Christmas is different this year for Charmaine Gauci, Chris Fearne and Bernard Grech. They tell Claire Farrugia how they’ll be spending Christmas Day.

Charmaine Gauci – Superintendent of Public Health

In the past, we celebrated Christmas as one big family – my parents, my husband’s parents, our brothers and our son all getting together for a large meal.

This year, it’s going to be very different. COVID doesn’t stop for Christmas so I’ll still be working with the team on the day dealing with tests, handling cases and overseeing the ongoing vaccination process.

I will still spend time with the family for lunch but, this year, only with my household. I’ll cook dinner with my husband, our son and his girlfriend.

However, respecting the fact that we need to protect our parents, who are elderly, we won’t see them and will call them instead.

We’re also going to give gifts ahead of the day. Basically, the presents have been wrapped for a while and we’re also keeping gift-giving for our immediate family.

It will be different but it will still be a special day.

Chris Fearne – Health Minister

I usually spend Christmas morning with my parents before heading back home for our traditional Christmas lunch with the children.

This year, unfortunately, we won’t be exchanging gifts in person. Instead, we’ll be trying to connect with them via video call after lunch. 

My assistant-chef duties, however, have not been affected by COVID-19 –  while my wife and I will be cooking for fewer people, expectations of good food remain high!

Bernard Grech – Nationalist Party leader

Beyond the religious significance of Christmas, this period is always a calmer period of the year, a time to take a step back from the daily routine and cherish our loved ones.

This year, in particular, since I was elected leader of the opposition and the Nationalist Party, my personal and public engagements have increased and, therefore, my personal and family time have been significantly restricted.

However, my wife and I plan to spend Christmas Day in quite the same way as we always did before... sharing some quality time with our children.

It was only the Sunday before Christmas that this year was a different one for us since our usual meet-up with the rest of the family did not happen, obviously due to the pandemic.

In fact, this Christmas will expose the loneliness that people, particularly those who are of a certain age, have been experiencing and it, therefore, becomes even more essential that we all reach out in different ways to safeguard their well-being.

After all, this is the real meaning of Christmas: respect, love and solidarity towards each other. This might be a blessing in disguise to help us rediscover and embrace these values in their entirety.

Editor's note: This article was published prior to Grech and his wife were told to self-quarantine.