It’s not even Christmas 2024, and I’m flouncing out of Christmas 2025

[FlounceOuttaChristmas]

PIL in a mood with us, and decided they aren’t coming for Christmas.

My parent invited to mine, or my sisters, my brothers, and my grown niece’s (4 offers) but instead is going to their step daughters. His wife died about 6 years ago and he views her DC and DGC as his own.

Other sibling just announced they aren’t doing gifts to our DC anymore. They live in Scotland and we won’t see them, so I posted all their DCs gifts (about £90 worth).

That’s OK, we’ll have a quiet one. It’ll be nice, but f*ck me……from now on I am not getting into these games, dramas, melodramatics over Christmas. I’m a key worker and work a lot over the season and I’ve got my own kids to deal with.

Just got off the phone to my DH and I’ve said enough is enough. I’m not doing extended family Christmas any more.

Oh, am IBU to flounce out of Christmas 2025?

No Op, sounds like good forward planning to me. Tell them early 2025 so they have lots of warning

Do Christmas however you like! It’s supposed to be fun and a time to recharge.

I don’t get why it’s a drama if your dad is going to his step child’s though, if he views his step kids as his own? Is it because he doesn’t ever come to you or your siblings’ and you feel left out?

Annoying for your Scottish sibling to announce they’re not going to do presents this late in the day but at least that means it’s £90 saved next year and you can spend it on a nice meal or treat for yourself instead.

Kick back and relax - there’s nothing wrong with a quiet, peaceful Christmas at home.

Not unreasonable at all!

We've booked to go away last minute after family drama. Will see how this year goes but I'd imagine we'll do the same for all other future years 😂

Jade roller,

None of us saw my dad at Christmas whilst his wife was alive, then after she died, he spent a few with us. He just prefers their company to his own DCs. It’s been an ongoing issue and battle for many years. Think along the lines of threads on here where the dad has remarried and dropped their own kids, then fast forward to those kids now fully grown - me! The issue I’ve got with it is he hasn’t even told us, I found out from someone else.

Here’s me stressing over where he’s going, don’t want him to be alone etc. but he’s sorted himself out but doesn’t want to tell us. I was stressing because even asked he just replied “I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet”. Up until this morning I thought he might come here.

No you're not unreasonable. We've opted out this year. For the past 10yrs or so since moving back to be near family, we have hosted Christmas, food, games and so on but we've had nothing back. Last yr when we unexpectedly dropped by a family member to deliver cards we were presented with an oversized gift basket with an assortment of items collected at random from their kitchen - not even wrapped up. I'm slightly ashamed to say I didn't spend the £500 on them but donated it to charity. Hang on - why should I be ashamed?

YABU to call yourself a key worker, urgh I hate that term!

I think it's pretty bad of your sibling to announce they won't be doing presents with just one week to go.

Do they realise that you've already posted the gifts? If so, I'd ask for them back.

I definitely wouldn't bother with the rest of them though.