The Holidays

[Skatastrophy]

We just had the rural anti-vax side of our family (my inlaws) realize that we were serious about not celebrating the holidays with them unless they're vaccinated. It has resulted in caustic guilt-tripping grenades being lobbed at us around "I guess you'll just never see us again then?"

Thankfully my side of the family is sane and kinder.

I'm not terribly happy that the ongoing political culture war is impacting the health of my extended family as well as our happiness around the holidays. This really has gone too far.

Just venting. What a troubling morning.

[tower912]

Odd.   I am currently subsidizing my wife's family.  Enjoy the silence.   

It is rough, skat.   I feel ya, buddy.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I heard last week that our sister plant in Appleton, WI has about half dozen people out every week with COVID. 
At this point it's head shaking.

Good luck.

[MUfan12]

I'm not terribly happy that the ongoing political culture war is impacting the health of my extended family as well as our happiness around the holidays. This really has gone too far.

Just venting. What a troubling morning.

I feel ya, Skat. My in-laws, zero problems. Everyone done, good to go. We're gonna have a great Thanksgiving with everyone.

My immediate family is vaccinated. Extended family? I have no idea. Mostly conservative politically so who the hell knows. The offense they take at even us asking makes me want to avoid it altogether.

[Warriors4ever]

Just discussed this with a friend yesterday. The hostess adult son is unvaccinated, no masking, traveling from elsewhere, and she wants everyone to take a day-of test, not for safety but so they can't blame her son if they attend and then get Covid.
She's taking a hard pass.

[cheebs09]

Just discussed this with a friend yesterday. The hostess adult son is unvaccinated, no masking, traveling from elsewhere, and she wants everyone to take a day-of test, not for safety but so they can't blame her son if they attend and then get Covid.
She's taking a hard pass.

Yikes. It is sad we are still at this point. Especially since this time of year last year seemed to be the worst of it.

We are in a similar situation as those here. Have a side of the family with some unvaccinated and there's a decent amount of young children. Not sure there will be a smooth resolution.

[JWags85]

General, not intended to be antagonistic, question:

Those of you who are vaccinated and not wanting to spend holidays with the unvaccinated.  Is it due to fears for your own or your vaccinated family's personal safety?  If so, namely children?  Is it about principal?

I totally respect your personal decisions and I completely understand the exasperation and frustration with the militantly vaccinated, I'm just curious whats driving the sentiment.  I have an relative who is unvaccinated, has made various jokes during the pandemic about being a super spreader at parties/events, and who claims wearing a mask gives her a headache so she avoids it.  But I also have a pair of relatives who despite having vaccines and boosters, and each having mild cases of COVID last year, won't be near anyone unvaccinated due to complete fear of getting COVID themselves.  So its across the board

[cheebs09]

General, not intended to be antagonistic, question:

Those of you who are vaccinated and not wanting to spend holidays with the vaccinated.  Is it due to fears for your own or your vaccinated family's personal safety?  If so, namely children?  Is it about principal?

I totally respect your personal decisions and I completely understand the exasperation and frustration with the militantly vaccinated, I'm just curious whats driving the sentiment.  I have an relative who is unvaccinated, has made various jokes during the pandemic about being a super spreader at parties/events, and who claims wearing a mask gives her a headache so she avoids it.  But I also have a pair of relatives who despite having vaccines and boosters, and each having mild cases of COVID last year, won't be near anyone unvaccinated due to complete fear of getting COVID themselves.  So its across the board

I'm guessing your first sentence meant "not wanting to spend the holidays with the unvaccinated."

For me it is 100% having a young child who is not able to be vaccinated. I feel pretty comfortable as a vaccinated person in pretty much any setting when it's just me. It's the potential of exposing her to it.

I typically wear a mask to the grocery store or larger indoor gatherings just as a further precaution against a breakthrough case. Not because I'm worried about myself, but moreso my child. It's probably not the most rational thought, but makes me feel more comfortable that I'm lowering the risk of passing something on.

Being a young child, she would probably be fine, but willing to take some extra steps to avoid worrying about it.

