Holiday Plans

[leefamily23]

With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas just a month away how do you divide up the time with your families for celebrations? With blended families being so common place (mine included) it almost seems difficult to make it to every event. I really want to put my foot down next year and spend a little more time at home w/ just my family relaxing. It's too late this year to start the trend, as I think it's going to need several months of ground work to ease certain relatives into the idea and not have them royally mad.

 

Between making sure we see both dh and my immediate family, then the extended family get togethers, plus my son has his dad's and his partners celebrations to go to. It just starts to feel like too much.

[pogiporkchop]

I wish we had family here to gather with. Everyone is too far away and it'd be too expensive for the whole family to travel. We just keep it laid back and don't even bother with a turkey though I cook turkey in some form.

[mgmckny]

There's not much family left for me.... Most of the remainder live near here, have a brother I never see in Oviedo near Orlando but he won't visit because I have cats...long story.

[lcplwinkerswife]

Well me my mom my daughter and two brothers are going to my moms parents for thanksgiving tomorrow hubby has to work it's about 2 hours away hoping to be back by no later than between 5-7 gotta get to WM before 8 Christmas we normally do Christmas Eve at my dads moms and then Christmas Day at my moms parents

[DivaOfDeals]

I wish we had family here to gather with. Everyone is too far away and it'd be too expensive for the whole family to travel. We just keep it laid back and don't even bother with a turkey though I cook turkey in some form.

Both my family and my fiance's family are out of state and too far. I'll be in line at Best Buy on Thanksgiving and for Christmas we are spending Christmas and Christmas Eve here with the kids and then going to Atlantic City for 3 days. It has been many years since I've seen my family on the holidays. I will cook a big Thanksgiving dinner next week, but it won't be "on" Thanksgiving.

[fluffkin79]

If you would like some more time to relax at home you'll have to claim it, otherwise it won't happen. Next year, pick a day and time that is just for your family at home. Try to make it at least half a day.

 

My holidays have changed every year since my Grandma passed away in 1999! Marriage, divorce, birth, death, moves - every year has been different and Grandma isn't there anymore to make it happen. We moved from WI (near my family) to OH (near in-laws) a couple years ago. That first Christmas here we stayed late at a relative's house on Christmas Eve so we got up late-ish on Christmas morning. We were supposed to be at grandma's for brunch, so we just let the kids open their stockings and we left. Grandma told us to come over as early as we could, but appantly that meant different things to different people. Finally, by about 3-4pm, everyone arrived, we ate, opened gifts, and drove the 45 minutes home. By the time we got there it was almost 9:00 and all 3 kiddos were asleep in the car. I wanted to waint until the morning to open gifts, but DH insisted that they had to be opened on Christmas. I started handing out gifts, the kids happily ripped into them, and DH fell asleep on the couch! He left me to deal with the mess and the overtired, overstimulated kids. I learned my lesson. From that point on I told everyone that we can't be anywhere before 1pm Christmas Day. I put a lot of time an energy into the hoidays and I'd like to spend a little time enjoying the day I worked for. And this way the kids get to check out at least a couple of their gifts before they have to leave them behind; it make them much happier people!

 

For my side of the family it's just me, my dad, sister and her kids and none of us get stuck on the calendar - we can do our thing on any day. We've done Christmas on New Year's several times. Occasionally a random cousing joins us if it fits in their schedule. This year they are coming here (yippie!) and depending on when they leave we'll either do our meal/gifts on Christmas evening or the next day.

Edited November 21, 2012 by fluffkin79

[momlori]

With a blended family, holidays are not the same. Trying to make everyone happy just does not work and my parents do not want to work with us This year we are close to being with everyone in 2 separate stops instead of 4 so hopefully both days go as planned. Now if everyone can learn to share, we would be great. Next year, I would like to take the whole month off and leave town so I do not have to deal.

[momof3luvs1]

I miss living back home around the holidays. Every year I hostess thanksgiving and Christmas eve. Family would come on thanksgiving and all my friends would gather by dessert time. Same thing for Christmas eve, I would end up with around 20 people or more on each holiday. On Christmas we would do the long drive to the in laws (that part I don't miss)now living in fl it is just us, my mom, and my daughters godfather if he doesn't go back home that year.....my hubby loves the low key holidays but I really miss the old traditions I had...

[Jen198]

It's easier for DH and I because we don't have kids. We always go to my Mom's for the holidays, and stop by at my In Laws after. New Years Eve day we do Christmas with my Brother, his wife & my niece & Nephew. My parents are divorced but they are friends so Dad comes to all the Holidays too. Every Christmas Eve, my Mom makes Lasagna & dessert and all of us go there...Tonight DH's Father & Stepmom will be joining us at my Mom's house. He is excited but I am stressed about it. Will have to have a glass of wine. Merry Christmas Everyone!