Is it really Christmas?

[Dustydog]

TV rubbish. No Dickens Christmas Carol or Scrooge. No Carols on radio or TV. No good old Christmas songs. Not many decorations around this year. Surely Covid isn’t dragging us all down?
So a very Happy and Covid safe Christmas to everyone on here. Thanks to everyone for all your pearls of wisdom and help on our pet subject👏👏👏

 

[Parksy]

Cheer up DD, it's not all Bah! Humbug.
Carols from Kings is on BBC 2 at 6:15 on Christmas Eve.
If you use a music streaming service it's now possible to stream 100 Carols for Choirs, taken from the widely used booke of the same name, and used by many local choirs.
There are some that you may not be familiar with and many that you'll know.
Great to sing along to after a few seasonal bevvies. 🎅

 

[Buckman]

The only shop I have been in for the past 2 - 3 months is LIDL and no over powering music in there thank goodness. Done all my shopping Online. Next week we are not even going into LIDL and will do all our grocery shopping Online. Thank goodness we bought all Christmas presents over a month ago.

 

[otherclive]

Our close is full of lights but ours are not yet up. Mrs OC has been getting food in so only vegetables required from nearby farm shop. Will not be seeing son in Wales for second year running so FaceTime will have to suffice.
In town last weekend we had the Salvation Army playing carols and there were a lot of extra stalls for Christmas. At home I have two albums, one is carols. The other Christmas hits. So they can be Bluetoothed anywhere much to the families irritation.
Christmas Eve is our normal wider family supper, but for the first time in 29 years our grandson will not be with us on Christmas Day lunch as his partner is doing locum that day and he will be doing a delayed lunch fir the two of them. But he will join me for breakfast to attack the Melton Mowbray pie.

Today is wreath making day where our granddaughter turns our foraging into a lovely wreath. Then joy of joy she’s off to get her first covid jab.

Happy Christmas to all whatever your plans.




PS Wreath now finished, next she is wrapping my Christmas presents as I have never managed to wrap them neatly.

 

[Mel]

A very happy Christmas to all.
For me, Handel’s Messiah is the best Christmas music. Favourite Carols are Hark the Herald, O little town of Bethlehem, and Calypso Carol. Also like Silver Bells but it tends to give you an ear worm; as does Joy to the World.
Whatever you listen to, enjoy.
mel

 

[Raywood]

I do have to say that it does not feel like Christmas is only a week away. We have decorations up and the presents ready, but the uncertainty about what will happen has ruined the atmosphere. We have a Christmas dinner booked at a local hotel, that is still on, but quite what will happen I cannot be sure. We just have to hope but the Christmas spirit feels ruined already.
my wife likes going shopping for the sales on 27th but is considering internet surfing for bargains this year.

 

[Buckman]

my wife likes going shopping for the sales on 27th but is considering internet surfing for bargains this year.

We have never ever gone shopping for sales on Boxing day or the following days. I guess we must be the exception to the rule?

 

[otherclive]

We have never ever gone shopping for sales on Boxing day or the following days. I guess we must be the exception to the rule?

No you are not on your own, it’s something we avoid like the plague, or should it be Covid? Venturing out on Bank Holidays is always a No No too.

 

[RogerL]

I thought Boxing Day Sales had been abandoned - they seemed to start well before Christmas and now seem replaced by Black Friday Sales - maybe a lot of people go to the shops on Boxing Day to get refunds on presents they don't want!

 

[Parksy]

It always amazes me when I see footage of bargain hunters camped on pavements outside large stores ready for opening time on Boxing day.
There's nothing that I'd want badly enough to forego Christmas to get some money off for.

 

[Jcloughie]

We are avoiding pub meals, mainly as Marj is still far too nervous and I don’t feel it is right to twist her arm. But our local Dobbies did a Christmas meal last Thursday and the Thursday before that. They always do decent food. The Resteraunt is extremely spacious and airy with ceilings as high as a house. So we felt OK with that, so I booked for 4 of us.

The meal and service was good, and the staff friendly. But, over the two evenings, they could easily have managed 150 covers, perhaps a lot more. We were the ONLY 4. We were served by 6 staff plus an unknown number in the kitchen. We only booked at the last minute and didn’t think we would get in!

