What are your Holiday 2020 plans?

[wanderer2575]

(Inspired by the "Who is working Thanksgiving? Coronavirus edition" thread)

Thanksgiving has always been with my family at my parents' home.  Not this year; the parental units have pretty much put themselves in isolation since March.  So it will just be Mrs. wanderer and myself at our home.  Most restaurants will be closed, but I suggested that we take a drive down to the Ohio Turnpike and have dinner at a Burger Barn at one of the service plazas.  Mrs. wanderer shot down that idea before it got fully out of my mouth.  So instead we we will stay home, and assemble and bake a lasagna from scratch for dinner (okay, we cheated and bought pre-made lasagna noodles). 

We usually host Christmukah for both our families at our home every year.  Not this year, and we haven't decided what we will do instead for just the two of us.  Our New Year's Eve tradition is that I go out for a long dayhike and then (with sufficient adult beverage fortification) I make a pot of spaghetti for dinner, and I expect that will happen as usual.

[Max Rockatansky]

My Wife and I will be visiting her Dad on Thanksgiving.  Apparently one of her brothers might drop in given he lives a couple blocks over.  We might go to Carmel or Big Sur for Christmas given a bunch of family is going to Mexico this year (which they planned before the overnight California Curfew started). 

[bandit957]

Gonna get the whole damn fam together for some huge gatherings!

[NWI_Irish96]

My wife is a respiratory therapist and is going to spend Christmas in the ICU caring for people who had big family gatherings for Thanksgiving.

[kphoger]

My mother-in-law is planning to come out from Forsyth, MO, to spend Christmas ever at our house.  My sister-in-law (in Springfield) will also hopefully come out with her, and we've invited my sister-in-law's girlfriend out as well (not sure if she has other family plans).  Our family always spends Christmas Eve at home.  We have sweet-and-sour crockpot meatballs (cooked in chili sauce and grape jelly) and party potatoes (called funeral potatoes in other parts) for dinner, we make "Christmas tea" (black tea with vanilla extract and orange juice and spices), and the boys open one big present that night.  Inside the box are new pajamas for the year, snack/junk food, and a movie for us to watch as a family that night.

On Christmas morning, the in-laws will head back to Missouri, and the five of us will head up, as usual, to my parents' house across town.  There, we'll have a big present-opening frenzy (the blessing or curse of having grandparents nearby) in the morning and Christmas dinner in the afternoon.

I'm not sure if my sister and her husband will be coming down from Iowa this year.  Some years they do, but I haven't asked about this year.

My wife is a respiratory therapist and is going to spend Christmas in the ICU caring for people who had big family gatherings for Thanksgiving.

My mom was an ICU nurse at Silver Cross (Joliet) when I was little, and she filled various roles in nursing (DON, pharmacy, telemedicine, OB, etc) all through my growing-up years, so I feel you.  She was never off for all the holidays, always had to work at least one of them.  Now that she has retired from nursing and is a part-time teacher instead, it's really nice to spend pretty much every holiday with her–actually ON the holiday!

[1995hoo]

My mom lives about 15—20 minutes from us, depending on traffic and whether the lights are red. We're going over there for Thanksgiving; she's coming here for Christmas. I already know I have Christmas Eve off, which is nice.

My father's birthday was December 3. I'm going to wait until Wreaths Across America takes place at Arlington to go visit because I want to see that.

[hbelkins]

Don't know as of yet. Likely just a small gathering -- me, my wife, her mom and her sister -- at her mom's place.  Basically the same as Thanksgiving.

I get Thursday and Friday off (24th/25th and 31st/1st) so I have two four-day weekends in a row. I'd really like to check out the new section of future US 460 that opened, the new section of the Coalfields Expressway, and the US 35 construction, but my car troubles limit me to not going anywhere.

[Bruce]

Staying home so that COVID doesn't kill the rest of my family.

Anyone who is having out-of-household gatherings over the holiday is putting themselves and their communities in danger. They are selfish beyond belief.

[Scott5114]

In my family, the tradition is that usually the big family get together is Thanksgiving in Kansas City, gifts are handed off there (but not opened), and then the various nuclear families do their own Christmases together at home (opening the presents they got at Thanksgiving).

I have no idea what Kansas City is doing this year, but we're not going up there for it if they are doing anything. My grandma, who we normally stay with, is turning 91 this week. Although I already had covid a month ago and am fine now, and thus am not likely to be a carrier, cases in Oklahoma are at record levels, and I don't want to risk her health–or anyone else's–until everyone's vaccinated and good to go.

I also don't know what we're doing for Christmas. Mom and Dad are in their 60s, so they're not as high risk as Grandma is, but I also don't know that seeing them is the greatest idea.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Well, this year will be the first time in my life I'll be receiving the New Year at home. This also means my traditional time travel thread may be out at exactly 6 p.m. on December 31, and laptop instead of my cellphone. I've already decided not to wish a Happy New Year, as this one turned out to be a total failure.

[webny99]

Anyone who is having out-of-household gatherings over the holiday is putting themselves and their communities in danger. They are selfish beyond belief.

