Holiday cheer this year

#3
pixiejenna said:
I don’t know if you know but the transsiberian orchestra is doing a livestream this year!

It sounds so dumb but driving home on Monday and it’s dark out it was nice to see Christmas lights on even before thanksgiving it felt like something normal to see.
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Thanks! I'll look up the info about the livestream.
 
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#7
maria28 said:
I’ve put up our tree & decorations last Monday. I decided to do a Final Fantasy themed Christmas tree and made my own ornaments & tree topper to use for this year :amuse:

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I love this! There's so much detail in each decorations. The cactuars, moggles, and chocobos are especially cute. Looks like it took a long time, but the result was awesome!
 
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#9
#11
@maria28, your tree looks amazing, and it’s fantastic that you make those decorations yourself. Did it take you long? I wish I was crafty, but I’m not sadly. I can’t even sew a button on properly, lol!
Christmas is the only holiday I celebrate, even though I’m not a Christian. Unfortunately this year I’m going to be on my own, as the plans I’d made have gone awry. The travel restrictions are really strict at present, so my mum can’t come as originally planned. I feel really bad, as I really hate the idea of my mother on her own for Christmas, but we have no choice. Visitors can come but they have to do a 14 day quarantine, and it costs a small fortune. Just the quarantine without the mandatory tests, food, etc. costs roughly $1,800. Ridiculous.
I always treat myself to a Christmas gift, and this year I’m going to get myself to some books. I think I’m going to make myself a nice stir fry for my dinner. Unorthodox, but tasty!
I know it’s a bit early to say this but I hope everyone has a really happy Christmas, and a wonderful new year. May 2021 be a better year for everyone.
 
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#12
coachlover1000 said:
@maria28, your tree looks amazing, and it’s fantastic that you make those decorations yourself. Did it take you long? I wish I was crafty, but I’m not sadly. I can’t even sew a button on properly, lol!
Christmas is the only holiday I celebrate, even though I’m not a Christian. Sadly this year I’m going to be on my own, as the plans I’d made have gone awry. The travel restrictions are really strict at present, so my mum can’t come as originally planned. I feel really bad, as I really hate the idea of my mother on her own for Christmas, but unfortunately we have no choice. Visitors can come but they have to do a 14 day quarantine, and it costs a small fortune. Just the quarantine without the mandatory tests, food, etc. costs roughly $1,800. Ridiculous.
I always treat myself to a Christmas gift, and this year I’m going to treat myself to some more books (I can never have too many books, lol!). I think I’m going to make myself a nice stir fry for my dinner. Unorthodox, but tasty! No decorations for me, either. They’re impossible to come by unless I order them online... if I did order them online I might get them by next April or May which is obviously way too late.
I know it’s a bit early to say this but I hope everyone has a really happy Christmas, and a wonderful new year. May 2021 be a better year for everyone.
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so sorry to hear that:sad:. ((Hugs))

I know what you mean with the travel restrictions. I’ve had to cancel all our booked trips that were planned for after March (thank goodness I purchased travel insurance that included natural catastrophe like a pandemic) as well as the Christmas plans.
We usually meet up with my parents and brother (&family) every year to celebrate Christmas & welcome the new year....but this year we can’t. My bro is in US and my parents in Asia, so each year we decide where to meet.

I too hope the vaccine will be available soon and 2021 will be a much better year.
 
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#13
maria28 said:
so sorry to hear that:sad:. ((Hugs))

I know what you mean with the travel restrictions. I’ve had to cancel all our booked trips that were planned for after March (thank goodness I purchased travel insurance that included natural catastrophe like a pandemic) as well as the Christmas plans.
We usually meet up with my parents and brother (&family) every year to celebrate Christmas & welcome the new year....but this year we can’t. My bro is in US and my parents in Asia, so each year we decide where to meet.

I too hope the vaccine will be available soon and 2021 will be a much better year.
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Well in the UK we are now "allowed" to have Christmas with our loved ones as our stupid Government has now announced a "ceasefire" from our covid restrictions for 5 days 23-27 Dec so we can all meet our loved ones for the festive period- for me I even get an extra 2 days either side of that so 22-28 Dec as my beloved 87 year old severely vulnerable mother is on her own in Northern Ireland while I am on the UK mainland and I get an extra day each side of the break to travel there and back via overnight ferry.

