ONE TIP ABOUT xmAS - dont do " turns " fgs

[FreeGeorgeJackson]

it is so soul less and so inflexibel andseems to cause more rows then solve probs

We just don't get too hung up on the Christmas Day thing, that way we get to have 5 or 6 Christmases with different sets of people.

I have no self-control.

no we dont over egg it pyjama wanky icing sugar footprints either

on MN you get hysterical women then moaning "Its too much" and they have ONE 6 month old to buy for

arf

I agree it's bnest not to do turn-about. Howveer, som e families revel in identifying a pattern, telling you what it is and not letting you out of their endless circle of turns.

Easier said than done.

when we all married dad said " please let me nevr be " someone's turn""

and he was right.

I prefer to take time to open presents. The in-laws go at it like hyenas and it totally stresses me out. I leave for air.

anyway, yabu. This should be in the christmas section which hardly anyone looks at.

dogly

christmas day is our day, at home, just us mwah ha ha ha although we have fil over this year as he his marriage has collapsed....but the point is we see all the different bits of family around christmas but take the main day to chill at home, cook a big fat turkey and let the kids enjoy it instead of being dragged from pillar to post.

I agree. Since we had dc's we stopped taking turns to visit parents for Christmas and now just stay at home.

They are welcome here if they want.

My dad left my mum 3 years ago so that made it more awkward. Luckily we live close to her so can have her over for Christmas dinner.

All went to her house 2 Christmases ago and it was a total disaster!

what? Did I forget a ?

'dad said " please let me nevr be " someone's turn""

He was right! I would hate to be someone's turn. Since having DCs we have stayed at home and people can come to us. I don't see why parents and ILs can't be there at the same time.

DH's cousin is planning to sing somewhere over the rainbow after inhaling helium

WE don't do turns with Christmas meal, it is at ours every year, with either just my MOm (on her own) or DH's family in attendance (this year, ugh).

We DO take turns with present opening and I write down who gave who what.

Then I forget to send the thankyou cards

So lots of good intentions

we are all practising a family band tune on instruments. Honest. How they will hate us.

sadly my good excuse for not being at the ILs last year (ie, being 40 weeks pg) will not hold so much water this year.

why couldn't i just get pregnant in march whilst i had the chance?

absolutely no to 'turns' at christmas - we stay at home and anyone who wants to join is is welcome (i mean family members and friends, not random strangers!)

i don't like going anywhere on christmas day. and i do exactly the same thing whether it is 4 or 20 of us. very traditional about christmas here.

and absolutley yes to turns at presents. part of the fun is spreading it out and watching others unwrap their pressies.

We don´t do turns at the moment, but I´m sure there will come a time when parents can´t do the travelling & it will happen.

My mother weeps and wails if we don't do turns. The tales I could tell about my mother and us staying with the pil when we go back to Scotland would make your hair curl.

My mother weeps and wails full stop

When we had the Dses we said that we werent travelling anywhere at christmas, and relatives wanting to see us could visit us at christmas, and they ahve travelled the length and breadth of the UK to do so - Moray,Cambridgeshire,Norfolk(briefly) Fife, Hampshire and next year Yorkshire.
However, my mum and step dad haven't been to visit us at christmas i hampshire as step dad finds it too far to drive now and selfish git younger brother won't do teh drive for him.

Its the best thing we ever dint do. When I got married we decided we would spend our first Christmas together, this coincided with my parents running a pub so would of been working Christmas Day and did so for many years.They admitted it wouldn't of been a 'family' Christmas there anyway (they did become rather over engrossed in the pub regulars to the detriment of any family anyway). My DH also realised just how nice Christmas could be as his family never made any effort, he did say he never wanted to spend another Christmas in Bleak House

When DS arrived we didnt want to be traipsing him and his toys anywhere. We did say that anyone was welcome to spend Christmas with us and MIL did take us up this a few times . I think it did bug my Mum, more for the fact she would be asked "oh is Oldraver and family coming for Christmas" and she didnt like to tell people we wern't. This led to her refusing to come to us, sometimes citing 'we want to spend Christmas in our own
house then booking to go abroad . She's recently admitted to a spitefull streak and I think her refusal to come was to get one over on me

However we always have peacefull Chritmas's, do want we want with no stress and DC's have a good time

best thing we ever, didn't do

We don't do turns. Instead we stick the cat in the carrier and go to my parents every Christmas. They have a bigger house, hot shower, central heating, lots of food & drink, garden for cat. What's not to like?

Always feels a bit like coming home from Uni for the holidays. Oh god, I'm 37 and haven't in fact 100% left home...

(Dh doesn't see his family so it's an issue-free situation there)