Aibu to stop this multiple Christmas day madness?

[Sugargliderwombat]

So we have toddlers and babies in the family now, and we seem to be settling into a routine that I think is odd but wondering if IABU to basically stop the tradition from next year.

To account for multiple adults who work over Christmas (none of whom have children) we seem to have ended up doing 3 seperate Christmas days that cater for them. So my side I have to do boxing day, my OH side is Christmas eve and then Christmas day on our own. But instead of being them joining in with Christmas eve or boxing day we are doing 3 full bloody Christmases, that is madness going forwards, right?

Why are you hosting each day?

Is that not fairly standard?

Though unless distance is an issue I would combine Christmas Day with one side.

That's my question :) is it standard once children believe in santa etc to do 3 Christmas dinners in a row? I didn't think it was.

And that's one of the issues - we can't combine because both sets of families have 1 person who is working.

who is hosting all of these days?

I wouldn’t do three days exactly the same. Christmas Eve and Boxing Day are celebrations of their own and your family should just join in with your plans.

Are you’re having three Christmas dinners in a row? I couldn’t do that. But otherwise if it’s just seeing family and sharing gifts and that seems ok?

In laws Christmas eve, then ourselves boxing day. But there seems to be this expectation that it's a full on Christmas. Christmas dinner, loads of presents for the kids etc. Once kids are older is that normal? I find it really odd but maybe I'm wrong?

Yep! I won't want another roast until next Christmas 😂

Anything is possibly right and wrong. It's about what you want and what you can tolerate.
I'd be saying we've done our Xmas, happy to something like a buffet or bring something.

When you say ‘loads of presents for the kids’ are they having three lots of Santa gifts/stockings? Or are the family members buying lots of gifts for them from themselves? Have you tried guiding them in what to buy and telling them you have no space for a mountain of gifts?

I would expect presents to be exchanged when you see family, but agree three full Christmas dinners is mad! You’re hosting on Boxing Day tho so why don’t you just do a buffet/soup and cold cuts/a curry/whatever you want?!

Where I grew up (not UK) 3 days were norm like this. Because Christmas are 3 days. 1 day us, next day one side, next day second. Was grand. BUT we had different food! I still do 3 days of Christmas even when it's just DH and I.

our kids are older and dont work during the christmas period but have girlfriends/boyfriends so come and go a lot depending on whatever else they have to do

we run christmas as per usual - ie roast on christmas day, leftovers boxing day and then whoever is around joins in whatever is happening. if they miss the full on roast then so what, theres always loads of other nice food.

I take it you’re not the one working Christmas Day OP? 🙄

I think I'll follow the advice and change up our boxing day menu at least, then. My mum is very laid back but also feels sorry for the 2 working family members (as do I) but glad to hear I'm not being too unreasonable to not want to repeat the entire thing three times.

To answer a PP Santa hasn't been mentioned and this is the first year they sort of get it but I have a feeling an in law is going to try and get that tradition going and I'll be nipping that in the bud! Santa comes once and it's to our house 🤭

Thanks all!

Sounds fairly normal to me, but we spread them out over about a week. So our own Christmas, then a Christmas dinner/presents etc with my side of the family, and the same with my husbands. It would be too much for 3 consecutive days though.

If its just your immediate family Christmas day, why not change that menu?

I'm assuming you work Christmas day and would expect someone to host a full Christmas day for you? Fair enough.

Pretty normal in my family. Dinner and -resents on Christmas Eve - continental style. Then Christmas lunch with immediate family and, finally, a big party on Boxing Day with extended family which includes small children so there is another lot of presents. I love it and we don’t buy mountain of presents in any case. So everyone gets their main gift on Christmas Day in their respective family units and the rest are stockings and sweets, mostly.

Change Boxing Day to a buffet - still super festive and you can do things like mulled wine but you’re not poking down your third roast turkey in as many days 🤣

Yanbu, I can’t stand it either. We’ve need asked to the IL’s Boxing Day for Christmas Mk II - the same food, routines, zzz, as it’s our year to see my family this year. We are popping in quickly - I don’t want another Christmas dinner and neither do the DC, they want to be home and play with their new presents.

We see family and friends over the 3 days but we don’t eat a full Christmas dinner each day and stockings and Santa etc is just at our house.

I suppose no one is missing out on getting a Christmas dinner though, which is the difference I assume here since people are working.

I probably wouldn’t bother cooking a big dinner on Christmas Day if I’d had one the day before. Especially if you have little ones and it’s just you. I’d just get nice easy food I could shove in the oven. Then I could either do a roast dinner on Boxing Day if I was hosting or do something different, party buffet? Curry? Will someone be disappointed to not get a proper Christmas dinner because I wouldn’t mind personally.

Oh I love multiple Christmas'! I like the presents being done over a few days, the excitement and there's less of a sudden anti climax after Christmas Day. I also love a Christmas dinner so that helps lol.

This was a regular occurrence for us when the children were younger. Less so these days and I miss it.

I used to do something like this until it got to be too much (we hosted Christmas Day and the day after Boxing Day … but we had roast beef on the day after Boxing Day).

The thing is, although there are twelve days of Christmas, each of those used to be far more low key than the one Christmas Day now.

I love roast dinners, but I couldn’t eat them for 3 days in a row.
Having 3 Christmas days in a row would spoil Christmas a bit for me - we do different things on the 3 days.
Can’t the individual family’s do their own Christmas days/roasts on their chosen day and you all meet up together for buffets etc on different days rather than the set Christmas ones? Or is it that they all want to experience Christmas day with your children? It sounds very full on.