Anyone else overjoyed they might be able to escape "Big family Christmas"?

[BlueDream]

I am fist pumping at the thought of a legit excuse to not have a massive extended family knackering Christmas.

Find, I loved my family.

Richer or poorer, we could make a silk purse out of a sows ear!.

Good conversation... Amazing food... Df was brilliant cook... Whether we were rich or poor...

Sadly they are departed. And my in laws, whilst wealthy.. Drain every drop of Xmas joy out of Xmas.

So I'm thrilled not to have to deal with them. Having said that.. Dh isn't exactly the life and soul 🤣🤣🤣🤣😯😂😂🤪🤪🙄.

I find the key... Is to spring something unusual on them. A strange or new game.
Good film. Something silly for conversation. Eg articulate.
Or that game where you stick something on your head and people have to guess.

Something unusual food wise.
One Xmas, my dm had recently, suddenly and tragically died.
My friend gave us this desert wine. I can still remember the taste. It shocked us all, even wine conasiurr df... Was massively uplifted by this wine!!

It's our year to host MIL (who I like) but I'm hoping it saves me the duty visit after Christmas to DF and his DP.

I feel for people who will be alone
Why - it's just one day?

But it isn't just one day. The lead up to Christmas and the entire Christmas and new year period can be a really tough time for people who are lonely, bereaved, struggling with mental health etc.

The constant reminder that everyone should be having fun or is out having fun while you are sat on your own is relentless and depressing.

My family is very small so we don’t usually host many at Christmas. We usually have a week or too in the Canary Is.

Not this year through, rates of infection are very high on some Canary Is, lots of the restaurants/bars that open have closed again. Some hotels have closed pools, wearing a mask walking anywhere outside, even walking on the beach, unless SD lying on beach etc. Restaurant & bars, enter wearing mask you must keep your mask on while you order, remove to eat drink, then mask back on to visit the loo etc. Sanitisation when you enter a shop, wearing your mask. I would advise anyone to research before you book.

Forgot to say travelling against FOC advice will also invalidate your travel insurance.

@BlueDream

I am fist pumping at the thought of a legit excuse to not have a massive extended family knackering Christmas.

But 'I don't want to', 'we're just having a quiet Christmas at home this year' or 'it's someone else's turn as we did it last year' are also legitimate excuses.

No-one forces you do you a 'massive extended family knackering Christmas' if you don't want to and if others try to guilt you into it, just push back. If they want something, they put the effort in to making it happen.

I agree @BarbaraofSeville

Yes! I'm an only child and had my first Xmas day at home ever when I was 12 and it was amazing. I remember opening all my chocs and going in my bed to watch a friends video I got, it was heaven! before it was always a rush to open pressies, get gran ready (disabled) and get to aunties house. I couldn't take any of my toys because my cousins would break them. Now I have my own kids it's the law while they're still at home that Xmas day and boxing day are home days (much to mils disappointment, I went there once on Xmas day, who the he'll serves oven chips instead of roasties?!)

We don't join in with a big family Christmas on the day itself, ever. But my parents normally insist on a big family day (with both my siblings and their families plus aunts and cousins plus all their families) at since point. We're not doing that this year, and I'm completely thrilled about that!!! There are always too many people in too small a space, even without current concerns about distance.

Not so much Christmas Day itself, which will be pretty much like every other year, but the enforced jollity leading up to it; works party; Secret Santa; dress up day at work; and not forgetting the people who will struggle to afford anything this year, lockdown or not.

@Roselilly36

My family is very small so we don’t usually host many at Christmas. We usually have a week or too in the Canary Is.

Not this year through, rates of infection are very high on some Canary Is, lots of the restaurants/bars that open have closed again. Some hotels have closed pools, wearing a mask walking anywhere outside, even walking on the beach, unless SD lying on beach etc. Restaurant & bars, enter wearing mask you must keep your mask on while you order, remove to eat drink, then mask back on to visit the loo etc. Sanitisation when you enter a shop, wearing your mask. I would advise anyone to research before you book.

My colleague has just come back from the Canaries (she has a home there) and said it was significantly better than the UK despite all of the above.

Oh god. Please! I'm working 7-1700 and then to have to cook for 7 was already going to be hell. DH would've started it off. (Turkey in oven. Big deal) but just no. Thank god children are included as people.

Husband dog lots of lovely food.
Yes please.

happystory thank you for reminding me that this year will be without such work-based things- brought a smile to my face. I work with some good people, who support each other in our work and are a pleasure to work alongside (wfh at present), which is very different to wanting to socialise with them.

I am slightly!
But also feeling it for the turkey farmers...

Mind you, I don't think people should necessarily celebrate too early.

Six people still allows for some fights to occur!

DH and I are one household.
His mum, dad and brother.
His DGPs.
His aunt, uncle, cousin.
His cousin and gf.

Ideally for me, his GP go to his uncle, his cousin and gf go to her family (no idea about them), and we go to ILs. That will leave us with a nice little family Christmas with immediate ILs.

I have imagined many daughters and sons-in-law across the land giving a fist pump.

Depending on which of their adult children and partners go to BIL and SIL, we will probably have MIL here which will mean a "dry" Christmas until I've dropped her home. Luckily I think the world of her and she won't want to stay long after lunch

I personally enjoy attending or hosting big family occasions but in a normal year I find some of the Christmas threads so depressing that people insist on demanding or imposing attendance.

We're lucky enough to live only an hours drive away, so can visit parents for the day without staying over. Normally do christmas day on our own and visit boxing day so no-one has to cook for a crowd, especially as my teens are veggie/ vegan. If rule of 6 still in place will have to visit parents and sister separately, but in a way that is quite nice.

Similarly, I turned 50 in May and was very happy to have an excuse not to have a party!

Ill miss all the Carol services and work night outs though. We normally go to church christmas morning, but im not sure if we will this time. We often eat out christmas eve, but again i dont think we will this time. Ive eaten out over the summer when we can sit outside, but im not sure i want to over the winter. Its going to be a difficult winter i think.

I don't think I'd like to be a supermarket buyer (who have been busy planning party food, big cakes etc.). Or a turkey farmer!

I hate traipsing across the country to stay at the outlaws, but feel confident they'll just rule break with some of their friends now.

@Madcats

I don't think I'd like to be a supermarket buyer (who have been busy planning party food, big cakes etc.). Or a turkey farmer!

I hate traipsing across the country to stay at the outlaws, but feel confident they'll just rule break with some of their friends now.

To be fair, if they had an ounce of common sense, they'd have been preparing for this eventuality. And supermarkets are on the whole coming out strong from this.

The turkey farmers are definitely on for a possible low, but then if a smaller bird is needed, I wonder how easy it is to switch to chicken/duck/goose breeding? I don't know when the Christmas turkeys hatch, and it may still be in time to reduce the supply.

No!

Last year DS1, DGs and his DP went to her home country for Christmas.

I was looking forward to their coming to stay with us, along with DS2 and his kids this Christmas.

Next year it will be back to partner’s home country.

Fair enough of course, but I am 76 and now easily up to a big family Christmas here, but by the time it is our ‘turn’ again, I will be 78 and maybe much less sprightly.

So I am hoping for a rule relaxation allowing 10 of us to be together.

I'm Jewish so we don't do anything anyway, but I'm sad about missing usual family Jewish New Year stuff this year - thanks to the stupid bloody 'Rule of 6' ILs can't have us and BIL's family over at same time.