DH works away…. For weeks at a time. Sometimes he’s home for christmas, sometimes he isn’t. I’m a teacher so I’m off.
During the times he’s home we have Christmas at home as a family of 4, and do the Christmas visits to my family and his both before or after Christmas. Neither family live close by. It’s at least a 3hr journey and they’re both in opposite directions.
Dh is away this Christmas. When this happens I always go to my family. I’m going this year too. It’s my default as this is where I feel most comfortable, my dc have cousins who are the same age as them… whereas there’s one much younger nephew on my dh’s side.
I’ll be going to pil’s without dh for a weekend before Christmas, then once we’ve broken up from school I’ll be spending 9 days at my mums with my sisters, bro and nephews. Then back home for New Years as dh is back on the 30th.
My mil is not happy that I’m not spending it with them, that I don’t ‘share’ the Christmases when dh is away between them and my family. But in all honesty. I don’t want to! Especially without dh there. They’re not my family, i can’t lounge about in my pjs on Christmas Day. They live in a city. My mum lives in a National park on the coast… I really look forward to the Christmas walks and catching up with old friends, and seeing my dc play with their nephews.
aibu? To not at least share?!