Going to daughters for lunch on Christmas day, she always does a great job. There will be about 9 of us. Sadly she has had to ‘ban’ her youngest son and his partner as they will be just getting back from Mexico on the 23rd.

Later we go to my sons for the evening with about about 11 of us.

So fingers are crossed.

John

 

[Thingy]

The way Omicrom is hurtling around, I think it very wise to avoid crowds, especially as most shops and venues dont appear to be enforcing mask rules. Too many selfish morons around Im afraid.

We have the closest family here on xmas day as usual, and the rule is, a lateral flow at least before you come. Both daughters being scientists, its not a rule that needs pushing thank goodness, as they are just as careful as we are.

I have a very busy week coming up, so if I dont make it to the forum again, I wish you all the very best for christmas and the new year, and most of all STAY SAFE. Even Santa has to deliver to the doorstep and step back.

I wonder how history will regard this period two hundred years from now?

 

[GeorgeandAde]

"I wonder how history will regard this period two hundred years from now?"

Probably still be in lockdown😛

 

[otherclive]

"I wonder how history will regard this period two hundred years from now?"

Probably still be in lockdown😛

Thirty years hence perhaps:

 

[Buckman]

We have just come back from the pub and there were initially only 4 people including ourselves and then it was just the two of us. Normally this pub is quite busy.
Last week at a different pub the same A couple having a meal and us. Again a fairly busy pub on Saturdays.

 

[otherclive]

We have just come back from the pub and there were initially only 4 people including ourselves and then it was just the two of us. Normally this pub is quite busy.
Last week at a different pub the same A couple having a meal and us. Again a fairly busy pub on Saturdays.

People are making their own decisions on how they feel about social mixing. Absolute nightmare to manage for the hospitality trade and their suppliers. Worse than a lockdown.

 

[Buckman]

People are making their own decisions on how they feel about social mixing. Absolute nightmare to manage for the hospitality trade and their suppliers. Worse than a lockdown.

We only go to pubs where we know social distancing is maintained due to layout of seating. We would not enter a crowded pub lie a Weatherspoons etc.

 

[RogerL]

We only go to pubs where we know social distancing is maintained due to layout of seating. We would not enter a crowded pub lie a Weatherspoons etc.

Wetherspoons were applying full social distancing back in the summer, we used them a few times when we were away - certainly a lot emptier than at normal times.

 

[Buckman]

Wetherspoons were applying full social distancing back in the summer, we used them a few times when we were away - certainly a lot emptier than at normal times.

A couple of months ago during the school holidays we stopped at the Wetherspoons for lunch in Stourport on Severn which is also known as "Birmingham by the sea".
It is quite a large pub and before this Covid thing it was always crowded especially during school holidays. I think that when we visited only 4 or maybe 5 tables were occupied.

 

[Hutch]

I try to avoid Weatherspoons, due to their outright restrictions to dogs, not even allowed outside. But when I did go into,one last year, their layout was very good for, isolation booths, very well thought out.
One local that I use, the landlord has installed air purifiers with HEPA filter that have ultra violet unit, supposedly to kill viruses. 🤔
Merry Christmas to all.

 

[Dustydog]

I and SWMBO have done our LFTs today. All clear so hopefully a safe lunch at Daughters. She’s paranoid about C19 even though she’s had it and like us is triple jabbed. Meanwhile we and most of our friends and neighbours have had a nasty flu bug knocking us out for a week. So it’s not just Covid we have to deal with😥😥. Sadly this thing will be around for years to come.

 

[Raywood]

We have never ever gone shopping for sales on Boxing day or the following days. I guess we must be the exception to the rule?

I know the 27th is officially Boxing Day but to us it is still the 26th. The 27th is just an extra day to make up for Christmas being on a weekend.

 

[otherclive]

Our neighbours have covid. Two daughters and the dad. The other daughter and mum seem okay thus far. Windows are wide open and have been for a few days.

 

[Buckman]

I know the 27th is officially Boxing Day but to us it is still the 26th. The 27th is just an extra day to make up for Christmas being on a weekend.

I thought Boxing day was always the 26th, but this year 27th is replacement for Christmas day and 28th is replacement for Boxing Day.

 

[otherclive]

I thought Boxing day was always the 26th, but this year 27th is replacement for Christmas day and 28th is replacement for Boxing Day.

That what my Letts diary says.