Holiday and Winter Alternatives for Social Distancing Gatherings

[CSIDreamer]

Okay, they are definitely getting on each other's nerves right now. One bedroom apartment, each one feeling not the greatest. And on isolation until 10 days after Last day of symptom.

Yeah, I can see that testing any relationship.

Isolation/quarantine has been rough even without added illness. Let's pray for a quick recovery.

 

[weepingangel]

How to Tell Your Family You're Not Coming Home for the Holidays

 

[dixiegirl1035]

How to Tell Your Family You're Not Coming Home for the Holidays

Well, I had someone who just pasted this on their fb... and I responded... rut roh. perhaps I should have waited until you posted this and shared? I'm just SMDH.. Anyway... my bottom line response was to make sure your event isn't the reason that it is their last holiday. SMDH.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

WDIV-TV (Detroit) conducted a viewer survey about how families will celebrate Thanksgiving this year. I plan to cook a simple dinner for the two of us, and DH will deliver dinner to my brothers during half time of the football game.

Thanksgiving survey results: What our members say about 2020 plans

We had 713 members respond to the survey.

Key takeaways:

• Only 33% (238) of respondents said they would take part in a Thanksgiving gathering this year.
• A whopping 78.6% of respondents said they flat out do not believe it is safe to gather for Thanksgiving this year.
• Most respondents who do plan to gather for Thanksgiving this year are sticking to small groups of 1-2 or 2-4 people.
• Nearly 40% of respondents said they normally gather with more than 10 people for Thanksgiving.
• The respondents in this survey trended older -- more than 70% are 56 or older.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Well, I had someone who just pasted this on their fb... and I responded... rut roh. perhaps I should have waited until you posted this and shared? I'm just SMDH.. Anyway... my bottom line response was to make sure your event isn't the reason that it is their last holiday. SMDH.

View attachment 271664

Your response was perfect I think it's despicable to put someone on a guilt trip about whether or not they should attend holiday gatherings.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Your response was perfect I think it's despicable to put someone on a guilt trip about whether or not they should attend holiday gatherings.

Yeah, I fell into putting a guilt trip on others in turn. She followed with a main post on FB post about some folks are crazy stupid about the risk of COVID... so I thought better of it and I've put her on ignore. (She is the daughter of a good friend, and only have her on my friend list as we are old folks.... and always want a family connection for contact of single elderly friends)

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

With Covid-19 cases spiking, the CDC warns Americans against traveling for Thanksgiving

Citing an "exponential growth" in Covid-19 cases, federal public health officials urge people to stay home.

Americans should avoid travel for Thanksgiving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday.

It was a last-minute attempt by the nation's leading public health agency to curb what's sure to be yet another dangerous spike in Covid-19 cases if families gather next week...

 

[Yesiamapirate]

Of all of the people that I have chatted about Thanksgiving with, my 80+ year old parents are the only ones that are not spending the day with at least one other family outside of their home. Most have several. This shocks me. I would never criticize anyone as this is their decision, I am just surprised. My informal poll included people in their late 70's all the way down to young coworkers in their 20's. It includes all the people that I converse with regularly that I would talk about such things with. Family, coworkers and friends. Maybe in total 15 individuals and their families in some cases. I think we might have a big uptick if this is not an unusual thing.

 

[weepingangel]

Definitely not an unusual thing and it’s going to get ugly mid December
so discouraging. And It’s been difficult to bite my tongue lately. But so far I’ve managed to just walk away from the conversations like this

One grown kid (currently high risk) will not be eating over and hanging out as usual at my house for any holiday time this year. I’ll hold out hope for maybe one or two brief visits. (Warm weather and work schedule permitting)
Other grown kid is a few states away (and currently covid+) so......

Of all of the people that I have chatted about Thanksgiving with, my 80+ year old parents are the only ones that are not spending the day with at least one other family outside of their home. Most have several. This shocks me. I would never criticize anyone as this is their decision, I am just surprised. My informal poll included people in their late 70's all the way down to young coworkers in their 20's. It includes all the people that I converse with regularly that I would talk about such things with. Family, coworkers and friends. Maybe in total 15 individuals and their families in some cases. I think we might have a big uptick if this is not an unusual thing.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Definitely not an unusual thing and it’s going to get ugly mid December
so discouraging. And It’s been difficult to bite my tongue lately. But so far I’ve managed to just walk away from the conversations like this

One grown kid (currently high risk) will not be eating over and hanging out as usual at my house for any holiday time this year. I’ll hold out hope for maybe one or two brief visits. (Warm weather and work schedule permitting)
Other grown kid is a few states away (and currently covid+) so......

Oh yeppers, it's going on strong. I just received this in my email, re an annual Christmas party.

The usual group, in a tiny house each year, numbers about 50.

F.I.F.T.Y.

Shoulder to shoulder with everyone bringing an appetizer all laid out in the kitchen and dining room. I just SMDH... SMDH.. All these people are my friends. I am just speechless and really am going to have to bite my tongue when I RSVP. And to note, all the folks are in their 60's and 70's. And the person who is hosting the party... is one who pooh poohs COVID/no big deal/overinflated etc. and still is having other gatherings.

"Here we are with another Christmas season approaching. Yes, I am still having a Christmas Open House despite the COVID health concerns. We can just be a little more careful and practice social distancing as best we can.. ........."​

 

[anneg]

Oh yeppers, it's going on strong. I just received this in my email, re an annual Christmas party.

The usual group, in a tiny house each year, numbers about 50.

F.I.F.T.Y.

