Christmas disappointment

[trinity0097]

So my parents are staying with us, and despite offering to also have the in-laws they decided they would just come for the day.
Yesterday they rang and said they would stay the night on Christmas Day. So this morning I headed off to Waitrose to do yet more food shopping to account for needing to feed them for another big meal on Boxing Day.
As I was leaving Waitrose DH rang to say they now weren’t coming at all. The car has warning lights in it.

The fridge is heaving and DH is in a mood.

He did offer to go and collect them and bring them here, but they refused.

AIBU to think they are being unreasonable to not let us collect them, to keep Christmas nice! They are only just over 2 hours away.

They are being unreasonable, but you would be unreasonable to force them to come if they don't want to.

If they are anything like my mum then they probably think they are being helpful and "don't want to be any bother." Coax them maybe?

Sound like that don't want to be a burden. Just say we really would like you to come

I would be frank and say we've bought all the food now so it would be a shame for it to be wasted so let us pick you up. Honest. Then they have all the facts and may think twice.

I think they have had a chat and are trying to save you extra work. Try and freeze as much as you can op.

Tell them that you need to bring all the extra food over or it will go to waste so as you are making the journey anyway they may as well come to you.
(I'm presuming you get on well with them and actively want them to come despite their flakiness).
But at the end of the day it is their choice and maybe there is a good reason why they would prefer to spend a quiet day at home.

What do they have to eat? Presumably they can't drive to the shops to get shopping for Christmas dinner?

Ring up the food bank and donate your extras

Tell them it's for a good cause

Move on and enjoy Christmas

They are within walking distance of Tescos and Waitrose, so won’t go hungry!

My parents are driving back to Scotland (about 12 hour drive) the day after Boxing Day, so a trip to see them on Boxing Day would be unfair on my Dad who will do allow driving. They can’t come in or cars as they have bad knees/backs and small hatchbacks are really uncomfortable for them.

Yesterday they rang and said they'd stay and expected you to cater at such short notice? That's rude in itself.

I would ask DH to say "sorry to hear that. Some prior warning would have been nice or at least to let us pick you up. We have bought so much food in anticipation" then leave it there.

They are unreasonable to change their minds at suh short notice but I'd just leave the to it.

Will the food go to waste-2 extra for a BD meal couldn't have been that much?

Can it just be used some other time or ypur parents take something back or for the drive?

What a shame. I would go for what @ShowMePotatoSalad suggests. They are probably trying not to be a nuisance.

Invite your parents to stay an extra day to help eat up all the food, and tell your in-laws you're doing that.

If the car has warning lights on saying it shouldn't be driven, do you really want them to risk coming down? Having had a car give out on me on the M25 very suddenly I wouldn't risk travelling with a warning light on unless I'd been assured it was safe to drive.
Presumably they couldn't give more notice as the warning lights have just appeared.

I appreciate they can’t drive, but we could have picked them up.