If you spend Christmas or New Year with family , what do you take with you?

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Do you take food for the meal
Or 'treats' like chocolate, cake, wine
or buy some shopping?
Or pay for a meal out/takeaway?

We spend every NY with friends, not family.

We take all the starters (about 6 different things that dh cooks there), he also makes guacamole & hummus, dinner for NY day (for 16 people) which is usually a chilli. We also take 6 bottles of wine, a bottle of champagne and a bottle of gin & mixers.

And flowers and a pudding and Christmas cake. And presents.

I have guilt issues over the fact we stay at their house year in year out, can you tell?

When we stayed at my DPs last year we took flowers, some homemade chutneys and chocolates and also sent a £100 Tesco voucher beforehand. They do not expect it but it makes my gluttony seem somehow more acceptable if I have contributed towards it :o

I'm planning (still in the early planning stage) to visit Parents and DBro + SIL over New Year.

I was planning:
make 4 small Christmas Cakes (I've got one of those 12" tins with the divider) so I can do 2 cakes decorated and 2 plain. Keep 2 for home and take 2 with me.

Carrot cake

A big pasta dish, freeze and keep in a chiller bag for the journey

Some naice jams for breakfast + Costco Croissants

Huge tin of coffee

I don't drink , neither do my parents.
I'm vegetarian, parents are diabetic.

So all in all, it's a mixed bag.

I just buy the shopping as needed when I am up at my parents house. I travel up by train & with 2 dc plus a buggy I am limited with what I can take with me.

The other way round but I have family that stay with me most years and tend to bring:

• 6 bottles of wine and a bottle of fizz
• Crackers
• Homemade Christmas cake
• Dessert for Christmas Eve dinner
• Chocolates

They will also usually take us out for a meal at some point. It seems to work well and feels fair.

Hmm my pil could do with reading this thread.

I have family most years they bring sweet fa, and eat me out of house and home!!

Depends how long you are staying. Personally I would ask what you can bring to save anything going to waste. I tend to make a lot ahead so don't usually need anything. That said if you are staying a few days you could offer to take e.g. a casserole to save the hosts cooking, or as already mentioned pay for a takeaway or meal out. Would definitely take drink - whatever you like or know they like - beer, wine, fizz, liqueurs, soft drinks. You could make up a hamper of drinks, chocolates, cakes, snacks ... Things that won't go off so they can use at a later date.

We usually bring Christmas Cake, FIL always insists on getting the food but won't let anyone help him, and we usually turn up and find that he has a 750g gammon, 5 potatoes and 2 carrots and 6kg of sprouts for 8 people. Hence we end up with a dash to the shops to supplement. Last year I was prepared with extra potatoes and carrot, but still had to get more gammon.