No vax, green pass and tampons: family tussle for Christmas lunch

There are only a few days left until Christmas, the second in the name of the covid, but it has already been several weeks that small conflicts and tensions have erupted in Italian families for the organization of the dinner on the eve of the eve and the lunch on the 25th. The splits, among the most prudent and those who want to celebrate together are willing to risk more, between no vax and vaccinated, risk overwhelming the tables with relatives like an earthquake. There are those who will only invite vaccinated people, those who have decided for the mass swab, those who, following the proverb ‘prudence is never too much’, will limit themselves to spending meals only with their own family. And also those who, thanks to the absence of government restrictions, will risk numerous gatherings even beyond the recommended threshold, with the sole shield of vaccination. However, the issue has been discussed for days now and in some cases the lack of agreement has already caused fractures. From the grandmother no vax, who rather than get vaccinated will give up spending Christmas with her grandchildren, to the stubborn brother who refuses the tampon on principle or for money, there are many cases that are igniting souls. ” In families there is not always agreement on everything – sociologist Chiara Saraceno explains to Adnkronos – consanguinity does not guarantee unity of views. Not only between families but also within the same parental group and in friendships there can be different sensitivities about the risks one runs or even what is more important. It is an extreme example because in this case there is truly a dimension of danger that in other cases there cannot be. ” In short, the pandemic, emphasizes the sociologist, “ on the one hand sharpens and explicit differences of pre-existing views on this that it is important and what is not and therefore on the priorities of each one, on the other, and I am referring to the no vax, there is also an ideological position ”. ” It is a beautiful litmus test for family relationships and therefore positively requires more mutual understanding and acceptance: in our overall fragility and insecurity, everyone makes their own assessments on the risk they are willing to take for themselves and for themselves. others and vice versa on the loss of relationship, hopefully temporary, which he is willing to accept ”, he adds. ” There may be relatives who will not understand why another person did not want to run the risk of exposing themselves to the infection, perhaps fragile, and who will say ‘but because she did not come’, who will interpret this choice as little generosity but in this case instead it is a legitimate self-protection – he says – We must not make it a matter of conflict that ruins relationships forever. There are evaluations that go to the wire, perhaps last year there were more uncertainties but also more certainties, in any case it was clearer what was better and safer to do ”. After all, if you think about it, the Christmas period has never been an easy time. ” Holidays and in particular Christmas holidays are always full of family tensions, Christmas is a family celebration but also tensions – explains Chiara Saraceno – There is always a choice to make, such as ‘we are with mine or yours’ , you see people who may not have dated for a long time, old stories also come out, then balance is found. There is a whole literature on the subject. It is a party that children like very much but for adults it always requires a dose of mediation ”. This is perhaps one of the cases in which the pandemic can teach us something. ” This situation should also lead us to play down Christmas – underlines the sociologist – So let’s try to contextualize this holiday a little more. If we think about it, even without covid, it has never been so free from difficult decisions, from sacrifices, from sacrifices. Let us think, for example, of the children of the separated, their parents and their grandparents. For them it is always a complicated party: they know that someone will suffer for their choices and maybe they will have to accept something that they are not happy to accept ”. ” We tend to think that either we do everything at Christmas or nothing, instead we have to play down, hoping to be able to recover somewhere else and at another time. It takes patience! ”, He concludes. (by Giorgia Sodaro)