NINE months into this pandemic and I am as aware as the next person how much we all miss our loved ones.
We long to hug them and hold them close in these toughest of times.
But after all we have sacrificed to get coronavirus under control, dodging the worst until there is a vaccine . . . well, I am struggling with the idea that we can have five days “off” from it all.
For a start, the three-household limit issued in this week’s Christmas guidance has left everyone with tough decisions to make about their Christmas bubble and who is in it. And, more importantly, who is not.
Already I have friends who have all but come to blows with relatives about who is hosting, who will attend and who will be left out.
Now, more than ever, we need to exercise our own judgment about how to be safe.
After all we’ve been through, I think most of us are resigned to the idea that the festive season won’t be anything like Christmases of the past.
And for some, whisper it, that might even be a good thing.
SUPER-SPREADER EVENTS
After all, pared-back and scaled-down plans mean that whoever is usually responsible for planning, shopping and cooking the feast will have a much easier time of it.
Being told we can get together with two other families is not only confusing, it is contradictory to the many months we have spent in various degrees of isolation.
For five days over Christmas, three households will be able to mix, and the Government has also agreed to relax social-distancing rules, allowing friends and family members to hug.
After everything we have had, it is going from one extreme to another, for five days only.
That, some might say, is just long enough for multiple households to mix repeatedly and create super-spreader events.
And then what? We face another month in total lockdown as some kind of penance.
Having got this far, with months of sacrifice under our belts, isn’t it crazy to chuck that in the air for five days of Christmas jollity?
Many of us have questioned whether a lockdown was, and is, the right response to this pandemic.
But if there is a risk involved with getting together, is it really worth putting our loved ones in harm’s way in the name of tradition, just for some dry turkey and mushy Brussels sprouts?
This virus doesn’t know it’s Christmas. It won’t take a week off just so we can get together with our various beloveds.
So we really do need to be sensible. Maybe this year is your chance to step away from old traditions and form new ones.
STAY AWAY
Yes, Christmas is a time for family.
And yes, this is the day we most want to celebrate, play games, eat too much food and drink too much . . . then go on to think about starting a diet in January.
But this year, of all years, really must be different.
I urge you all to be sensible and to stay away from any relatives who are elderly or vulnerable.
If the weather is OK, why not meet for a drink in the garden instead?
And if it is not safe to see them, stay on the sofa sipping Baileys and eating mince pies.
I know it’s hard, but it is just one day. And how much harder will it be if your parents get sick?
As my friend’s dad said to her when he suggested they should not meet up over Christmas: “Let’s stay alive until we have the jab. Then we can party.”
In other words . . . this too shall pass.
