Touched-with-hands egg salad. That's what everyone should prepare and inflict on unsuspecting friends.
We still mention the Christmas-that-wasn't. We always had the whole family, all the ILs and my folks, over for a big Christmas Eve gathering at our house. My household was just fine, and so was everyone else, EXCEPT one SIL and her family, who didn't tell anyone until after dinner that they had all been "tending to" each other for two days because everyone was whoopsing and running to the bathroom.
Christmas Day was always spent with my parents, with the big turkey dinner and all the trimmings. When all our household rose Christmas morning, we were all feeling a bit oopsy, and began taking turns utilizing the two bathrooms. I called my Mom, who insisted that Daddy bring us some of the dinner---she sent immense trays, which remained in the refrigerator for several days because none of us could face that heavy food.
THEN, about three o'clock, Mom called and said that they were both laid low with the "virus" as we all called it as it went round the area on an almost-annual basis.
The memories of that Christmas are a blur of sickness, a too-hot house and a late-day valiant attempt to open presents---I had bought a long-desired bottle of Georgio for a house-guest cousin, and she confided in later years that she could never bring herself to go near it again.
People who have or have just had the stomach flu need to stay home, get well, and not send food to other gatherings.
