Christmas is just so claustophobic. 2 days pretty much spent couped up in a room with over excited kids, tired adults and nasty farts from all those sprouts.
Even spending it with the people I adore like my BIL and SIL and my own sister and parents - I get to about 3/4pm on Xmas day and feel an urge to escape and have some space.
My ILs are hellish. They expect to be weighted on, criticise my cooking, decorations the kids behaviour - you name it - they have a negative comment on it. Nothing - absolutely nothing myself or DH says has made them change their ways in almost 20 years! They are very stubborn and set in their way - which is the right way and the only way. I have tried every approach over the years - polite ignorance to their criticism, equal sarcsam back, polite confrontation, rude confrontation (am only human) etc etc. They wont change. I have stopped expecting them to change it now and try my best to rub along the best we can for the sake of my DH and my kids.
All the people on this thread suggesting its awful to do the hotel thing probably have a reasonable relationship with their inlaws and cannot understand how "ONLY 2 DAYS" can be so awful.
2 days any other time of the year, when you can break up the day with trips out as a family or you yourself can make polite excuse to pop out to the local shop etc to buy yourself some space, are not there at Xmas. Xmas is being shut in a stuffy room with loads of people, noise and excitement - which even with much loved and cherished people can become a bit much and a vile nightmare with those you dont like.
Why should the OP have a super shit Xmas for the sake of her inlaws. Why is it ok for her to be feeling stressed, under pressure etc??? Why is that OK for her above the ILs being asked to stay in a hotel 5 minutes walk away??? I feel I had my DC first 3 Xmases totally ruined by my ILs - I can never get those 3 xmases back. My ILs were rude, blunt etc and tried to get the Xmas they wanted in my home with me doing all the work. Took 3 Xmases before I was sensible enough to stand up for myself and get DH to realise too that what was being expected of me was not fair game. Things are still not brill but improved. I have compromised - but the point I am trying to make is that the OP deserves a magical nice christmas with her own DC. It may be controversial to say it but the ILS had their Xmases with their own son when he was a child - its now their time to stand back and let their son and the OP have their Xmases the way they want them with their DC. I am not suggesting they dont get a look in, involved etc but that their happiness/wants etc should not over ride the OPs. and her husbands.
If its the Xmas morning excited kids they want - perhaps offer to text them and give them the option to come over. You can stall the kids with their stockings maybe then breakfast or just breakfast.
Our kids have always opened their stockings in our bedroom with us. They bring their stockings from the end of their beds and come into bed with us and open them there - before we go down to do the main gifts later. Mine get "boring stuff" in their stockings too so not much "magic" is lost (for the extended family) - pants, hair bobbles, socks, felt tips etc. We do this even when we have family staying - just me DH and our DC in bed. It gives us time to wake up, relatives time to come too before the big thing. Perhaps something like this may work for you if you need to text them or even if they do end up staying with you.
I am going to be offering the welfare/contact house (live on a forces base) to my relatives this Xmas, which is nowhere near as nice as a hotel - and thats for people I get on wonderfully with.