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?

Santa only ever brings the stockings here though, so the children always knew other presents were from us or family.

Fairly normal in my life I think.
When I was a child my brother would often go to his dads so we would do a second Christmas with him, before or after.
This year, it's DSC a few days before Christmas, me and DH on Christmas Day (& he wants the full works) and Boxing Day with my DD & her family.

We often end up having two or three “main event” meals over Xmas (though usually a bit more spaced out). Perhaps 2 of them might be full on Xmas meal, but we generally coordinate to mix it up a bit with different meals. But they’re all “full” days with presents for everyone there, snacks, drinks, general celebratory air. I do love Xmas dinner so would happily have it twice but possibly not two days in a row!

We did Asian flavours roast pork for the Xmas Eve meal with family (a bit like the banh mi roll ) https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246029/pan-roasted-5-spice-pork-loin/. - still a roast but diff flavours and lots of crunchy veg.

No. Make christmas eve and boxing day events but special in their own right. 3 Christmases is madness

Absute madness. I long ago stopped trying to please everyone. Sometimes I dont celebrate at all because I dont feel like it.
Last year DS and DIL asked on xmas eve if ghey could spend xmas here. Id done no shopping or decorating in anticipation of a nice 3 days off work on my own.
I said sorry no I need 2-3 mo ths notice brcause I work full time.
I wont people please any more you dnd up pleasing nobody.

When I was little, we had Christmas Day with one side of the family and Boxing Day with another. Santa left presents under their tree for Boxing Day (in addition to Christmas). It was bloody brilliant!! We never questioned it. I always felt sorry for the kids who only got one Christmas 😂😂😂

Back in the day we used to have Christmas Day dinner at one house, Boxing Day full Christmas dinner at another then the same at New Year. Getting a Turkey from work seemed to be a thing and they all needed eating.

3 Christmas days is mad. Iv never heard of anyone doing that. All the people I know who work Xmas day just finish work and heat up their Xmas dinner that was put to the side.

There’s no way I would want Xmas dinner x 3 or 3 Christmas days.

If you’re the one with littles, then yanbu to put a stop to a full on three days.

and if I were you, I’m not sure I’d be hosting a sit down dinner on Christmas Day.

I know lots of families now, that might do their one big meal on Christmas Eve and have left overs and party foods the other days.

Tradition is what you make it OP.

Fairly normal here as well. Although not Christmas eve, but it can run a whole week between all our families. Gifts are exchanged when we see them, so santa done at home and family gifts at gatherings. I find this helpful otherwise kids are just overwhelmed with too much at the one time. I could have Christmas and full on dinner for weeks. Although I'm never hosting so might feel different if I was.

When I was a kid we’d do two, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, alternating between which set of grandparents ‘got’ Christmas Day. Full Christmas dinner etc and exchanging presents with that side of the family on each day, and Santa would always leave an extra stocking gift for each of the grandchildren at the Boxing Day house, I have only great memories of those Christmases.

If inlaws are hosting Christmas eve I would leave them to it - let them cook the roast.

If it's just you dh and kids (and anyone else involved in 1 of the other 2 days) Christmas day then I would ditch the roast. Do Pizza or something and make the most of the time with the kids with stocking etc. Make ginger bread houses or whatever Christmas stuff you'd like / the kids would enjoy.

Have your roast on Boxing day...

I can understand them wanting to celebrate Christmas with the kids, but imo the roast dinner for Christmas day is the part that little children enjoy the least! I do Christmas pasta for my DC1, because they prefer that.

The stocking thing, yes - seeing little children opening presents is very cute. But I'd cut my arm off before starting a tradition that my kids got three Santa visits!

We have started a tradition that PIL comes to visit when we put the tree up and decorate the house, and my parents accompany us for our trip to see Santa (usually at a farm park or other attraction), and the kids always have much more fun at these times and they're more relaxed. I always find Christmas day itself a bit of a let-down, there's no way I'd want to do it 3 times over when there's so much other fun Christmas stuff to do.

I’ve never truly recovered from the couple of years DH and I were first together when we used to do Xmas Eve and Christmas morning with early Xmas lunch with my DParents, drive 2 and a bit hours to DPIL and have another full Xmas dinner that evening. Was much relieved when we managed to stop that game.

Do what suits your family, please. But by that I do mean both you and DH…I have a surprising number of female acquaintances who only ever spend Xmas with their family and that feels a bit off to me.

I think you're lucky to have that many people to be around at Xmas x

Definitely not the norm. If I somehow had to host 3 days running, I would do party food on Xmas Eve, Xmas dinner on Xmas Day and party food + leftovers on 26th.

Pretty normal for us. We always have Christmas Day at ours but effectively have another Christmas at my parents’s house plus the in-laws.

Are you having to cook each day?

Why would anyone want a Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve? Wouldn't they just have a plate of it when they get back on Christmas Day?

And for those who want it on Boxing Day - what do they eat on Christmas Day?

It’s surely up to you - we do 12 days of Christmas here.

Do you need to have Christmas dinner for Christmas day on your own if you've already had one on Christmas eve and will be having another on boxing day? I'd be tempted to just do a special dinner that still feels fancy. E.g. seafood to start, pheasant or chicken (but a chicken dish like tarragon chicken rather than a roast) or steak as a main and a lovely dessert. Have Christmas stockings/Santa gifts on Christmas day, other days are gift exchanges. Then watch a movie/ play games. So Christmas day itself is a special quieter day that provides a bit of a break in between the 2 big days.

Yes we did this for years and sort of still do it.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and Boxing Day is a bit close together though.

We used to have the big family gathering on one side originally on Boxing Day but as it got too big for one person's house we hired a function room in a pub and it was usually the 29th or so?

I'd feel a bit weird having three in consecutive days.

Sounds very busy! We have 3 roast dinners but spread out over the week so it’s fine.
Maybe don’t do roast on Christmas Day if it’s just your family unit especially if kids are little. More time to enjoy with them and not being busy in the kitchen…

I don’t really get the big deal? It’s fairly normal to celebrate with people on different days over the festive period. The kids aren’t getting any more presents than they would otherwise they are just opening them with the grandparents.
What is your actual issue with it?

If it is just you on Christmas Day don’t have full Christmas Dinner on that day. More time to spend with DC too

As you're hosting Boxing Day I would do a buffet of a few bits that are just put in the oven, something in the slow cooker like chilli, crusty bread, bit of cheese, etc. I definitely wouldn't have the energy or stomach for a 3rd roast dinner in a row!