Last night a doctor was saying how small home gatherings are spreading the virus. We will celebrate alone.

My daughter and I were discussing this, She always has it with just us and her brother and wife and her husband's widowed mother. It's still up in the air. My daughter, son in law, and grandson are the only people I have been around for eight months. SIL's mother is isolated in a retirement community but stays home. My son and wife work from home. No one else for sure.

I am so envious, Gardengal! I've never liked the holidays. I can't eat huge quantities, and don't like having to eat more than I want in order to be polite. And Christmas is not my holiday. It may seem strange to people who celebrate it, but it is very intrusive to those of us who don't want to take part. I'm grateful that this year I won't have to go into stores with those same songs playing over and over, and that headache-inducing artificial smell that a lot of stores use. I prefer being generous throughout the year, rather than coming up with obligatory gifts; and I'm not into clutter, so really dislike getting gifts that I didn't want in the first place. (I generally just put it all in one of the trash bins on the corner, where someone who wants the stuff can find it.) When I was single, I used to take a vacation, usually to a developing country where they celebrate it as religious and not as a big marketing holiday. But my husband likes, or at least feels obligated, to do holidays and I participate, at least somewhat, for him. But, boy, am I glad when the holidays are over!

We were planning on just DS & his small family, and DD and hers, but then there's a raging outbreak in DD's area. They're under quarantine.

Might just be me, hubs & the dogs. And if it is, then we will be sad but thankful.

No extended family event, just the 6 of us in our bubble. We can do in the garage or outside in Calif. Only 2 of the 6 are crazy about traditional Thanksgiving food, so who knows what we will eat.

Jupidupi, I share your feelings about Christmas. I enjoy and truly honor some aspects of the month, but in my heart I just want to get through December and move on. I feel like a Scrooge.

no

We will do something within our small social bubble. This hasn't been the year for making new friends.

It's just my spouse and me, and our 2 dogs. No extended family. Holidays are usually a quiet affair, we like to treat ourselves to a really nice meal out.

With covid numbers spiking again, there isn't a chance in Hades I'm eating a meal in public....so it's looking like our holidays are going to be a really, really quiet day this year.

Bah humbug. I'm not usually one of those anti-holiday people but I'd just as soon skip it all this year.

I am assuming our holidays will be as always. Two daughters home, son and new wife are splitting their time so we will gladly take what ever they give. Son's governor messed with Easter (for no GOOD reason looking at the weeks following) Hopefully it won't be repeated for Christmas. New Years will be at the neighbors as always. We have continued to make all our people our bubble and so far not one illness let alone reason to be concerned. When you are "essential" workers life has had to go one so it does. I feel for those living is areas where life is more precarious. I do not envy you but never have envied the hustle and bustle of the lives you chose.

"Son's governor messed with Easter (for no GOOD reason looking at the weeks following)."

Maybe it WAS for a good reason if there weren't any Covid spikes in the following weeks.

Your statement makes zero sense. If the governor imposed restrictions, and there ended up being no spikes in Covid cases, sounds like the restrictions imposed around Easter worked as planned.

Or maybe it just messed up YOUR plans.

Since we now live far away from family, Thanksgiving is now spent in pajamas with just the two of us. I also make pies the day before and usually have a small slice of pie for breakfast. We still have turkey and all the trimmings and nap liberally.

arcy-gw: Goody for you. The last several Christmases I spent with friends two hours down in Connecticut, where I used to live until more recently. She, however, is an Essential Worker (at an extended care facility). She's not hosting it this year. I wouldn't fly in any case down to Florida to be with my brother at that time of year, any year - weather uncertainties in getting back and taking care of my chickens and quail. I am not asking a neighbor to take care of them in winter, as I'd rather take any slipping and sliding on myself.

Never have envied the hustle and bustle of the lives you chose.

I'm not down in Florida because I frankly HATE that style of life, myself. I'm rural. No Hustle, No Bustle. I rather visit my family during less "bustling" times of the year, anyway.

I'll call them all, and I'll gift everyone.

Son's governor messed with Easter (for no GOOD reason looking at the weeks following)

Which probably meant that his governor's actions spared the state from a more severe outbreak early on. KUDOS to that governor.

Will I miss celebrating Christmas as I usually do? YES. But I respect my friends' desire not to have problems, and their house is frankly too tiny to sit the recommended six feet or more apart to dine with masks off, anyhow.

I'm not going to be hurt over not being able to follow my usual and preferred holiday plans. I am an adult, I am adaptable. Yes, I will miss the personal contact, but I understand, very deeply, why. I have friends who have lost loved ones to COVID. I have friends who were hospitalized (yes, so far these people have survived, but may have long term physical disabilities), due to COVID.

