So sorry to hear about cancelled plans, Janet. But I’m not surprised, tbh. People I know and my family are canceling their holiday parties/travel/visits, too. Sad but necessary at this time.

Things that are already challenging have the added layer of COVID angst. It’s exhausting. We flipped and flopped on attending a funeral Saturday. And in Ontario it’s all things hunger games - boosters, rapid tests. That too is exhausting - it’s fight then numb rather than flight as a stress response.

My coping mechanism is to learn everything and anything I can about the mutations, timelines of infectiousness, optimal testing strategies but that’s exhausting too!

Kerry, I’m with you on the coping mechanism - I must read and watch all the latest updates & data. Somehow information makes me feel better prepared which is nonsense, of course.
Any suggestions on upgrading masks? This is on my To Do list.

This year did not live up to its initial promise and momentum. The BF's mom passed away in January and we were not able to go to Canada for the funeral. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, had surgery, radiation therapy, and rang the bell. My lifelong, dear friend, who has been a front-line, very vocal healthcare worker - even through Hodgkins Lymphoma, has recently been benched because of his health.

For me, all of this is a reminder that some things are just beyond the scope and control of mankind, and we have to exist and live with everything else on this planet, not at the expense of it. Angie's Three P's have been very useful to me outside of my fashion-life - Patient, Picky, Practical.

We're vaccinated and booster'd, and had plans to go to the Bahamas (we were supposed to go last week), and to Toronto this week, to spend the holidays with BF's dad. And we had to cancel all of it - we've gotten so much conflicting information on testing, test-windows, possibilities of extended quarantines, and unforeseen expenses for all of this, that we've postponed traveling for the time being.

It's frustrating, because it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels and not really getting anywhere. But when I go out for a walk, I realize that I'm seeing more birds and animals, the air smells clearer and fresher, and the trees in my community seem to be thriving. My backyard songbirds come visit every day, and after two years, they're showing me a level of trust that I feel very honored to have. I try to find the small moments of contentment, and the little wins.

I do believe that collectively, we're moving forward and making progress with the pandemic. I think we're all starting to realize that this is an actual war. Omicron is the new battle.

So... I hope I can give you all some hope, when your spirits are flagging, and I wish you many small joys and little adventures for you to uncover, right where you are. Tomorrow is the longest night of the year, and after that... the light returns. Happy Holidays!

We’re seriously considering canceling our trip to the SF Bay Area. Covid is a huge worry, but we’re also worrying about the weather forecast. Our drive over the mountains is always worrisome. We’ve been doing this for over thirty years, and we’ve had to tweak our plans from time to time, going a day early, staying an extra day, etc. This week the forecast is BAD. Well, it’s good if you’re considering the drought!

I was wearing a cloth mask in stores pre-omicron and a blue level 1 surgical mask at school. I’m now wearing a KN95. Not perfect but 5 layers vs 2-3 and a snugger fit although not a perfect seal. I’ve got kids sized N95 ordered for DD.

Mary Beth, your post was beautiful thank you!

Hi everyone.
@Mary Beth, hugs and thanks for your post.
I feel better seeing you are as frustrated as I am.
We are stranded at home since Nov 26th, with Covid. We were vaccinated, but didn't get the booster shot yet (I had it booked for the 27th of Dec), and we are taking a long time to test negative. I have no idea whether we'll be free for Christmas or not.
Cases are raising in Itay, it looks to me like the situation is out of control. A colleague just tested positive, and she'd about 5 months pregnant, and I am very concerned. I am afraid schools will be closed again, I am afraid vaccines won't be enough to stop all this.
It's all very frustrating.

“I wish you many small joys and little adventures for you to uncover, right where you are.”

In addition to the ongoing COVID situation, every friend I have is experiencing a serious health condition or has a spouse who is. We’re being reminded daily how precious life is.

Being in Nature grounds me and renews my spirit. I’ve just finished acquiring new gear that will enable me to be outdoors daily, no matter the weather conditions. I’m grateful for online shopping and that there exists outer wear that is truly warm, waterproof and wind proof.
Onward!

I’m sorry you had to cancel your trip, Janet. You were so looking forward to it. But it’s probably for the best. My son’s friend in NYC just tested positive and he says he has NO idea how he got it. He’s been super careful, masked, and triple-vaxxed. Sobering.

Aquamarine, that is so scary. Honestly, my anxiety level is non-stop ... my heart is constantly pounding, even when I wake up, I swear I'm fretting in my sleep. I think this wave seems so uncontrollable ... even masks and vaxxes don't seem to be stopping it ... and of course we humans do NOT cope well with feeling out of control.

So sorry Janet about your trip ...everyone who has had to cancel things they were looking forward to ...everyone who is feeling anxiety or down right now ...

For those feeling a lot of anxiety this voice on Twitter may help - Monica Gandhi …

https://twitter.com/monicagandhi9?s=21

Kerry, she is interesting to follow. One of my BFFs has been working on the Paxlovid project. It will be very important moving forward.

However, I don’t know if she really assuages my anxiety (I deal with it mainly by walking outside in nature). I’m not assuming anything about Omicron being milder than earlier variants. Too early, too many conflicting stories and too little data at this point. My husband and I agreed long ago that we would try our best to avoid contracting the virus in the first place, so we are back to hunkering down. I have a mild heart condition and a family history that makes me nervous about anything that may damage my heart and/or lungs. Even people with mild cases are experiencing Long Covid, and like the kids say, Do Not Want.

