The chance to gather with friends and family this Christmas will for many feel even more special after a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic.
With this in mind, the UK government and the devolved administrations have changed some social contact restrictions for a short time over the festive period to allow a maximum of three households to meet in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – and a maximum of two in Wales.
This “Christmas bubble” will enable people of all faiths and none to come together over the holidays.
But the message is clear that the public must continue to make difficult decisions to limit the spread of the virus, and for many this will mean sacrificing plans and not celebrating in the usual way.
Even where it is within the rules, the UK government and devolved administrations have emphasised that meeting with friends and family over Christmas will be a personal judgement for individuals to take, and the safest place to spend the festive period is at home with your own household.
Where possible, people are urged to avoid overnight stays and to stick to two households meeting up to form a bubble.
Everyone must be mindful of the risks to ourselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable, and this is particularly important because around one in three people with Covid-19 do not have any symptoms but can still pass it on.
Flip Kulakiewicz, a 33-year-old charity and education administrator from Edinburgh, has decided not to travel hundreds of miles to southern England to be with her family this Christmas. Instead, she will be forming a bubble with her neighbour, Celia Phillips, 36.
“When the government announced the bubble plan for Christmas, that solidified in my head that I shouldn’t travel down to the south of England,” she said. “It felt too risky to travel so far for just three days together and then to have to travel back. My parents are not shielding but they are older and therefore more vulnerable. So I decided to stay put.
“The decision was made with my family to make sure nobody’s feelings were hurt. We decided there were other ways we could get together on Christmas day, so we’re going to have a video chat instead and maybe do a quiz.”
For Lynsey and Trevor Morton, who live in Brighton with their two children, aged 10 and 8, the usual bustling Christmas with a house full of guests has been swapped for a quieter celebration as a family of four.
“We both have parents in their 70s who have health concerns, and as we have children at school who are mixing with lots of other children every day, our preference this year is to minimise the risk of spreading the virus to our loved ones,” said Ms Morton. “By opting to stay safe, we hope that our elderly relatives will be around for future Christmases.”
Dr Ruth Miller-Anderson who lives in Ballyronan, Northern Ireland, with her 85-year-old mother, Maureen, her husband, Alan, 49, and 13-year-old daughter, Sofia, has chosen to do the same.
“I’m fortunate that we already have my mother with us – otherwise she’d have been on her own throughout this time,” she said.
“But due to her age and the fact my husband and I both have asthma we are keeping to our own bubble this Christmas.”
Anyone forming a bubble should travel and return home between the 23 and 27 December, while those moving to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December.
Those households which do choose to meet over the holiday period are being urged to strictly follow the rules, including only being in one Christmas bubble and not changing bubbles. People are also being encouraged not to stay for the full five days, not to travel far or between areas with a higher prevalence of the virus, to keep groups to a minimum and focus on protecting the elderly and vulnerable.
Scientists and the government have stressed that any gathering over the festive period will increase the risk from the virus, and people must take sensible precautions.
These include ensuring indoor spaces get as much fresh air as possible, washing hands regularly and for 20 seconds, and following rules on self-isolation if symptoms develop or a coronavirus test comes back positive.
Amerpreet Singh Khalsa, a 43-year-old father-of-four from Cardiff, normally spends Boxing Day with his extended family.
He has already missed out on celebrating the Bandi Chhor Divas Sikh festival last month and as his father is currently in hospital with Covid, this year he will connect with loved ones using a video call.
He said: "Obviously, it didn’t happen with Covid and it was hard, missing it and with Dad being in hospital. But then I thought: if I have to miss one festival to see the next 10, I’ll gladly do that."
