Does anyone else spend Christmas at home?

[Christmascandle]

Sorry I know this one gets done to death so feel free to ignore.

We usually spend Christmas at home, just the four of us. But I've noticed when people ask what I'm doing and I tell them often they'll look at me like I've got two heads.

These are our reasons.

Mainly the dc want to stay at home, they enjoy it more and hate going out.
My parents aren't big on Christmas, they live in a small apartment and there's no space. They're also not bothered at all after 3dc and several grandchildren my mother is glad not to cook for lots of people so it suits everyone.

My mil is a great host and would love to have us, and some years we do go, but it's her Christmas iyswim, and on the whole the dc find it incredibly boring. In laws don't live close by so we'd have to travel. They are quite formal and not very child friendly, music playing so loud you can't speak, then we all have to sit in silence to watch the queens speech, then fil puts his tv on really loud and falls asleep. It's just not very enjoyable for us but I'm sure that they don't see it that way. Luckily they are laid back and understanding but I'm sure deep down they probably think we are weird for not going but they'd never say anything, we see them lots throughout the year pretty much every weekend.

We have a beautiful home of our own, we're great cooks and have nice presents for the dc, we don't want to leave all that on Christmas Day.

Neither set of parents want to come to us, in laws usually visit Christmas morning to see the dc open their presents.

I keep reading all these threads about people forced into visiting family and everyone hates it.

Does anyone else just do it their way?

Always had Christmas at home, just us. Our parents prefer doing things alone, sometimes they go abroad. We like spending our Christmases relaxing in our home.

I stay at home: my dad (who is very old) comes to stay with me and my DD. Don't really have any other family who I'm close enough to be invited to and thankfully my STBXH's family live on the other side of the world.

I wouldn't go elsewhere if you paid me.

We got married in 1986. I have never spent Christmas anywhere but in my own home from then on, although dh has spent a couple at sea.

I have started to notice this, I reckon people are just jealous you enjoy whatever Christmas works for you op

We have always stayed home since first DC came along.
We used to go to inlaws every year as my DM went to sisters but as soon as we had DC that stopped. Anyone was welcome to our but we wouldn't be travelling anymore. MIL wasn't impressed but I pointed out that's how she had done it when DH was small. They came for the first Xmas and haven't ever been back.
DM now comes as sisters DC are older but it's a slobbing day with lots of yummy food in our house.

I've always done this. My ex-husband described being dragged away from his toys every year to visit his Grandma. My Dad had been in the Army, so we'd never had family near us, and I had fantastic memories of very relaxed Christmases at home, and wanted that for my own kids. Now I'm retired and with my second husband, we're the same. We had an invitation to go to friends, but were perfectly open and said we preferred to stay home by ourselves. We like not having to worry about being anywhere at any particular time, being able to eat what we want when we want, and we prefer my roast potatoes!! Over the years I've even had one Christmas at home alone. I had to bend the truth eventually because of people's reactions . "I've been invited to my daughter's house"...I just didn't say I hadn't accepted the invitation!

We have ours at home too and always have done. My parents didn’t like to go out on Christmas Day when we were growing up and so my nan and grandad visited us in the morning then went to spend the day with my nans sister and family as they were all adults and enjoyed each other’s company.

My parents are divorced now but mums still the same, spends the day at home with my stepdad and younger brother, older brother spends the day with his partner and kids and we do the same at our house. Mum, stepdad and brother visit us Christmas Eve, My dad and step mother visit us all Christmas Day morning to watch the kids open their pressies then they spend the day with stepmums parents and children.

OHs parents don’t celebrate Christmas so don’t need to factor them in.

We have a lovely relaxed day with a few sociable hours in the morning then the rest of the day just us. I start dinner and like a PP I don’t rush it, it’s ready when it’s ready. We just enjoy each other’s company, play with the kids and their new stuff, watch a film, stuff our faces with leftovers and chocs etc and usually breaking out a board game in the evening. It’s perfect, I love it and there’s no boredom as there are six of us altogether (will be 7 next year!) so lots of company.

Just me and my 2 lovely boys this year.

Two of my three sisters get together. We're joining them on Boxing Day.

I love being at home, especially if it's just us. I get to go for a run. No one is clock watching. We can stick to old family traditions if we want, or do our new ones, or do something else entirely.

We stop at home on Xmas day. Always have. And did as a child too. Mil has 3 kids and a zillion grandkids so she does her own thing with her husband and good for her. She does a family gathering on 12th night. We tend to go my mums on boxing day so there is no pressure on us to be trailing here there and everywhere on Xmas day. Works well for us and I'm so glad we just get to stop at home, do our own thing to our own schedule.

We have spent every xmas at home just the five of us, but now ds1 is married ds2 just moved into new house and dd only 15.
So last year and this we have gone to ds1 house.
When kids are little they should at least have xmas day to play with their presents.

