2020’s been a chance to wind down in a lot of ways, but with Christmas now just around the corner, things look to be hitting fever pitch again.
With the infection rate coming down and the vaccine on its way I was hopeful for 2021….. Until the UK Government decided to allow everyone to spend Christmas together with a 5-day relaxation of restrictions, which is nonsense on so many levels.
My first beef is the fact that Christmas, a Christian belief, has taken precedence over all other beliefs in our supposedly liberal, multi-cultural society. I don’t do religion, but even I know that’s not in the spirit of Christmas or Christianity at all.
Why is Christmas getting a pass while we complained about other religious gatherings a few months ago when cases were lower?
So what’ll Christmas 2020 be like? We’re already way past starters’ orders in the supermarket trolley demolition derby. The red mist has already descended. Sprouts have taken pride of place in the veg section before we’re even into December, advent calendars have become the new toilet roll. Oh yes, heads of the household are out in force, stocking up for their Christmas plans, and no daft little global pandemic is going to stop them. They’ve been given the green light after all.
The end result will be, of course, that infection rates will soar and we’ll be back to square one come January 1st. But hey ho, it’s worth it for the same old turkey dinner with the same old people having the same old tired conversions, right? Because, well, that’s what us Brits do this time of year. Every year.
But Christmas this year will be a whole lot tougher. If you thought getting to the shops for your last-minute Christmas dinner provisions was tough last year, what’s reduced staff, a massive queue, social distancing, and a mask going to do to you? It’s going to be horrendous, up to the point where, actually, I can’t see the point of engaging. I’ll get what I can, and get out of there.
It’s the shop staff I feel sorry for. Having to deal with all those 50+ parents, blood already boiling, getting pushed into the red-zone even further by rules they don’t want to follow. It’s going to be absolute carnage. It’s already started in fact.
And that’s just the supermarket, what about actually buying presents? This year has seen an even bigger swing over to online and Amazon, but I can’t help but think this year, there’s going to be very many disappointed children, and raging adults. Are we really going to rely on the post?
2020 has been a horrible year for millions of people. Deaths in the family, job losses, changes of situation. I get why people want to return to some sort of normality, but in my opinion, the stakes are just too high right now. 2020 was a write-off, let’s not make 2021 a write-off too.
To be blunt, this 5-day pointless party serves as a metaphor for the way the Government has handled the whole COVID crisis. It’s a clear signal that they don’t see this as a crisis at all, and, as proved time and time again throughout the pandemic, would rather do the popular thing than the right thing.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
What’s your take on Christmas 2020? Drop me a comment below or visit the Forum.