DH going to the gym on Christmas Day!

It's fine, but selfish if it means he will miss helping when it is crucial.
I would suggest that, for Christmas, he should make it special and invite DD and his father-in-law along for fun.

Leaving you and your mother spending a lovley hour together.

Make sure you give DH a written list of chores that are essential that he does before midday Christmas Day- for the day to function well. You wil hold no resentment.
He will be fit and cheerful and DD will have had an outing with Grandpa.

There have been times in my life where this wouldn’t bother me at all. Right now it would be mildly annoying.

When dc was a toddler, we needed to keep to a toddler centric schedule and that meant flexibility. adding a fixed time trip to the gym would have been infuriating.

To be honest I need to do this. My house is completely stocked with food, it’s not even Christmas yet and I’ve probably already overdone it. Gym actually sounds like a good way to offset eating extra as you do
over Christmas

Whatever is this shite about how families should be spending Christmas Day glued together when they don't do that any other day? That seems unnecessarily prescriptive and a bit suffocating tbh.

I don't see the problem at all with everyone getting a little bit of the day to themselves. As long as that's fair and equal and DH in OP's case isn't using the gym to duck out of cooking/childcare and OP gets the same amount of time later in the day to decompress away from parents and small children should she want it. We've always allowed our DC time away from the main fray when we've had visitors/been away visiting family for Christmas. At times we've needed it ourselves too. DH is Jewish, so he didn't grow up with Christmas being a big song and dance, so a big Irish family Christmas with that side of my family was a shock to his system!

Enforced togetherness isn't everyone's idea of a good Christmas, and compromise is sometimes needed to ensure everyone can manage the demands of the day.

Some people do not have any family, like me. I always work Christmas as I hate this time of year when it is all people talk about!

Okay fellow Catholics, keep your wigs on - I stand corrected!

Going to mass and being together on Christmas Day - no matter what we’re doing - works for us!

You do you!

It's apparently ok if you all go swimming together but how dare someone go to the gym for an hour on their own ?

Some people work Christmas day Catholic or not. I used to work in homeless units and they didn't shut for Christmas.

I worked with Catholics who worked Christmas day in said units.

Don't make people feel bad because they don't do the same as you

You can pray every day of the year and go to mass any time you like. The notion that a Catholic won't go to a gym on Christmas day is absurd.

I worked in gyms for years age and I can assure you Catholics go to the gym on Christmas day

Some Catholics I know don't go to mass either at Christmas Surely it's about personal preference?

As someone else said you don't speak for all Catholics. Some won't see the presents as fluff -you do clearly and that's fine but you aren't the mouthpiece for all Catholics surely you must know that

Celebrate together on the ski slopes. Roaring prayers out loud Father Ted style as you all fall over together. Blessing yourselves as you jump into the sea together of course.

Will you stop. You are embarrassing fellow Catholics.

I’ve never known a Catholic to go to a gym on Christmas Day. I’m not saying it’s wrong though, I was merely pointing out that Christmas to Catholics Is more than just presents, shopping and decorations - this is just fluff!

I’ve been swimming on Christmas Day and last year was on the Ski slopes - having attended mass first of course - but I wouldn’t do these activities leaving my DH and DC at home. We simply just celebrate together for the whole day.

As I said, each to their own.

Exactly. What tosh

LOL. Are you praying all day together. Please stop with the sanctimonious drivel. You are not speaking for the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. You are speaking for your own family only. You are most certainly not speaking for me.

Zero to do with being Catholic. Lots of families celebrate Christmas together. My family do and we aren't Catholic - right. You have to be glued together all Christmas to celebrate it properly - what?

He probably should give it a miss for one day. Everything has to move around him including meals and opening presents if he does step out. I think it would be different if you had a DC that was older. I’ve got a 3 year old DD and would be annoyed if DH left in the morning for 1.5 hours.

If you didn’t have a child I’d think maybe. Not while the child is so young. It’s a family day and he should be helping.

It entirely depends on whether he’s using the gym to skip parenting and family duties on Christmas Day.

Sorry what. What has being Catholic got to do with this - do you think Catholics don't go to the gym on Christmas day if they are open. Come on now - that might be how it is for your family but you don't speak for all Catholics

The Catholics I know celebrate Christmas the same way non Catholics do

We understand the true meaning of Christmas and we celebrate it by being together.

Everything else, such as the shopping, presents and decorations are just a way of showing it’s a celebration. Like you would do for a someone’s birthday, just this time it’s Jesus’.

Can you elaborate. I'm really interested as I am Catholic and can easily survive the day without having the immediate family 'in tow' all day long.

I see your point.

But for Catholics, Christmas is so much more than what you’ve listed. So I couldn’t imagine Christmas Day without my DH and DC in tow for the whole day.

Each to their own.

I agree. I feel like I'm on a parallel universe. No wonder the Christmas holidays are so fraught

It isn't as if he's decided to pack a bag and stay overnight with friends. He's going out for an hour.

Are people that caught up in the Disney version of Christmas that people can't do their own thing for an hour.

What would you do if you were married to a farmer who had to tend to animals on Christmas Day? Say no its faaamily time?

I think it's a good idea. We'd all be a lot less stressed out if we did the same. I'll be going for a walk. Or exercising in the morning before I leave to meet up with family.

It isn’t.

I mean I will definitely be going for a solo walk on Christmas Day. I don't think that's weird at all?

Did he go to the gym last Xmas? Are you certain it is open? Maybe do some research to begin with and come back. Whilst it may not be out of character for him, there’s a time for things. I’m sure there’s things you would do in your spare time but you wouldn’t dream of doing it on Christmas Day. Is he going Xmas Eve and Boxing Day also? Or just Xmas day?