Christmas card on a light green background with words "Merry Lockdown and a Happy New Wave of Infections", designed and sold by Scribbler, 2020

Many greetings cards makers developed cards with designs reflecting responses to the COVID-19 pandemic including social distancing, staying at home, and self-isolation. The UK government originally announced that three households would be able to come together to form a Christmas bubble between 23-27 December 2020. Some scientists questioned this approach, arguing that that increased social mixing could potentially trigger a third wave. Due to the spread of a more infectious variant of the coronavirus, Christmas bubbles were banned in London and the South East. Many other parts of England could only meet on Christmas Day. England went into lockdown at midnight on 4 January 2021 to attempt to control the virus.