[Skatastrophy]

General, not intended to be antagonistic, question:

Those of you who are vaccinated and not wanting to spend holidays with the vaccinated.  Is it due to fears for your own or your vaccinated family's personal safety?  If so, namely children?  Is it about principal?

I totally respect your personal decisions and I completely understand the exasperation and frustration with the militantly vaccinated, I'm just curious whats driving the sentiment.  I have an relative who is unvaccinated, has made various jokes during the pandemic about being a super spreader at parties/events, and who claims wearing a mask gives her a headache so she avoids it.  But I also have a pair of relatives who despite having vaccines and boosters, and each having mild cases of COVID last year, won't be near anyone unvaccinated due to complete fear of getting COVID themselves.  So its across the board

I feel that there is a social obligation to not knowingly contribute to the spread of the pandemic. I feel that my unvaccinated family members, two of whom have jobs that take them into other people's homes daily, are immoral. Additionally, them putting themselves at very high risk, would put me at significantly higher risk of becoming a part of the problem.

I'm not overly concerned for the health of my wife or I. I see the pandemic as a short-term, severe challenge for our entire healthcare system. Our hospitals have been struggling due to the pandemic for the first ~12 months of this, and now these culture warrior dumb-dumbs for the past ~9 months.

Now we are close to being in a position that the combo of a vaccine + post-infection drugs take the strain off of our healthcare system. Until that point I'm ensuring I can continue to hang out with my friends that have unvaccinated children and insist on creating a vaccinated bubble around those kids. I'm also ensuring that the next time someone needs surgery like I just recently had, that they don't have it delayed for months because of the anti-vaxx nerds putting so much strain on hospitals.

So it's a combo of logical for-the-greater-good and some personal grievances.

[MUfan12]

Part concern for the little ones, part not wanting to spend time with people that obtuse.

[tower912]

I am fortunate that everyone I am likely to see this Thanksgiving and Christmas are vaccinated.

[Jockey]

I feel that there is a social obligation to not knowingly contribute to the spread of the pandemic. I feel that my unvaccinated family members, two of whom have jobs that take them into other people's homes daily, are immoral. Additionally, them putting themselves at very high risk, would put me at significantly higher risk of becoming a part of the problem.

I'm not overly concerned for the health of my wife or I. I see the pandemic as a short-term, severe challenge for our entire healthcare system. Our hospitals have been struggling due to the pandemic for the first ~12 months of this, and now these culture warrior dumb-dumbs for the past ~9 months.

Now we are close to being in a position that the combo of a vaccine + post-infection drugs take the strain off of our healthcare system. Until that point I'm ensuring I can continue to hang out with my friends that have unvaccinated children and insist on creating a vaccinated bubble around those kids. I'm also ensuring that the next time someone needs surgery like I just recently had, that they don't have it delayed for months because of the anti-vaxx nerds putting so much strain on hospitals.

So it's a combo of logical for-the-greater-good and some personal grievances.

Great post. You saved me a lot of time typing as I feel the same.

I don't associate with the unvaccinated or trump supporters out of principle. Fortunately, very few people in my life fit those criteria, so I have only disassociated myself from a couple people.

[Lennys Tap]

I don't disassociate myself from anyone. I don't feel morally superior to anyone because of their politics or vaccination status. I'm thrice vaxxed myself and in good health so for me other people's choices have become a moot point. My circle of friends includes Trumpsters, Bidenites and Bernieboys. I don't agree with any of them but the ones I count as friends are interesting and good people. Reading Skat's and Jockey's posts make me sad.

[wadesworld]

I don't disassociate myself from anyone. I don't feel morally superior to anyone because of their politics or vaccination status. I'm thrice vaxxed myself and in good health so for me other people's choices have become a moot point. My circle of friends includes Trumpsters, Bidenites and Bernieboys. I don't agree with any of them but the ones I count as friends are interesting and good people. Reading Skat's and Jockey's posts make me sad.

Sounds like you feel morally superior to a lot of people here, though.