I do and I don't.
DM lives literally across the road so we go there but it's like a second home anyway. We are always in and out of each other's houses, on a quiet lane so DS has been trotting back and forth as he pleases for the last few years.

So we are at home but I don't have to cook or squeeze everyone into my tiny living room

We've always spent Christmas at home after the advice of my mother. When I got pregnant she told me it was time to start creating our own family traditions right from the start or we'd be forever trying to please someone else.

Christmas Day we don't leave the house at all, pure relaxation and indulgence with the kids. I wouldn't have it any other way.

We do. Just the four of us. We went to my parents the first year we had DS, as I couldn't even boil an egg back then. DM, and I know I'm going to sound like a dick, is a terrible cook. Christmas dinner comes courtesy of Aunt Bessie and even then it's a surprise if it's cooked properly. DS is now almost 9 and I love cooking and my roast is the dog's bollocks. I don't want to eat at anyone else's house. We visit DP's grandad on Boxing Day and my DF usually pops over on Christmas Eve.

We are always busy, I moved 2 hours away from my family to be with my partner, my partners parents live locally but we always seem to be the ones visiting them. So last christmas we decided we would be staying home, the invite was open to anyone who wanted to come but we made it clear we wouldn't be leaving the house. It was lovely so were doing the same this year

We do every year the four of us. Ds is autistic and cant cope with being overloaded. So we stay at home and love it. Our Christmas our way.

We're home for the first time ever this year, and I can't wait! Being able to get into PJs when we want on Christmas Eve, getting up and running downstairs in the morning etc. We normally stay at my parents and the above would be frowned upon

I'm nearly 40 (gulp!) and I've never not had Christmas day at my home. Whether with my parents, my now Ex DH, or my DS.

My husband and I stay at home with the kids. We love it. There’s no pressure, we can eat what and when we like.
We do get invited to my parents who, to be fair, do a brilliant job of hosting, but for us being around so much extended family just doesn’t do it for us.
In-laws are farmers and they look forward to Christmas Day because it’s the one time of the year that the turkeys have all been dispatched and delivered, so once they’ve dealt with the animals, it’s a rare day off before the farming cycle starts again.

Always home, we have everyone round on Christmas Eve for drinks and food...twenty odd this year. Christmas Day we get up, open presents eat late breakfast, walk dogs, have big dinner, pjs, snooze, dessert, tv and games. It’s perfect.

We have done this every year since we have been together, previous to being with DP I would spend it on my own, I use to work in retail and it was my only day off.

Parents use to go away, as did both my sisters.

This year is a bit different, on boxing day DS is off to my family but I am not going, so that is going to be a bit weird, but will give me time to clear up after Christmas day

We stay home and I refuse to change that. Xmas is the one day of the year you shouldn't be dragged around imo.

I think the kids should be able to sit around in their Xmas PJs and play with all their new toys and eat junk food.

Not be forced to make small talk with 2nd cousin Miranda who always call them Sarah and Lewis dispite them actually being called Samantha and Jack, or racist great aunt Karen who only sees them once a year and cant keep her agenda to herself, or old family friend Margery who comes to visit and just bought the teen boy a barbie princess doll and the preschool girl a strippers thong and expects endless awkward praise and gushing lol.

(p.s thats a made up fictional family but I hear stories like that all the time)

Not be forced to make small talk with 2nd cousin Miranda who always call them Sarah and Lewis dispite them actually being called Samantha and Jack, or racist great aunt Karen who only sees them once a year and cant keep her agenda to herself, or old family friend Margery who comes to visit and just bought the teen boy a barbie princess doll and the preschool girl a strippers thong and expects endless awkward praise and gushing lol.

This!! This is exactly how I feel, maybe not that exact scenario but it's more or less it and that's why I don't like spending Christmas at extended families house. This post has made me think fuck it, I don't feel any guilt doing exactly as I please.

I was thinking last night about sil (Dhs sister), she has a baby and has started alternating between her mothers and her mil. She absolutely detests going to her mils and has a terrible time, for valid reasons to be fair. Dh and I agreed she's making a rod for her own back and as her baby gets older it will get worse.

I’ve always stayed at home Christmas Day. As a child and as an adult.

We have spent Christmases at home (just that three of us) & enjoyed them, I really don’t like doing the ‘same thing’ every Christmas so we have never got into a routine.

This year DH & DS have gone skiing, now that does get you funny looks when you say you are spending Christmas apart . I am really looking forward to the peace & quiet and I have got my DPs to spend Christmas Day with.

When DH and I got together I said that I wanted Christmas Day in our home but was flexible on everything else. We saw my family the weekend before or after Christmas. After FIL died we did go to MIL’s once , and she came to us, but she usually stayed with BIL locally as they had a spare room. It ended up with us hosting the whole family every Boxing Day which balanced out Christmas day on our own with DCs. Looking at these boards, and the stress that family causes over Christmas, my advice is be very clear at the beginning what ‘your’ Christmas will look like and don’t let yourself be pushed around or emotionally blackmailed into anything else.