So has the great debate started in your house about where to spend Xmas dinner?

[bigchris]

We've managed to get Xmas day to ourselves, just us four , woo hoo
have to travel boxing day though and work Xmas eve but get to wake up in our own beds Xmas morning

Same here, nameymcnamechange. MIL 'bagsied' it.

I am waiting till mid-November to bagsie next year and all subsequent years.

I have informed MIL that we will be having Christmas at home.
She has started the annual pretence that she couldn't possibly trouble us by coming. This will be followed by the annual fretting about who will have MIL's mother (grumpy in extremis and a right PITA). Around December 20th I will gently remind MIL that I have ordered a turkey and there will be plenty for all. We will end up with 5 "unplanned" extra guests - probably would be more but only FIL will drive.

We have hosted Xmas for the last few years and so this year MIL said she would do it so YEY

We see PIL on Xmas day either at ours or theirs and my parents on Boxing day.

It's never a fight as to who hosts as we aren't a huge family. If we were i think I would be stressing!

Booked a trip away; any who can more than welcome to visit but not doing staying over / driving everywhere all season (FIL gets lost so refuses and my aprents do not drive) again.

We were planning to be at home - possibly alone but my bil has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and I have no idea what shape any of us are going to be in at Christmas so it's all up in the air and will remain there for some time. Dh and I have agreed that we will stay at home for Christmas Eve but could travel down on Christmas morning. Equally I'm prepared to host but that could be v complicated. Strange to say I really don't care. A couple of months ago when making plans it seemed important but now the people concerned are so much more important. I'll do whatever needs to be done.

BigChris- yes we are all able to visit without an overnighter. Thats what makes me happy :)

aw NL hope everything is ok

my sister always moans about seeing her MIl for about 6 hours on xmas day
I smile and nod whilst thinking at least it's not 3 days
some don't rea.lise how living away from family is a pita especially when you don' live near any of the parents

Sorry to hear that Northernlurker :(

We're going to my family this year, although they don't know it yet. They love having DS around for Christmas Day as he's the prodigal grandchild. Then PIL are having everyone over on Boxing Day, which will be lovely boozy fun. We'll still be ready to come home by the 27th though.

I am hosting xmas for the first time ever this year :) I may have bitten off more than I can chew though as there will be 13 of us !

Luckily BIL and his partner are very good cooks so I will be roping them in!

Oh NL, I am so sorry, x

I am doing christmas in FIL's house. MIL died a few months back and BIL moved out earlier this year so he would be on his own otherwise, or at least coming home to an empty house at sometime, so I am going up with DD's and DH to decorate the house, cook for and generally disrupt his peace and quiet

NL that's shit, and sorry Ily for the loss of your MIL.

My MIL wouldnt; want us anyway, not spoken in years (related to inability to accept we would produce disabled grandchildren- in fairness she's ahd a bloody ahrd time of it and it just comes down to she doesn;t like me I guess, though it was dh who cut contact).

So that solves that though we do miss her and BIl enormously.

FIL (aha! a clue to part of MIL's problems...) is engaged and we usually see him boxing day but he ahs many of his new extended in lawws close by so a delay won;t upset him; we're a big family, they ahve a small house, i always fel a bit guilty (we alternate between going each way down the M-Way- us there / them here).

Mum and dad used to host but they now go to BIl and my sister; not sure if we are invited tbh but they have a nie posh house and we have boisterous unruly kids- so we say no.

Therefore,, the easiest solution this year is to be away.

My parents this year. Had it by ourselves the last 2 years, now we have ds we are going visiting again. Not going til 1pm though, will have the morning in our own house. Pils next year I suppose.

After a not as anticipated christmas last year we are having christmas at home just us 4, with the hoards descending after Christmas dinner for pressies and tea - am hoping this will be a good compromise between having a quality family christmas with the traditions we want to have, and seeing everyone who wants to see us (or DSs anyway!)

This year I was so going to be in a hotel for Christmas - right up to the point I researched how much it would cost . So it will be here again, as it is just about every year - I know it'll be fun but I'm struggling to muster up any enthusiasm tbh.

no debate this year, we have been summoned to my parents. so we are going, with a quiet conversation with mu mum that we will never again respond to being told* where we are going to be.

Have managed to get away with coming home Christmas evening so we will at least be here and relaxed on Boxing day
Next year i hope we are going to be at home.

ooh not sure what is going on with the Bold thing.. sorry!

Heated debate this year. I have never spent Christmas at the PIL in 12 years . I've been over in the evening or in the morning but have always wriggled out of spending the day. Before we had DD we generally went our separate ways which sounds odd but suited us well at the time.

Now we have DD and have grown up a bit so we all want to be together. DH has lots of brothers and sisters and therefore in laws and offspring and they are all going to be at PIL this year. Mostly they're great but a couple of them make me very tense and I don't want to spend the day there. My immediate family is smaller and we will be missed by my lot more than by DH's lot IYSWIM. But I feel guilty at dragging DH to mine.

Help!

My mother has assumed we're going to her place for a big family thing and keeps trying to guilt-trip me into agreeing. I can't think of anything worse!
We'll probably stay at home on our own with new baby.

Will be staying at home as we do every year. My mum will probably come over - maybe her mother as well (her father very poorly not sure he will make Xmas)

in laws may pop over in the afternoon if they can be bothered

All being well will have 4 week old DS so I ain't cooking! for the first time in 4 yrs PIL havent raised the subject yet - just when I was thinking that this year I could put up with spending Xmas with them so they could have day with PFGC. If they don't soon, will go to DS with my parents and her 3 kids which we normally do and is brilliant.

As soon as the first child was born, I insisted we have Christmas Day here, and whoever wants to join in welcome. This years its ILs and BIL/girlfriend. I pitched it as MIL and my mother having done the hard work for years, now its my turn. They are all happy with this.

I love it. I love cooking and after a few years got the hang of not overdoing it, reining myself in, so we're not eating spiced red cabbage and mashed swede still at Valentine's.

My lot are all coming on the 27th to give us a day's break, and then I expect we will go to SIL's around New Year.

I have done xmas lunch every year since my ds was born and he is 16!Bar one when we were in a rented flat with no table.Then my mum did it grudgingly.My parents bout a huge house about 18 months ago and so i assumed last xmas they would offer but my mum said it was not ready for guest so i did it again.We love xmas so its fine but she said she would do it this year and has already started moaning and saying she can't be bothered with people in the house and might not 'do' xmas this year I am sorely tempted to let her sod off!

It's the white elephant in our family atm

The first one to mention it is the loser

We have got my parents round for xmas day present opening and dinner. We will be going round to theirs on boxing day as we always do that.