this is so shite for kids... 

Full on teenage screaming tantrum today.  No, your boyfriend is not a support bubble and you can't go to his house and he can't come here.  You can meet outside, 6 feet apart.    If you don't like it, go talk to Boris. 

Feels like yesterday I was that teenager!

Have kids they said!  Kids are great they said!  <snicker snicker snicker> 

Full on teenage screaming tantrum today.  No, your boyfriend is not a support bubble and you can't go to his house and he can't come here.  You can meet outside, 6 feet apart.    If you don't like it, go talk to Boris.

Oh, I'd like to talk to Boris.  I have so much to say to him.  Let your teen know I've got her back.  She still can't go in her boyfriend's house, but I will still happily give Boris an earful on her behalf.

@jfkimberly My angry young teenager thanks you. 
More details if anyone is interested:  It's Romeo's 18th birthday and they've planned some kind of special thing.  Previously, we had allowed them to go to each other's houses even though it was against the rules, mostly because they were at school all day and took most classes together.  It just didn't seem to make much sense to be strict about home rules when they spent all day together anyway.
Now, school is out and there is a new tier.  Rome and Juliet of course think that since we broke the rules before, we have to keep breaking them.   And they both recently tested negative.  And they hung out together just a few days ago, so why does it matter?  And it's his 18th birthday and he may die of a broken heart, and it's raining outside and zoom is not enough and they have to study together and don't you know this is actually going to hurt my exam results if we can study together. 

Romeo's parents have sent us a text saying they don't mind and they've all had negative tests recently, and it would make Romeo happy. I'm not super happy they aren't more careful about following the rules, but it's a bit hypocritical now since I broke them before.

Because everyone is against me, I have agreed to a few hours at Romeo's house with the window open as a one-off, instead of the sleepover everyone else is planning. 

This whole thing sucks and I want to speak to the manager. 

Thank heavens my biggest issue is “why can’t we play on the playground, everyone else is”.

Remind me of this in 6 years or so....