Please don't consider that Easter ruined. It wasn't, unless of course your mindset didn't want to adapt.

It might be like we did for Easter, we each cook some foods and take some of our food and share and they share with me. I won't know till the time is closer.

Sue

I was about to roast the chicken that was sitting in my freezer then I realized that Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years was coming up. Decided to put it off then sniffed the poultry seasoning. Very flat. Ended up ordering $50+ of stuff. It will only be me although I do share with the furkids although most of them do not like chicken. I love the holiday eats that I used to find. Seldom other than the ginger cookies at World Market do I find the same thing year after year. Not going out this year so will miss the drooling.

rob it may not be that someone broke the rules but that the administration did not plan well. See that cluster of holes in the screen? Easy to allow the virus to enter.

What you can't see in the picture is the right hand side is completely open and you could have easily gone around. I got to say I was really tempted, even though I work in the medical field, I have underlying condition, she has underlying conditions.... Oh I missed her so much!

Nursing home residents have been known to get covid from an employee

I guess my point was even when you're careful it can still happen. So we should all be avoiding people!

Thanksgiving will be a quiet day at home, decorating the house for Christmas and enjoying our favorite snacks. We have always celebrated it this way until we started attending a Friendsgiving celebration about five years ago. While I'll miss seeing our friends, I know we will enjoy the day anyway.

Whether we will travel for Christmas or not is still unknown. We won't make a final decision until the last minute.

Thanksgiving will be with our kids at our house. Not sure what Christmas will bring with extended family yet. We see them often, not really worried about this virus with any of them.

First of all I have come to dislike the holidays under the best of circumstances. I’d gladly fast forward from the day before Thanksgiving to Jan 1, not that I am wishing my life away. I don’t have much family so my son, his GF and my mother go through the motions but don’t have our hearts in it. I shouldn’t say that about son and GF, really. She loves to decorate, bake and do Christmasy things.

I was exhausted putting the full-on turkey dinner on the table last year. Not doing that again. My sons GF said they always had lasagna for Thanksgiving. I will make a nice chicken dinner pie with some cranberry sauce on the side and pumpkin pie for dessert. That will be enough. If someone else wants a turkey dinner, they can cook it.

We're a little up in the air and playing it by ear. If our kids do come for dinner, it will be out in the cold; California cold, that is. Don't know if kids with new baby will be able to do that. Our numbers are very good right now, thanks to people using their noggins, so that comes into play as well.

Rob, I'm sorry your mom's place now has a covid-positive person. Yes, it could have come from an employee. I assume they are tested, but not every day and the tests are not perfect, by a long shot. My dear friend and former neighbor who now lives in Idaho just told me his place got its first case. Hopefully such cases are well isolated and there are good protocols in place with the employees. Remember, the medical and science communities know a lot more now than when it first started.

Thanksgiving i will be at work,likely putting up my Christmas display. I enjoy working on Thanksgiving. Its basically free money.

Christmas day I don't know. I may go to my sisters house and help her cook for her large family. I might just stay home alone with SO. For the most part, I enjoy the season more than the day itself anyway. For when the day comes,it means the season is over and it is back to ho-hum everyday life. One of the most upsetting times of year for me is after Christmas,when I have to take down my Christmas stuff and pack it away. Makes me very sad every time.

I read advice from an expert, can't remember who, that if you want to get together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone must isolate for two weeks beforehand. If that's hard for someone, think of your sacrifice as your gift to your family. That would include no shopping for two weeks so you'd have to plan carefully.

Thanksgiving will be like every other year. My daughter and son and their girls. Christmas will probably be the same. We usually don't entertain much over the holidays. We will do our annual walk through the Christmas light with friends then back to our house for a late dinner. I feel bad for my grands. There probably won't be any kids Chistmas parties at the club or the shrine this year. The girls look forward to it and seeing Santa.

They were disappointed that the club didn't having a kids Halloween party this year. They look forward to it every year. But a restaurant we frequent did something new this year and have a haunted restaurant. We have been their twice so far and the girls love it and it kind of makes up for no parties. They are planning a Christmas one too.

Just DH and me for Thanksgiving. We will see how things are by Xmas. But our holiday gatherings are not large in any case. I do enjoy the various activities around them. I am missing all the Halloween fun and fall harvest activities we normally get to do with the grandkids. DD has been taking them to drive through/drive by events like pumpkin give-aways, corn give-aways and drive through displays etc. I guess they will continue in that vein until things get back to normal.

No Thanksgiving. I think I signed up to work it anyway. Kids were all planning to come for Christmas but with the virus so rampant everywhere, not sure that is going to happen.

