separated/divorced families

[inchoccyheaven]

This is our first year as separated maybe by then divorced family and not quite sure how it will work this year. DC are 12 and 14 and youngest finally found out last year about fc so that's not an issue any more.
If you are in this situation do you have them day each or share part of Christmas day? We normally went to exh family boxing day so I am thinking I could have them xmas eve and part xmas day then he could have them xmas day afternoon/evening and boxing day. This is providing he isn't working over xmas due to shift pattern.

How does it work for you ??

XH and I have been separated 3.5 years (and are now divorced) so there's been 3 Christmases. First one the DC were 6 and 8 and I think XH stayed here overnight, we had Christmas Day here together and then they stayed at his house that night. I then took them down to see my family (150 miles away) for a few nights and then took them to his parents house and he came down and was there over new year with them. I came back here and marked exam papers.

Past two years the DC have woken here and done stockings and wcer gone over to XHs house where I have managed to put a good face on things. DC have spent the night there (and I saw my boyfriend).

This year I'm hoping to not stay at XHs house during the day itself as I feel odd, he probably does too although I'm not sure what the DC would prefer. Sometimes I'd like it if everyone we need to see at Christmas lived in roughly the same place

When I was a kid I had Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with my Mum and stepdad, we then went to my sister's for Christmas lunch, then my Dad would pick me up from there and I would have Christmas afternoon/evening with him. Sometimes I would stay over, sometimes I would go back to my Mum's for the night. As far as I remember it was pretty much left up to me. I had NYE with my Dad until
I wanted to see my friends instead.

Before SS's mum stopped contact (again), he used to come to spend the morning at his mum's the come to ours about 3 and stay here until the day after Boxing Day. One thing I would say though is whatever the plan I'd, stick to it. We'd arrange our timings around what SS's mum wanted, then EVERY YEAR would get a text 5 mins before we were going to set off to get him changing the plans :(