9 replies to this topic

[magickallight]

So, my Christmas will be VERY different this year as for the first time in 39 years I will not get to be with ANY of my children and now grandchildren. They are all doing porch pickups and drop offs of gifts, and 2 of the 3 will merge their families this weekend to celebrate.

 

Hubby and I will do a low-key Christmas with my 80 year old mom, some presents and a traditional dinner. But it just doesn't feel the same!

 

How will Christmas be different for you - or are you carrying on normal traditions?

 

[Suzy Crampton]

Just the hubby, me and 2 twentysomething kids. We usually go to my parents with my 2 brothers and families and then to my in laws with my hubby's 4 other siblings and families. This year is just munchies and games. It will be ok, better safe than sorry. We are grateful for so many things this year.

[Bopeep]

We are cancelling the annual get together with my aunt and cousins, there's just way too many of us and not nearly a big enough house.  Also, several of those cousins just got over the virus so when you stack the exposure and the quarantines, it's just a bad idea.

 

As for my mom, sisters, and our families, we are still going to get together.  We are going to my sister's, instead of my mom's, because her house is bigger so we can spread out more. Not sure that makes sense, but it's what we decided.  I think Mom's pretty sad about it, but she says it makes sense.  It's just that, we're supposed to go "home" for Christmas.  That's the Saturday after Christmas, though. On Christmas Day, my 2 sisters and I will go home for Christmas.

[Reinholt1]

Well, the biggest difference will be that I will not be working this year. And there will be no going to services. (I will watch on the internet. I always watch a Christmas mass on tv every year, and the lessons and carols on tv/radio).

It's just been mom and I for a few years now. So that won't change. Mom always liked to go to Christmas concerts and shows and we would normally attend 7 or 8 over the holidays. So that feels very strange this year. But it is OK. We will just spend a quiet day at home.


Yes, it is different this year for all of us, but it is a good time to pause and give thanks for the blessings of family and health that we still have. A quiet hopeful pause in life is actually what Christmas is about. Next year the celebrations will be all the more joyful when we can gather together once again. And we can enjoy them all the more!

[lucyismycat]

We normally host a large Christmas lunch party for both my family and DH's on Christmas day.  That has been canceled for this year - we may try to do something later, but for now I'm planning to drop off gifts and some of their favorite holiday foods.  My DMIL/FIL are in their late 80s/early 90s, so we are doing as much as we can to protect them. Our church is doing a "drive-in" carol singalong on Christmas Eve, which sounds like a lot of fun.  We have out-of-state hockey again this weekend and I think we will find a fancy light display to drive through Saturday night. Definitely different, but it doesn't have to be ALL different-bad. 

[Elmck]

Most of my kids are grown married and either out of state or country so Christmas has been changing for me over the last few years. So we still plan to get together with those that are here throughout the day and FaceTime with those who are not

[HanShotFirst]

Christmas changed for my family since my aunt passed away in fall 2019.  She was the honorary family matriarch after my grandmother passed several years ago so Christmas was still spent in the big “family home” but this will be the second in which that won’t happen so it’s still a bit emotional to think that house is no longer the family home.  I’ve spent the last 4 years working either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (12-hr shifts) so not sure what my Christmas will look like with my parents and sister just yet.  It’s a 2.5 hour drive between me and my parents so sometimes I’m just too wiped out to make it after working a long shift. For us as a small family unit it doesn’t matter when we open gifts but we do try to get together with my last remaining aunt and her “kids” and it’s get hard to navigate the “kids” having the same day off.  

[snowpup]

No Christmas with family this year.  Just hubby and me and my son who still lives with us.  Not seeing my daughter and her husband. We last saw them in October. My mom and sister drove to my house last night and stood outside on the front lawn while we were on our front patio and we were able to see each other. We bought no gifts this year.  Just roasting a turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing,veggies and homemade pie on Christmas Day and watching Wonder woman 1984 on HBOMax.

Edited by snowpup, Dec 23, 2020 - 3:05 pm.

[wittenlover]

Just me and my dad local (my brother lives in WA state), so we’ll still get together for dinner and “hang out” time today. That’s been the norm for several years now.

[stevierocks]

WELL WELL.. if covid didnt make christmas different this year mother nature had to add her special touch. we were not doing the traditional gathering of extended family , due to covid.. but the boys were all coming with gf .. anyhow i had planned to make the entire christmas dinner. had to change plans due to threat of power outages that will last days.so cooking was out of the question. bought cold cuts and made macaroni salad.