It’s just the three of us, DD, DSIL and I. We only live a couple of miles from each other, follow guidelines when we HAVE to go somewhere and are pretty much home all the time. We might hang out together for a bit, but this has been such a horrible year on so many different levels, we have no interest in the holiday season. If anything, I think Thanksgiving this year should be a day of prayer for those who are ill and a rememberance for all of those that we’ve lost. I will be lighting candles.

I’ll read the comments later. I’ll try and keep it short.

So far this year we’ve had to cope, adjust and accept. The rest of this year will be the same.

In my most wishful thinking, it would be as usual. But reality? We will once again adjust.

I love Thanksgiving. It reminds me of my father. He loved it! He was a French chef.. he was off. The restaurant was closed back in those ancient times. Haha. He would cook up a storm. We always had guests. With him around everything was festive.

My husband would be heartbroken if I didn’t make that chestnut dressing. So I guess I’m cooking. My heart really isn’t in it this year. I’m exhausted. But, I know me, and I’ll get into it. We have our bubble here, so it will be scaled back. As sad as it is, I will not be able to have my mom, and brother join us. We haven’t had guests here for dinner since her birthday eve on 2/29. We had my mom, brother and his partner. (Two others invited didn’t show as she was not feeling well.) My mom turned 91 on the first.

My husband will bring her food as I’ll be cooking all day. I will visit on Friday I guess. Masked. (I may come up with a better idea, we’ll see)

I love Christmas. I will decorate my tree. I love my ornaments. Gathered throughout my life. But this year, it will not involve visiting. It will be calmer. I will cook but it will be just us. For me, I will focus on praying that 2021 will be positive and healing for all of us. The entire human race! Christmas is very meaningful and beautiful to me, and it will be meaningful.

MIL will rage. I will not be persuaded.

T-giving is my favorite holiday! I always cook BIG! Inviting others over...no way! Covid numbers are rising. It's "real". We'll enjoy each others company, my husband and I...this year. 2020....sucked! Worst year of our lives.

I'm waiting until it gets closer to make a decision. If so, it will only be us, our daughter and spouse, and her daughter and four years old. Both of the females get corona tests twice a week as they are essential workers so that makes me feel safer. DH and I only go out to ride in the car or walk but no one comes in the house. They have a huge home so, should we go, I will not sit at the table but far away in a chair as I am at high risk. My daughter's husband has Parkinson's so he is always home. We will see.

I decorated for Halloween. I love doing that. I haven't bought any candy yet. It will all depend on the weather and whether the parents will let their kids come around. Everyone is trying to stay safe.

For the past 5 or so years, my friend from California, now Washington, would come for Thanksgiving and stay the week. She's not coming this year, understandably, and I will really miss her but we've decided to celebrate our 70th birthdays in the spring instead. The weather will be better anyway and it will be something fun to look forward to. We both live alone and have known each other almost 60 years! I will come up with some good things to eat anyway and just have good leftovers.

Christmas in the past I've spent alone, no biggie. But this year since my sister's husband died at the end of last year and they did not go to Florida as usual for them, I will probably spend at least some time with her. We will see. I enjoy being alone and have no trouble entertaining myself. I decorate my house for Christmas too and have a great time decorating the tree with ornaments that all have meaning to me. Other family all lives out of state and we don't get together anyway. So things will not be too much different for me, but just being careful.

Maifleur, we just bought a tin of those Nyakers ginger snaps from the World Market web page. We normally buy them at World Market every year. They are a couple bucks cheaper on the website than we've previously paid in store.

We hung a skeleton in our patio sliding door for Halloween (no one will see it except us), and we will be driving back to Cathedral City on Thanksgiving Day, as that day always has light traffic. We'll stay in the desert through Christmas but return to L.A. in time for NYE.

Normally we go for hikes in the desert on the holidays, but this year we will be working on projects during Thanksgiving week-end, which will include pruning some palm trees and sanding the teak bar, which we will then need to reassemble.

We don't have plans for Christmas, other than perhaps phone conversations with relatives in Texas. We might do a video conference, but that depends on what our relatives want to do. We'll have to ship presents from Cathedral City or else have Amazon deliver them, which is what I'm thinking of doing. I was planning on giving our sister a Mexican Dominoes set, so that she can play that with our nieces and her step children and step grandchildren, possibly. I know that my sister and nieces like games.

