Five Days of Christmas

[GG Riva]

Traditionally there used to be 12 days, of course, but we`re apparently cutting down this year, in a nod to the ongoing pandemic.

Seriously though, I`d like to hear the views of fellow Pars fans. Our political leaders almost certainly don`t want to ease restrictions for ``a pagan festival appropriated by Christians`` (© sammer) but probably feel that the people would rebel against any continuing restrictions and just ignore them anyway. Perhaps when the inevitable surge in new cases materialises in January, we will all take our medicine with greater resignation, realising that there are always consequences and a price to pay for our (irresponsible) actions.

Hopefully, most of us will be responsible and the consequences will be minimal, but I`m not overly optimistic. How folk behave on Hogmanay, when the relaxation has ended, will be quite revealing. Our PM is on record as saying that the British public ignore restrictions on a greater scale than other countries ``because the British value their sense of freedom more.``

Hmmm......

[Rengade Master]

Many ways to look at that. It might be the last family Christmas for many people who knows what the next year will bring. We all die. It might also be the cause for it to be the last family Christmas if you share it with an over 80 year old with underlying health conditions.

I think it is down to your own personal risk assessment of how you want to spend Christmas.

[SanguinePar]

IMO, it's madness for the government to talk about any easing of restrictions over xmas - they need to show some courage and stick to the line that yes this is crap, but we need to do it to get through the next few months at least until the vaccine is fully rolled out. People would probably bend the rules anyway, but IMO many more will do so and to a greater extent, now that there's been even a hint of a relaxation.

We normally visit my mum on Christmas Eve and then my wife's mum, dad and sister every Christmas, but we're putting it all on hold, primarily for the protection of the parents, all of whom are in the most vulnerable category. It sucks, but I think it's the right thing to do until this is under control. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the government has yet again shirked its responsibilities in favour of a short-term populist boost, and I think they will soon have yet more blood on their hands.