Large gatherings should definitely be avoided, but being with people outside your household is OK in some circumstances, especially for people that live on their own.

[bandit957]

Also, I'm probably going out with some friends to some bars to have a great time!

[GaryV]

Also, I'm probably going out with some friends to some bars to have a great time!

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

We told our kids and my siblings that we're not hosting Thanksgiving this year.  Everyone will be on their own.  Here's hoping things will be better at Christmas.

[texaskdog]

Going to mom's with 11 of us.  Not afraid of a virus with a 99% survival rate but thanks for everyone's concern.

[Max Rockatansky]

Anyone who is having out-of-household gatherings over the holiday is putting themselves and their communities in danger. They are selfish beyond belief.

Large gatherings should definitely be avoided, but being with people outside your household is OK in some circumstances, especially for people that live on their own.

In our case we were specifically requested to visit.  My wife's Dad and Grandma have said flat out they aren't okay with being shut ins or having people avoid them simply because they are elderly.  For what it's worth my wife has been donating plasma and has shown up positive for antibodies on the last three tests, by proxy I've almost certainly had it as well (although I never have had an antibody test).  I haven't seen my immediate family on Thanksgiving or Christmas in five years, so I can care less personally on front of holiday visits.  If it was up to me I would just go for a hike in the morning and watch football on any given year. 

[bandit957]

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

This is November, not April.

[hotdogPi]

Also, I'm probably going out with some friends to some bars to have a great time!

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

We told our kids and my siblings that we're not hosting Thanksgiving this year.  Everyone will be on their own.  Here's hoping things will be better at Christmas.

Not a joke.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=10958;area=showposts;start=50

(note: if you're reading this in the future, it won't point to the correct posts)

[GaryV]

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

This is November, not April.

So the fact that there are more cases now than there were in April is of no concern?

[kphoger]

Anyone who is having out-of-household gatherings over the holiday is putting themselves and their communities in danger. They are selfish beyond belief.

Stop it.  I'm so sick of everyone (on both sides of this issue) playing God and judging everyone else.

[NWI_Irish96]

Anyone who is having out-of-household gatherings over the holiday is putting themselves and their communities in danger. They are selfish beyond belief.

Stop it.  I'm so sick of everyone (on both sides of this issue) playing God and judging everyone else.

I'm not judging, I'm encouraging it. The more people get together at Thanksgiving the more overtime my wife gets at her hospital, which means a much nicer Christmas present for me.

[Henry]

For the first time ever, there'll be no holiday trip to Chicago; instead, I'll be stuck in Seattle hosting a virtual get-together with my wife's family in San Diego, as well as mine in the Windy City.

[kphoger]

I'm not judging, I'm encouraging it. The more people get together at Thanksgiving the more overtime my wife gets at her hospital, which means a much nicer Christmas present for me.

That's..... strangely humorous.  In a wry, sick, and twisted sort of way.  I'm smiling, but I'm wondering at the same time if I should be.

Good one!  And, at the same time, No, no, no!

(We have a friend who's a nurse at a nursing home that's severely understaffed right now because so many nurses have gotten COVID-19.  On her floor, something like 20 out of 24 of the staff have gotten the virus, as well as nearly all the residents.  Somehow, both she and her father (one of the residents) have managed to test negative every time so far.  I keep wondering how long that's possible.  Because the facility is trying to contain the contagion to one building, they haven't been shifting staff over from other areas to cover the short-staffing problem the way they might otherwise do–which makes for more overtime for our friend.  She's really stressed out and tired by now, but fortunately some of the staff are now getting over their quarantine period and coming back to work.  Ever since the pandemic began, she has cut all social ties in order to keep herself and her residents as safe as possible.  I haven't personally seen her more than probably twice in the last eight months.  It's really hard for her son (one of our best friends), because he sees his dad twice a week while working at the church, but he basically never gets to see his mom.  Their holidays will look quite different than normal this year.)

[bandit957]

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

This is November, not April.

So the fact that there are more cases now than there were in April is of no concern?

For some reason, I just barely even notice anymore.

[ET21]

Just the parents, my wife and myself. My uncle may pop by as well. We all work from home so outside of the grocery store we've pretty much been quarantining so we can have a small Thanksgiving 

[kphoger]

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a joke or not.  Aren't you the guy who was afraid to go out of the house a few months ago?

This is November, not April.

So the fact that there are more cases now than there were in April is of no concern?

For some reason, I just barely even notice anymore.

Yeah, you've either learned more and are able to make more rational decisions, or else you've grown numb and are making less rational decisions.  Which is it?  Who knows!

On a serious note, please remember that drunk people don't have good self control.  They're loud, they crowd your personal space, etc.  There's good reason that various jurisdictions are targeting restaurants and bars with their curfews.  Especially with the health issues you've had, please, if you find yourself in such a situation, then get out of that bar and go somewhere else.  Personally, I'd encourage you to learn how to make cocktails and mixed drinks at home (if you don't already know) and test out your skills with your friends there instead.