[The Sultan]

Getting vaccinated to help in stopping the spread of a deadly pandemic is a morally superior position than willfully staying unvaccinated.  (Provided you are able to be vaccinated of course.)

[MUBurrow]

Covid has forced me to be more intentional about the ROI of traveling to see extended family.  A lot of my family isn't vaxxed, and I've just decided the whole thing isn't worth it since covid started.  Before I had gone to see family for holidays without really thinking about it, but I enjoyed the holidays either quiet at home or with my covid bubble last year, and I'll be damned if I'm going to risk my time with that group or risk introducing covid into that group or their kids now just to go through the motions with extended family that I don't have all that much in common with anyway.

[Skatastrophy]

I don't disassociate myself from anyone. I don't feel morally superior to anyone because of their politics or vaccination status. I'm thrice vaxxed myself and in good health so for me other people's choices have become a moot point. My circle of friends includes Trumpsters, Bidenites and Bernieboys. I don't agree with any of them but the ones I count as friends are interesting and good people. Reading Skat's and Jockey's posts make me sad.

Maybe this is what you meant, but the only people disassociating in my post are my family members that flipped out when we said we were passing on thanksgiving/chrismas during the pandemic. I feel sad for them too, they're angry because they watch OAN/Fox. Maybe they'll get over it, but maybe not based on the size of the guilt trip around "not seeing the girls grow up" even though they're "non-judgemental about people's choices."

It frees up time for us to go to our friendsgiving instead of a family thing, which will honestly be more fun anyway. I'll get to see my friend's parents who I haven't spent time quality time with since before college.

I don't have enough time for everyone in my life, which happens if you're popular and good-looking like myself. If people choose to opt-out because of their intensely felt feelings around dumb stuff like getting vaccinated? Good riddance IMO. I'll see you whenever you calm back down I guess.

[rocky_warrior]

Your thanksgiving, your choice.

[tower912]

It has to be better than last Thanksgiving.    My wife was quarantining with active COVID and I had to do all of the cooking and take it to her in the basement.      Good times.     

Although, I do recommend the boneless turkey breast/roll in the crock pot.   Very simple, very juicy.   Throw in a gravy packet at the beginning and the gravy pretty much takes care of itself.   

[Jockey]

I don't disassociate myself from anyone. I don't feel morally superior to anyone because of their politics or vaccination status. I'm thrice vaxxed myself and in good health so for me other people's choices have become a moot point. My circle of friends includes Trumpsters, Bidenites and Bernieboys. I don't agree with any of them but the ones I count as friends are interesting and good people. Reading Skat's and Jockey's posts make me sad.

I still have plenty of republican friends. I no longer have trump-supporting friends. Maybe I'm crazy, but an attempted coup kinda makes me that way.

[Lennys Tap]

Sounds like you feel morally superior to a lot of people here, though.

Not at all. I can be as judgmental as anyone and often am. But I'm also selfish and want to be happy. When I let anger and judgement win the day it doesn't make me anything like happy. So I try (frequently unsuccessfully) to avoid them. As we say around here, it's a process.

[mu_hilltopper]

Although, I do recommend the boneless turkey breast/roll in the crock pot.   Very simple, very juicy.   

I've done three frozen "turkeys in a bag" in the past few months.    Keep it in the freezer, pop it in the oven for 2.5 hours, done.   The bag keeps all the juices in there, so it's kinda always basting itself.

[warriorchick]

I've done three frozen "turkeys in a bag" in the past few months.    Keep it in the freezer, pop it in the oven for 2.5 hours, done.   The bag keeps all the juices in there, so it's kinda always basting itself.

Heresy!

I suppose you slide your cranberry sauce out of a can, too.

[Jockey]

I've done three frozen "turkeys in a bag" in the past few months.    Keep it in the freezer, pop it in the oven for 2.5 hours, done.   The bag keeps all the juices in there, so it's kinda always basting itself.

Sounds like something I want to try. What temp?

[tower912]

Heresy!

I suppose you slide your cranberry sauce out of a can, too.

I leave it in the can.   Ghastly.