Shoulder to shoulder with everyone bringing an appetizer all laid out in the kitchen and dining room. I just SMDH... SMDH.. All these people are my friends. I am just speechless and really am going to have to bite my tongue when I RSVP. And to note, all the folks are in their 60's and 70's. And the person who is hosting the party... is one who pooh poohs COVID/no big deal/overinflated etc. and still is having other gatherings.

"Here we are with another Christmas season approaching. Yes, I am still having a Christmas Open House despite the COVID health concerns. We can just be a little more careful and practice social distancing as best we can.. ........."​

Incomprehensible to me.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

...Shoulder to shoulder with everyone bringing an appetizer all laid out in the kitchen and dining room. I just SMDH... SMDH.. All these people are my friends. I am just speechless and really am going to have to bite my tongue when I RSVP. And to note, all the folks are in their 60's and 70's. And the person who is hosting the party... is one who pooh poohs COVID/no big deal/overinflated etc. and still is having other gatherings.

"Here we are with another Christmas season approaching. Yes, I am still having a Christmas Open House despite the COVID health concerns. We can just be a little more careful and practice social distancing as best we can..."​

I'm sure that you will miss attending the party, and you, no doubt, will be missed when you aren't there. That said, you are making a wise choice to avoid the crowded environment for your health and well-being.

I would be very concerned about all those appetizers coming from many different kitchens and being breathed upon and/or handled by all those guests. Buffets and potlucks don't seem appropriate during a pandemic. JMO

 

[mickey2942]

My friend is planning a dinner party, everyone will be sitting six feet apart, eating on tv trays. I guess that is innovative.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Celia Viggo Wexler: Covid makes Thanksgiving travel risky. Staying home shouldn't earn you a guilt trip. (nbcnews.com)

Don't make us present medical journals or risk models to make our case for not attending. If we're fearful about our health, that should be enough to accept our choice.

When I tell my friends that my adult daughter won’t be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner, they usually ask: “Where does she live?”

“Ten miles away,” is my curt reply. I must confess that knowing my only child lives so close to me and hasn’t visited since March often makes me angry. My better angels tell me to shush: “She’s worried about infecting you since you and her father are at the age where you’re far more vulnerable if exposed to Covid-19.”...

 

[anneg]

Celia Viggo Wexler: Covid makes Thanksgiving travel risky. Staying home shouldn't earn you a guilt trip. (nbcnews.com)

Don't make us present medical journals or risk models to make our case for not attending. If we're fearful about our health, that should be enough to accept our choice.

When I tell my friends that my adult daughter won’t be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner, they usually ask: “Where does she live?”

“Ten miles away,” is my curt reply. I must confess that knowing my only child lives so close to me and hasn’t visited since March often makes me angry. My better angels tell me to shush: “She’s worried about infecting you since you and her father are at the age where you’re far more vulnerable if exposed to Covid-19.”...

More from your link:
Granted, not all families play the guilt card. But if they extend an invitation to a relative or friend they know is at higher risk, isn’t that itself an inducement to attend? Wouldn’t the kinder gesture be to let them know they’re welcome, but to actually discourage them from showing up, particularly if it involves plane travel? Loved ones may not want to admit it, but the stakes couldn’t be higher. As the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put it, “A Zoom Thanksgiving is a lot better than an ICU Christmas.”

 

[Deleted member 158085]

We just did our Zoom dry run in preparation for family Thanksgiving and Christmas zoom. Aside from the fact that my parents couldn't figure it out, so I will have to physically go over there and walk them through another test meeting, it went well. Just like at regular family get togethers, we talked over each other, interrupted each other, laughed uproariously, etc. It was good to hang with my siblings and other fam for a bit. This will work. We will even draw names for Christmas during Thanksgiving likewe usually do. I have it all worked out. We will deliver gifts to each other's doors and open them on Christmas.

 

[anneg]

We just did our Zoom dry run in preparation for family Thanksgiving and Christmas zoom. Aside from the fact that my parents couldn't figure it out, so I will have to physically go over there and walk them through another test meeting, it went well. Just like at regular family get togethers, we talked over each other, interrupted each other, laughed uproariously, etc. It was good to hang with my siblings and other fam for a bit. This will work. We will even draw names for Christmas during Thanksgiving likewe usually do. I have it all worked out. We will deliver gifts to each other's doors and open them on Christmas.

Sounds lovely! Nice that you can go help your parents learn how to do this.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Thanksgiving amid Covid may doom Christmas — but there's light at the end of the tunnel (nbcnews.com)

We've almost certainly already set in motion a trend that will negatively affect our ability to celebrate winter holidays. But it's not too late to commit to one last containment push.

With nearly every state experiencing increasing rates of Covid-19 and hospitals across the Midwest becoming overwhelmed by the influx of patients to their wards and ICUs, public health officials are preparing Americans for a very different kind of holiday season. Many states are banning anything but limited gatherings of 10 or fewer people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a variety of safe practices for holidays like Thanksgiving, including mask-wearing, eating outdoors if possible, keeping groups small and staying 6 feet away from anyone who doesn't live in your household...

 

[mickey2942]

We were invited out, I chose to stay home. Waiting for the vaccine to party.

 

[anneg]

We had a nice FaceTime get-together on Thursday with our son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. Our older grandson is in California but will be going home for Christmas (to Vermont). He will have to quarantine. I think it's a 14-day quarantine, but the quarantine can be shorter with a negative Covid test. Maybe he will get tested at the university before flying home. Anyway, I sure hope they all stay healthy.