So . . . what is our plan for Christmas?
Well, it won't be quite the same old thing, but we do have a plan that I think will work.
For the past few years, we have had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, in the form of Chinese takeout. By doing that on the eve, the kids have been free to go to their dad's around noon on Christmas Day. Sue and I have slept over and opened stockings and gifts with them first thing in the morning.
This year, things will be reversed, and they will do eve and early morning with dad and the step-family. Once they get to Sha's we will open stockings etc together via streaming.
Later, they will come over here where we can distance a little better if distancing is necessary, and we will exchange family gifts and share a meal. Shauna is going to make a dish of her scrumptious lasagna.
We feel that we can meet this way because we know where the kids and Shauna have been. Both of their schools have been virus-free as has Shauna's workplace. To be extra careful, Danica and Jonathan are isolating as much as possible for the week as they are off school. In fact, they took last Friday off school as well, so that they could isolate for a full week before seeing us at Christmas. I think that should be sufficient. Of course, they will have some family contact this week, but it will be quite limited overall.
We are only five people in a region that has a low incidence of COVID cases, so I don't think we are taking much of a risk although there is always some risk in life, even in normal times.
To further boost confidence, I have learned that nearby Ottawa (the boundary is only a few kilometers away) has done well since becoming a bit of a hot spot not long ago. As of Sunday the city had no COVID cases in ICU and only 20 in hospital. The hottest spot in Ontario is the Toronto area, especially on the western side, and there are not big numbers for the most part between here and there.
That is the basic plan, ladies and gentlemen -- to still get together moderately at Christmas -- but also to be flexible and willing to alter it if it seems to become prudent to do so.
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Having readied the above, we have news that our province is going into a 28 day shutdown for any non-essential service, beginning December 26. This should not affect our plans, which remain intact with 4 days to go.
15 comments:
I am glad you are taking such precautions. Most Canadians are in good shape, not so much the country to its south (where I live). We're not going much of anywhere, although our numbers are not too bad. Everyone is careful around here and wears masks.
Stay very safe. We are all so close to being able to return to normal, but right now it is spreading even FASTER. Have a great holiday...for hubby and I we are having lobster. We are eating alone and trying to find something special.
Sounds like a good healthy plan. Enjoy being close to loved ones. I'll be zoom meeting with my three sons on Christmas afternoon.
Things are settling down here too for now but that really doesn't affect our plans. We having Christmas by ourselves and perhaps going down a day or two later to visit my dad whom we consider in our social bubble for all intensive purposes.
Sounds like you and your family have a good plan in place to celebrate safely, enjoy!
That sounds like a great plan for Christmas. Lasagna is something everybody will enjoy.
I think your daughter is amazing to give up seeing her kids because she was needed at work. And Ithink your grandkids are equally amazing to quarantine so as to get Christmas with you.
Nice family you have there.
It sounds like a good plan. You have wonderful grandchildren, isolating for a week is no easy task for teenagers. I would love lasagna for my Christmas meal but have been told that we are having roast beef, which is not a favourite of mine. The good news is that I am making lasagna for Christmas Eve. We are having a quiet one this year, just the six of us. I am rather looking forward to that (don't tell me mum). We are also going into a hard lockdown on Boxing Day.
I don't celebrate Christmas, so no plans.
It does feel frustrating, as if all the hard work locally being done is for nothing, and we're being punished because the GTA is out of control.
I looked on that site you sent me and Washington is 49th out of 51 states for our COVID 19 cases but I'm still not doing anything. Some of my family is careful and some are not, so I'm not taking the risk. It sounds like you're in much better shape virus-wise and are being cautious about your interactions.
That sounds like a real Christmas plan.
Sounds sensible. Our plans are much scaled back but we'll still have Josie and her parents up for dinner and opening presents on Christmas day. Merry and Happy to you all!
That sounds well thought out. We see one child via zoom and the other by a drive by. Thank you so much for the note. It was a great thrill for me to see the planets and just off to the left was half a moon too.
Sounds like a pretty safe plan. Have a wonderful Christmas! :)
It will be quiet here. My brother in law and his partner and parents in law will come up from Eganville. We don't have any children close by. It will just be us old folks. We've all been in relative seclusion, only venturing out for essential shopping and my partner to work (which is outdoors). Life has changed very little for all of us even before the lock downs.
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