I haven't seen my lovely mum since March and that was in a hospital bed as she lay desperately ill awaiting emergency surgery- 2 days after I left her she was sent home without her operation as it was too dangerous for her to stay in the hospital- they had had their first covid patients and had no idea how to look after them and prevent spread so instead all existing elderly patients were just dumped out!!! Fortunately my mum went home and a dear friend of mine visits her daily for a short while as a volunteer carer - others were not so lucky many were shipped back to care homes and the story there is horrendous. I miss her desperately she has no wifi or social media access she cannot use a smart phone indeed she struggles to use any phone as she is almost completely deaf. She has lost over 60lbs in weight and can barely eat without setting off her digestive issues that she was hospitalised for . I have wanted to jump on a ferry for 8 months to look after her - to be with her for her birthday in October as I always do and I desperately wanted to have Christmas with her as I have every year for 16 years since my dad died - I intended to travel over early and quarantine for 14 days before I went to her - but I have watched the virus spread rapidly here since sept every day getting worse and worse - I have seen selfish people break all the rules that came in during oct and Nov to help stem the spread and every day infections and deaths go up and up.

I lost my job 3 years ago and have been living off my savings I dont qualify for any money from our govt still so I can't afford to travel as easily as I once could anyway - in March the airline I travelled over with went bust while I was there and I had to rebook at three times the cost or get stranded over there when lockdown came I just made it home- my partner is older than me and had heart issues so I couldn't stay with mum and mum has been too ill for some years now to travel over and live with us

We currently have more covid deaths than anywhere else in Europe and for our size one of the worst death rates in the world - worse than the USA- our hospitals have almost as many covid patients today as at the peak of wave one in April and are already almost at capacity and that is before we have the usual winter flu and vomiting viruses that fill them to breaking point in a normal winter anyway . Our daily covid deaths are 500-700 a day again and our care homes are seeing more and more outbreaks despite residents relatives not actually being able to see them for almost 9 months. The regional variation is frightening London and the South is low but some of the NHS hospitals in the Midlands and Yorkshire are already past capacity and overwhelmed - those poor medics my heart goes out to them how they keep going is beyond me and I know several who are depressed and crying on and off shift .

We have had various forms of lockdown across the 4 nations for weeks indeed months now in some areas and virus cases and deaths have just surged upwards yet we have now reopened all the shops so people can crowd in and do their Christmas shopping 24/7 !!! Livelihoods before lives every bloody time!!!! And it seems the majority of people are selfish and care not a damn about others as long as they can shop and socialise

Students -who worsened the latest wave in sept by moving from home to universities are all moving back home in the next few weeks before the ceasefire so that will spread the rampaging virus all over again !! Combine that with shoppers out for the bargains ....I am in despair!!!!

SO -Will I be going to see my mum? No and my heart is breaking but sadly I won't as I cannot take the risk of infecting her - sadly she will be on her own for even longer now cocooned with no one allowed in to see her as the risk of infection is just so high. I am not having christmas I am counting now the days until it is over.

We will be back in lockdown again and I despair what is going to happen a few weeks into January - for all those in the Uk going to enjoy the ceasefire I just hope they can live with the death numbers it causes next year

My mum loves receiving letters or cards in the post so if anyone would like to send her a card or postcard please message me.
 
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#14
elvisfan4life said:
Well in the UK we are now "allowed" to have Christmas with our loved ones as our stupid Government has now announced a "ceasefire" from our covid restrictions for 5 days 23-27 Dec so we can all meet our loved ones for the festive period- for me I even get an extra 2 days either side of that so 22-28 Dec as my beloved 87 year old severely vulnerable mother is on her own in Northern Ireland while I am on the UK mainland and I get an extra day each side of the break to travel there and back via overnight ferry.

