I don't think people will want to give up Christmas. It's a thing that people have a strong belief in. Whether you believe in it or not doesn't matter, a vast majority of people hold it dear to their heart. If the media or any political person, were to mention "Canceling Christmas", a guaranteed storm would brew and all hell would ironically break loose. (I hope I am not right)
So I am sure, they are trying their best not to use those terms. I think that's why there's a rush and push for this vaccine, and for the information of whether it's safe or not. They don't want to have to close down for Christmas. People want to see their families. But then, in the end, many will choose for themselves and decide to take that risk and spend Christmas with their loved ones. I don't hold them responsible for anything. Because they chose that, and felt in their hearts, it's a right choice for them. While I, could just stay home, and not catch it, and smirk when they catch it while I am safe at home. (Then I'd slip while shoveling snow, and hit the concrete, and now I'm in a coma...Because life is funny like that sometimes ).
Christmas was dear also in the years between 1939 and 1944. It's not that - Xmas truce aside and that anyway happened in WWI, not II - people just stopped the war because it was Christmas. As painful as it is, the virus doesn't stop because of Christmas and there has to be painful decisions about it.
In Italy they effectively cancelled the holiday period - tradionally the period that goes from immediately before Xmas to 6th of January, which is another big holiday here, it's the classic winter time, schools are closed and the vast majority of offices either close, or give you holidays during that time. Well, all big movements around the nation are suspended in that period. On Xmas and Boxing Day, just like NYE, people won't be literally allowed to leave their own town (which caused a shitstorm because if you're in a big city, you can walk around and meet a lot of people, but if you're in a small town in the countryside you can't go to your equally small neighbouring town to meet your close relatives). So yeah, Christmas has been cancelled here, and that's a gamble of the government who wants to bring down the curve once and for all (yesterday 993 people died, on a country of 60-63 millions of people). And that is what sadly has to happen everywhere else, with the due exceptions and careful attentions when moving around or traveling.
Of course it bloody sucks to not have a normal Christmas and having to make a choice about how few relatives you have to meet, but the world isn't going to end for a missed Christmas. It's going to end, although not literally, if we drag this thing forever. Vaccines will take months to be implemented, we just have to bring down the number of cases somehow and the Christmas holidays and gatherings are sadly a major case for contagions.