Do you like seeing family at Christmas

I love seeing my grown up dc and dgc.
Not seen my siblings or Mum this year.

I like to get my visits done before Christmas Day. I've done more than my fair share of 12 around the dinner table on Christmas Day and now I'm happy for a quiet day with my other half and the dog.

I don't mind it but I've got to be honest, my side of the family are pretty dull and just want to sit around and drink cups of tea.

I like a drink, a laugh, a bit of karaoke or games. Nobody is ever bothered. My siblings are far too preoccupied with their own small children or just don't have a sense of humour or fun, and my husband's siblings are both vegan and refuse to come if the food isn't entirely vegan, even though the rest of the family aren't vegan and wouldn't be happy eating vegan food.

So we're left with elderly parents/grandparents who fall asleep after dinner and then sod off to bed at 9pm.

The most fun company I've had over Christmas is my own husband and 6 year old daughter.

Is it just me?

Prefer to just be with dh and dc. We did see in laws and dh’s siblings who are nice but it’s a lot of sitting about eating in a very hot house.

We spend Christmas with just me, husband and children and then visit in-laws on Boxing Day and travel onwards from there to see my family.

I don’t mind seeing my in-laws, they mean well, although the visit is always quite dull for my children as there’s a lot of sitting and chatting. I stay with my mum which is hard, she’s only early 70s but is unwell after years of alcohol abuse so it’s quite hard work. I do like seeing my dad and step mum which we do for a few hours.

Ultimately I am looking forward to driving home tomorrow after all the visiting has been done.

Just DD and her DH and that's it. There is nobody else in my family I want to spend more than an hour with if I'm honest.

It depends, some of my family I love, and I spend time with them, and enjoy every second.
Some close family, like a sister, I haven't seen for years, so obviously I don't spend time with the ones I don't like.

It makes sense.

Absolutely love it..I cook for loads of us..love when we are all together..dread when we don't all get together..I save for it every year so it does kill me with costs ..

Yes I do. But I have to say I have some really unpleasant memories of family Christmases, along with some family ones that were so perfect they were like something out of a film. I’d rather not have such high stakes now and will make an enjoyable Christmas whatever the options are.

Same. It’s the one time of the year I get an extended time with no demands from work and I end up spending a big chunk travelling and sitting around bored with family. Definitely falls more on the side of ‘obligation’ rather than pleasure.

I love seeing my brother, SIL and their family. I love seeing the cousins on my dad's side.
I have a duty visit to my elderly aunt and my cousins on my mum's side and I dread that. I don't like my cousins and my aunt is really catty.

Yes l love it.. because it's just my daughters and Grandsons.. one daughter tomorrow with her wife and 3 Grandkids..
Other daughter boxing day and 3 Grandkids. We are a close loving family..
No in laws.. no awful ex husbands.. that's the way we love it..
And only 15 walks to each other's houses.

Yes. It's not very Christmassy with just the two of us. It will be nice but basically a Sunday with nice dinner. Will miss the chaos and laughs this year.

If I’m totally honest I prefer Christmas Eve and Christmas day just us (DH and the DC). When we have other family to stay (none live close enough to just visit for the day) I always feel so much pressure for everything to be perfect and I don’t really relax.
I prefer to see the rest of the family in the days after Christmas before the kids go back to school.

We dont.

Two of my three with their children and partners are coming to mine tomorrow and I will be cooking with love and pleasure for all of us and its one day of the year I don't demand they come to mine the invite goes out and I'm happy they choose to come to us, one is away this year so I will see her when they come back

I only see my parents and DH's dad, which is absolutely fine. I don't have any extended family in this country and DH isn't close to his siblings or cousins.

We do a Xmas Eve meet up with aunts, uncles, cousins and that’s lovely. Mil/fil/sil/bil and my parents and sister I see all the time so it’s not that special if anything it’s hard work cause they all have their ways that inevitably clash!

I hate it. My parents have always been extremely toxic, and my mother is an alcoholic. When I moved out of the family home in my late teens, I was still expected to spend Christmas at their house. After I had my first child, that expectation continued. Every Christmas there ended the same way, with my mum’s drinking ruining the evening.
I haven’t spent Christmas with my parents for 18 years now, yet they still try to control or dominate my Christmas. My father refuses to tell me when he plans to visit, saying he will not “make an appointment.” As a result, he turns up unannounced, and if I’m not home it causes an argument.
This year he arrived to drop off presents when I wasn’t in, which meant I couldn’t give him their presents. I now find myself feeling guilty about that, and it’s casting a shadow over my whole Christmas. Every year I secretly deal with dread, guilt, depressing memories and the worry my parents will do something to sabotage my Christmas.

This year yes. We've already have had the drama of the TV. Mil bought a new TV and is giving her old one to sil. Sil has had 2 weeks to sort things. She expects me to collect it, take it to hers and set it up. We are having a meal lunchtime today in a pub and it was suggested I do this afternoon...that's a no I'm busy.

Now I've just had the phone call "are you picking sil up" sil is actually with mil now, but expects to go home and be chauffeured to the pub (so she can drink as much as possible) we then have to drive mil and sil home...

I've bit my tongue for 30 + years but I am not happy today....watch this space.

Love seeing them. No idea which way to vote on the poll - which is which?!

I love my family, cousins all get on great, my sisters are wonderful and my brothers in law are nice. We love each other and are prepared to accommodate without complaint/judgement different routines/meals/parenting styles etc. In-laws are nice - but it’s all quite performative and a bit dull. No cousins for DS to play with, and they all drink quite heavily and talk and drone on endlessly about their own opinions. I also don’t drink. Bonus is that we don’t have to stay over as we only live 15 mins away. I also leave the dog at home so I have an excuse to pop back at teatime and FaceTime my sisters 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Love it love them 😍

Why see them then?

I am absolutely dreading it. I’m way too menopausal and irritated for how they treat everyone and I just know I will want to throat punch them when they get started on politics. I will smile and be lovely and polite all day though.