I left it up to my parents who are in their 80's. As of right now they want to come over for dinner with just me and my husband and 2 adult grandkids... my nieces and nephews who normally come over will not be invited this year. I feel so bad about it because they have no where else to go. But I have to keep my parents as safe as possible. I'm thinking of making up plates of food for them if they want to swing by later... I don't know. I pray this is the only year we are faced with this dilemma!

my husband will probably roast two turkey thighs and make a couple of our favorite sides. that's about it. it'll be really good though!

no plans to meet with anyone for the holidays. most family is too far away. my sister's family is only a 3 hour drive, but their house is too crowded, with three people who actually have to go into work -- so hanging out in a closed space feels too risky. I tried to coax my parents to come up in their RV, but the drive is way too long. it's such a huge bummer. :(

Jupid, I hear you on these insane holidays! I have despised these holidays for years and can't wait for all of this silly stuff to just go away.

But, I would give anything right now for all of that silly stuff to be able to be enjoyed by those who do enjoy it.

I was just about able to completely ignore it all last year.

I hate that time of year!!!!!

Thanksgiving is fine, but the Shopping Season can just go away and never return as far as I am concerned. New Years is OK. At least at New Years and thanksgiving one does not have to feel obligated to give unwanted and not needed gifts to others. I want nothing and don't want to give anyone anything, either. The only exception is the young grandchildren.

And I find charity giving at the holidays to be just too fraught with disingenuousness. People have needs all year around. Holiday giving is something that I just can't wrap myself around.

One silver lining is that we don't have to hear that sappy music in the stores because most of us won't be in those stores. I only go shopping very infrequently but I have already heard the sappy music playing at the two that I did enter in to. Blech!!!

It is so hard for family to take "no" for an answer. We won't be getting together because, after calling for guidelines and encouragement from our medical persons, what good for us not to heed the advice and stay at home?. No one is an exception. No one should go beyond the circle that they have already established. When we are advised to stay home, it means you, and me and all of those loved ones.

Hopefully, those who enjoy this can do so next. year. Right now, we are in serious trouble on multiple fronts. I never thought that I would see my America in such an awful state of affairs. The virus we may take control of. In the meantime, we need to get find our democracy again and restore some civil and social decency and some common sense.

DH and I will have Thanksgiving alone, with our animals. We have family members currently in quarantine due to exposure, so we are not planning anything at all with them just in case they develop COVID. I have a couple of new recipes to try, and we will just enjoy being in our new condo. :)

No plans. I think the holidays are going to be disastrous for covid numbers, as so many people will make exceptions to see their families, and small gatherings are thought to be the primary way the virus is spreading.

I hope everyone stays safe!

As much as I hate to do it, we are isolating for the holidays. We have a guest home, and I had invited my sisters and families to come for Christmas, but I just don't trust one sister and her husband that they are being careful. She texted me a picture of her halloween makeup and I asked her what they were doing. She said just going to a bar and then over to friend's house. I didn't say anything, just silently cancelled Christmas plans. They live in Illinois where the virus is raging as much as in my state of Wisconsin. It's bad enough that I am surrounded by this virus at my job, where thankfully so far the PPE has kept me safe. I'm just trying to hold off for the vaccine, I know that if I get sick I will get really sick after having had pneumonia with the flu a couple of times.

If everyone sacrifices a bit on the social aspect of this year's holiday season, maybe next year will be better.

we were double exposed to covid this weekend after I found that out I said to DH that I don't even want to go up to ND for Thanksgiving. He said he didn't either. I said as far as that goes I don't even care if I get up there for Christmas. So I guess we will just be spending it by ourselves..

I'll probably set up a zoom session with my cousins instead of dinner. At least we'll get to say hello.

It will be just us two for Thanksgiving, and probably for Christmas as well although that's not clear yet. For the first time, I have ordered a TG dinner package from Gelson's, a local high-end supermarket. We'll see how that goes.

Cases are the highest ever here in PA at almost 5000 today. I have not been in anyone's home for nine months except for my daughter's. They live a few miles from me and both work from home and have since March. Their son has his first real job after just graduating from college in the spring and mainly works at home too. He does fieldwork occasionally. We all ate at a newly opened seafood restaurant last Sat. to celebrate husband's birthday but we were at a large table outside on their porch near no one. Today I read it's four times more likely you'll get covid from eating inside at a restaurant versus the gym or even church. I guess we'll have thanksgiving at the daughter's house and the only extra person will be my son-in-law's 86 year old mother who lives in a retirement community. But if my daughter doesn't want to do it I'll understand.

Stay home! If you can't/won't open the link, the metric says all record high for October (and I know it'll only worsen, until midJanuary where it might abate some) for COVID. It's on the past month for my state. You can find your state and it won't be all that different.

We will stay in our bubble. Maybe rent a vacation house. I seriously considered going skiing over Christmas, but it seems like that would be too risky with how high I expect Covid numbers to be.