Besides, I wouldn’t want to be a contributor to spreading the virus to others who are more compromised, just for the sake of attending a party or event. A lot of my motivation is not anxiety so much as concern for the greater population.

kerry, "Hunger Games" is the perfect description for it (I am in Toronto). That's all I'm gonna say as I eat my lovely chopped salad full of nice things for lunch, along with a leftover glass of nice white wine chosen to pair well with the marinated artichokes

Well now the older relatives are snarking back and forth on the matter of gathering xmas day… I will say it’s… funny. My mum and her brothers are in their 80s and they still act like they’re all children in the back seat of the car on a very long drive… haha! ‘Are you going skiiing?’ ‘Skiing seems the ideal Covid activity’ ‘No no, don’t forget the après ski beer drinking. That will give you covid.’

Lol. Who are these people? *Après ski beer*

Omg Rachy ... Your family is the best. They remind me of my mom and Irish aunties when we had them all here ... A logic truly of their own making lol!

Rachylou - Aunties!!! I had 4 (plus Mom) - and may they all rest in peace. Jewish aunties chattering in Yiddish.

Rachylou -- thanks for that laugh!

Janet, I'm so sorry about your cancelled plans. Christina, too. And Irina. And all.

Mary Beth, that was just a beautiful post. Thank you, thank you.

As for me, I'm feeling extremely lucky. I got a call two days ago from a friend saying that another friend we both visited in Vancouver early last week has tested positive. Though triple vaxxed, she caught it, apparently, it from her son, just home from McGill. I spoke with the young man in question for about ten minutes in her entryway, unmasked. And then spent the evening chatting, eating, drinking at their house. All were vaxxed, though only a few were boosted—BC not having rolled out boosters for most of us yet. Anyway. My friend's entire family has come down with Covid, but none of the guests who visited that night got infected.

Then I learned that my child was in close contact with someone who tested positive on Saturday night. (Of course, the friend was unaware she was positive at the time or they would not have met up!) Luckily, it looks like my kid also escaped infection. They tested today and are negative and have no symptoms. They need to continue to test for a few more days to be in the clear.

Rapid tests are almost impossible to get ahold of here -- it's not Hunger Games but Hide and Seek -- because they say we don't have enough supply and we don't "need" them and they will be reserved for specific high risk settings. BAH, HUMBUG!

Still, the light is returning, right? Right. Onwards toward it.

I thought I would stop by to post a little positive news, based on the data accumulated it is believed Omicron is 40% less likely to lead to hospitalisation than the Delta variant. Obviously, Omicron is more transmissible but I'm taking that silver lining.

Have fun whatever you choose to do this Christmas xo

R&J, that is a positive thing about Omicron, but I really hope people don’t take that as a license to be more lax. The numbers still lead down a dark path — high rates of transmission compound the low rates of hospitalization in no time. With so many health care workers already stretched to the limit, I really hope people continue to take it seriously.

I’m very happy about the Pfizer treatment pill being approved by the FDA yesterday! On top of the good news for public health, I’m so proud of my friend for his role in managing the project — what a crowning achievement in his career!

Absolutely agree with you there Janet, we are taking lots of precautions this Christmas, however, the data has taken my mood to a less gloomy place.

I'm so grateful for the scientists unwavering hard work and understand your pride in your friend.

My husband, myself and our two daughters all had Covid in October and we were fortunate enough to all fully recover, yet at the same time we were unwell enough to not take anything for granted.

I'm hoping to still be able to see my father on the 28th but we are unlikely to know if this is possible until after Christmas.

I hope you can still see him! I can only imagine how hard it’s been for people to stay away from their aging loved ones during all this. My husband’s mom refuses to get the vaccine, but we are 1200 miles away. We are just hoping she stays safe.

I started this thread two weeks ago, before the holidays. So, how did it go?
We got our booster shots, kids got theirs but we still opted for a quiet celebration - we spent Christmas and New Year nights together. I did a “driveway gift exchange “ with one of my friends but that was it.
Tomorrow our province will enter into a partial lockdown with schools, museums, galleries, concert halls, gyms and indoor dining closed. And certainly WFH full time for at least a couple of months. It is sad but necessary, we saw it coming with this incredible spread of Omicron.
We do our part by being careful and responsible. And hope that better days are coming.
How are you doing? Hope you and your families are all safe and had good holidays.

Very quiet holidays here. We’ve gone back into hunker down mode. If we get meals from a restaurant, we do carry-out. Not socializing except for hikes and trail maintenance with my neighbors/friends. Lots of people we know now have Covid or have tested positive — for some it’s their second go-around. People with kids have it hardest and seem to be getting it more.

I’m tired of the whole ordeal but we have come this far without getting it, so we feel like why would we let our guard down now? So many people seem totally blasé about it, but I would feel awful if I helped spread this around and inadvertently passed it along to someone who is immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable.

I think the next month or so is going to be rough with post-holiday cases. I worry about healthcare workers.

Our son and his GF are visiting from the Midwest. So far we are all fine. Her family in NY got it, but their cases were mild because of boosters, apparently.