I haven't seen my lovely mum since March and that was in a hospital bed as she lay desperately ill awaiting emergency surgery- 2 days after I left her she was sent home without her operation as it was too dangerous for her to stay in the hospital- they had had their first covid patients and had no idea how to look after them and prevent spread so instead all existing elderly patients were just dumped out!!! Fortunately my mum went home and a dear friend of mine visits her daily for a short while as a volunteer carer - others were not so lucky many were shipped back to care homes and the story there is horrendous. I miss her desperately she has no wifi or social media access she cannot use a smart phone indeed she struggles to use any phone as she is almost completely deaf. She has lost over 60lbs in weight and can barely eat without setting off her digestive issues that she was hospitalised for . I have wanted to jump on a ferry for 8 months to look after her - to be with her for her birthday in October as I always do and I desperately wanted to have Christmas with her as I have every year for 16 years since my dad died - I intended to travel over early and quarantine for 14 days before I went to her - but I have watched the virus spread rapidly here since sept every day getting worse and worse - I have seen selfish people break all the rules that came in during oct and Nov to help stem the spread and every day infections and deaths go up and up.

I lost my job 3 years ago and have been living off my savings I dont qualify for any money from our govt still so I can't afford to travel as easily as I once could anyway - in March the airline I travelled over with went bust while I was there and I had to rebook at three times the cost or get stranded over there when lockdown came I just made it home- my partner is older than me and had heart issues so I couldn't stay with mum and mum has been too ill for some years now to travel over and live with us

We currently have more covid deaths than anywhere else in Europe and for our size one of the worst death rates in the world - worse than the USA- our hospitals have almost as many covid patients today as at the peak of wave one in April and are already almost at capacity and that is before we have the usual winter flu and vomiting viruses that fill them to breaking point in a normal winter anyway . Our daily covid deaths are 500-700 a day again and our care homes are seeing more and more outbreaks despite residents relatives not actually being able to see them for almost 9 months. The regional variation is frightening London and the South is low but some of the NHS hospitals in the Midlands and Yorkshire are already past capacity and overwhelmed - those poor medics my heart goes out to them how they keep going is beyond me and I know several who are depressed and crying on and off shift .

We have had various forms of lockdown across the 4 nations for weeks indeed months now in some areas and virus cases and deaths have just surged upwards yet we have now reopened all the shops so people can crowd in and do their Christmas shopping 24/7 !!! Livelihoods before lives every bloody time!!!! And it seems the majority of people are selfish and care not a damn about others as long as they can shop and socialise

Students -who worsened the latest wave in sept by moving from home to universities are all moving back home in the next few weeks before the ceasefire so that will spread the rampaging virus all over again !! Combine that with shoppers out for the bargains ....I am in despair!!!!

SO -Will I be going to see my mum? No and my heart is breaking but sadly I won't as I cannot take the risk of infecting her - sadly she will be on her own for even longer now cocooned with no one allowed in to see her as the risk of infection is just so high. I am not having christmas I am counting now the days until it is over.

We will be back in lockdown again and I despair what is going to happen a few weeks into January - for all those in the Uk goi g to enjoy the ceasefire I just hope they can live with the death numbers it causes next year

My mum loves letters so if anyone would like to send her a card or postcard please message me.
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Ill message you in a bit. I would love to send a card to your mum.

I feel the same...especially about the lockdown which feels half-heartedly done. Don’t go out, but you can go to pubs/restaurants & be an enclosed space without mask for extended period with other people (2m distance isn’t really enough, especially when people are sitting & chatting). Don’t mix household, but it’s ok to do so during the 5days around Christmas. I mean, it’s not like the virus takes vacation. And don’t even get me started about shopping...most of those people hanging out/shopping in town are in the age group that know how to use the internet & almost everything can be bought online these days.

we have been mostly staying in and not go out
 
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#15
maria28 said:
Ill message you in a bit. I would love to send a card to your mum.

I feel the same...especially about the lockdown which feels half-heartedly done. Don’t go out, but you can go to pubs/restaurants & be an enclosed space without mask for extended period with other people (2m distance isn’t really enough, especially when people are sitting & chatting). Don’t mix household, but it’s ok to do so during the 5days around Christmas. I mean, it’s not like the virus takes vacation. And don’t even get me started about shopping...most of those people hanging out/shopping in town are in the age group that know how to use the internet & almost everything can be bought online these days.

we have been mostly staying in and not go out
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Thank you for the message and for making me feel not so alone I feel I'm in a very small minority most days me and Chris Whitty against the world


The virus is not going to take a holiday and we shouldn't
 
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