To have alcohol at our christmas party?

[AllHailDaddyPig]

On Christmas Eve we are having a party/buffet for our family. There are going to be 14 adults and 7 children. Party games/prizes for kids etc.

The party will be starting at 4pm, and I was planning on having champagne to greet people with as they arrive. Just a glass each.

There will be a very large buffet and I was just going to have some mulled wine and a few beers for non-wine drinkers. Not a huge amount, not enough to get drunk, but just a festive drink. There will be lots of soft drinks on offer as well, and I personally won't even be drinking any alcohol.

However my SIL has taken offence to this and is apparently re-considering bringing the children as she feels it's inappropriate for them to be around people drinking. Is she right? Is it inappropriate? I am wondering now wether to just have soft drinks and no alcohol?

Thoughts would be appreciated! Thankyou!

FFS. My mum and dad used to have booze for the grown-ups at our birthday parties

You could try telling her that it is really important that children grow up exposed to sensible, controlled, friendly drinking, otherwise alcohol will become some terrible taboo that her kids will rush out to try just the moment she has unhooked them from her apron strings.

YANBU, you sound very sensible. Lordy, if I were to go to a party with lots of other kids around, I'd need a stiff drink or two (jkg)

P.S. Her kids are going to have such a shock when they go to university. Have they never actually seen an adult drinking alcohol then?

YANBU

Your SIL is... well, let's just say I agree with the general opinion.

It is your party - she can chose whether to attend or not but she has no right to dictate what you should or shouldn't be doing.

I like your response tigerseye Good point!

I'm not sure tbh, SIL herself is teetotal. Her husband isn't though,but he doesn't drink around them/have alcohol in the house as she doesn't approve. PIL and DH all drink so it just seems to be her. I'm not totally sure why she feels so strongly about it

Ah well, all I can do is reassure her that we won't all be falling over drunk!

Don't promise that nobody will get drunk, trying to enforce that will only expose you as a greater control freak and wack job than your sister-in-law. And to more people.

I won't need to enforce it tinker, I don't think any of my family are planning on being blind drunk, just merry

YANBU - I even served alcohol to the adults at my DD's 2nd birthday party.
It's not as if you give it to the children or are planning on getting obscenely drunk in front of them

Bloody hell. Daft SIL is obviously trying to hold you to ransom over this. What she should've said, if she feels that strongly about it, is that she will leave the children with a babysitter or other family, etc, not that she was reconsidering! That's an obvious attempt at getting her way and making the family bend to her will. What a manipulative person she is!

Honestly, if I were you, I'd get DH to reassure her that it will all be okay (in the best patronising tone he can muster) and then I'd double the drinks order and serve everyone triple measures. I might even slip SIL some special brownies or something, might make her drop the stick out of her arse.

But then I'm a bit evil like that!

SIL sounds bonkers! Family party with no alcohol sounds horrific (and I say that as a pregnant person who is actually loving being alcohol free through this festive season)

This is a complete outrage. If I arrived at a Christmas party that didnt have alcohol I would promptly leave.
How obsurd.

I actually think it's beyond rude to not have alccohol to offer guests who visit your home... unless you are a recovering alcoholic... or the guest is.. or both of you are... ouch, could be messy.

Ah ha!
"I have already ordered the champagne and it would have been a terrible shame if me and DH had to drink it all by ourselves"

AIBU by stealth. You wanted us all to agree with SIL so you could have the champers all to yourself, didn't you?

She sounds like a relative of mine who believes that as soon as anyone has the slightest sip of alcohol they all get steam-rolling drunk and addicted. There's no use arguing with someone like that.

she is a fucking loon

a christmas party with no booze....wrong

What age are her children? Have they never seen anybody drink alcohol? Does that mean that they are never present at a dinner when people drink wine or have never been to a wedding or christening or a restaurant? Good Lord, even our parish advent service last Sunday was followed by mince pies and mulled wine!

i think you should give her a doggy bottle even if she doesn't go.

and a