In wanting us to go away/do something different for Christmas this year?

[Helensita]

I know it's early to be talking about the subject but it cropped up in conversation yesterday when one of my young sons mentioned Christmas and I just said to my DH "I'd love to go somewhere sunny, by the sea and have a radically different Christmas, just the four of us, no slaving over a hot stove, no stresses over opening presents and arguments about whose toy gets assembled first by Daddy, no Daddy feeling exhausted and stressed out over instructions to said toys and (for me) no crashingly dull PIL to contend with. (They always come to us at Christmas and stay for a week. They live 300 miles away!) DH's face was a picture at the prospect of "rocking the boat" on Christmas Day.

Sounds fab, go for it!

YANBU to consider it.

YABU to even mention the C word in this lovely weather

LALALALALALALALALA

Friends had Christmas at Club Med in Morocco a couple of years ago. It was pretty pricey but all-inclusive. They absolutely loved it! You could even invite the PILs to join you ...

Go for it!

Even if you don't go away, why do you have to have PILS every single year? and for a whole week? shudders

YANBU

I said to my dd oh I would love to go away for christmas her face was a picture she isnt a child id love to just go away im a bit of a grinch though

Do it. Our best Christmases have been when we've gone on holiday. Sun (Southern France, so bright but not necessarily warm), everything open on Xmas eve/Boxing day but without crazed sales, and we felt much less pressure about trying to make things 'perfect'.

I don't think you'd escape the presents by going away though surely, just the stove and the pil!

I think you should try Xmas at home without the PIL - just you and your DH and DC. We do it every year and it's blissful. No way on this earth I would have MIL here for Xmas.

No not unreasonable someone I know did it last Christmas and everyone - children included loved it

Or stay at home but either don't have PILS or perhaps have them for less than a week?

I haven't even thought about Christmas yet! My ds will be one at the end of November so we are counting this as his first Christmas as he was only 4 weeks old last year. I'm not looking forward to everyone wanting us to spend Christmas day with them!

We had an amazing christmas in Bali ( pre- kids). Being a Muslim country and in the North of the Island there was no indication thta it was christmas at all.
We woke at 5am to go dolphin watching, we folowed a school of dolphins in a boat who in turn were following a small fishing ship throwing discards off the side.

Back for a nap, then dinner of a spit roasted suckling pig. ( OK Indonesia has a strange interpretation of Islam).
We had been travelling around SE Asia for a year up to that point, but it was lovely not to write a single card, not wrap a single present.

Christmas day on a beach in the Virgin Islands is heaven.

What do you do about presents if you go abroad? Does it only work with post-Santa dcs who are expecting iPads rather than bikes?!

I would love to go skiing for Christmas - guaranteed snow, lots of activity, no tv, all catered and lots of vino - perfect.

However, we will (hopefully) have a 3 month old baby so will get to stay at home. It will be a lovely first to not have to year around visiting my parents and PILs.

If we win the lottery, it's going to be Reykjavik. Northern lights! Hot springs! Yule lads! (really creepy elves).

As kids my dsis and I were taken to Disney in Florida for Christmas one year. My parents saved since we were born to take us

It was amazing!!!!!

My aunt who usually comes for christmas lunch went to the local pub amd got pissed and cried that she was all alone on Christmas - even though she had other family and a husband to spend the day with.

Combust - bali is not a Muslim country, it's Hindu, the only non Muslim country in the archipelago, hence the suckling pig.

OP the holiday sounds a fab idea, go for it

We're going away this year to the Alps - my mum will be horrified & hissy-fitty esp as she's widowed now but she'll have to get on with it. The C word hasn't yet been mentioned so she doesn't yet know

My brother & his ILs are very local to her so she'll be looked after although she'll probably stay by herself in a huff

I think it causes problems if you always have the same routine at Christmas & then change - we've always tried to mix things up a bit.

Do it - you'll have a great time!

How have posters that have gone away at xmas handled the parent/in law issue? Genuine Q?

Especially those who have left a parent which has been widowed and would therefore be alone. Has anyone gone away anyway under such circs.? How did you broach the subject? As i say - genuine Q.

Go for it.

We can never go away at Christmas as DS absolutely loves being together with his cousins and my parents are elderly so we alternate. V. annoying as DH is a contractor so it would be wonderful to go somewhere ace with that nice big block of holiday.

I do think about it longingly sometimes whilst at SILs trying to get to sleep on their ancient saggy stained mattress in the back room .

We have spent Christmas in Jamaica (Reggae carols), Sri Lanka (cotton wool snowflakes stuck to the windows of the hotel lobby & blow up Father Christmases) and Austria.
Obviously Austria was snow, skiing, swimming & sauna with a very traditional Austrian Christmas with carols and a very "family" atmosphere. I loved it, though.
Equally loved being in the warm, but it was weird hearing carols in the heat.

Id like to go and stay in a nice log cabin somewhere in the uk, live in Yorkshire so maybe the Yorkshire dales or similar.
Then we could still get a tree, take the dog etc and be able to go for nice walks and book in an Xmas dinner somewhere!

We both don't have big families or in laws who like to do 'jolly' Xmas things so wouldn't feel as bitter looking at the all the pics on Facebook of big families drinking snowballs and playing charades!

We will be spending Christmas this year on holiday in Edinburgh (we live in London). The kids are thrilled and my inlaws don't mind at all that we will not be with them. I am not doing Christmas lunch and will keep presents small. Kids still believe so will have to do stockings, but other than that, I am thrilled to leave all the hassle behind.

We have done Christmas in Florida too with family. With full on massive tree and cooked Christmas lunch. It was just weird. Can't be having Christmas in hot places!

Fluffy

As soon as we had DC, I made it clear to DH that I wanted to spend every Christmas Day at home, with our nuclear family, not traipsing around family, mine or his, and not with a houseful of guests. Too bloody stressful.

Even if you have a widowed parent, there must be a sibling, aunt, friend, somewhere else they can go?

As it gets near Christmas these boards are ablaze with outraged Mnetters who have to do x, y and Z for Christmas when really they would rather being doing something else entirely.

combust22

The inhabitants of Bali are almost all Hindu not Muslim (although a different branch). Didn't you notice the temples, shrines and offerings of fruit outside shops/market stalls?

DH's face was a picture at the prospect of "rocking the boat" on Christmas Day

Oh another one who is more scared of his parents, than have a desire to do lovely things with his own little family, amazing how many of them are out there.

Even if you have a widowed parent, there must be a sibling, aunt, friend, somewhere else they can go?

no there isnt sometimes and it makes it even harder...depends on what the issues are I suppose. if someone comes and is hard work, makes you feel horribke and miserable through hideous rudness, comments and general behaviour AND you have to wait on them, clean up after them....

easy to see why some people dread xmas and all it entails but even worse when said person has no where else to go....