1000 mile round trip. We just want xmas at home!!!

[bobobobs]

We live in scotland, my mum in north of england and my pil near london. we see them several times a year, mostly us going to visit them. we have a ds (4) and a dd (3).
every year since we moved to scotland 6 years ago, we have done a 1000 mile round trip to make sure that we see our families at xmas, leaving xmas eve and returning b4 new year. every year we want to stay at home but never do - we feel obliged to see family as it is xmas and also it is lovely to have xmas day at my mums with my sister and nieces etc.
but we want a stress and travel free xmas this time, maybe going up to the highlands for a few days to enjoy some snow and mountains if we can find it.
waddya think? are we being mean or sensible??

do it, it will be lovely to just have your children and dp
you've done it for a few years now, have a break and enjoy yourselves!

thanks hana, we were talking about it last night and it sounded so lovely and easy!!
not so easy to break it to the in-laws...

we had dd1's first christmas with my parents in Canada, 2 and 3 with inlaws in Manchester and for her 4th we stayed home. will stay home this year as well, it's too much of a rush around tbh
looking forward to staying here!

Do it! Your kids are the right age to really start enjoying Christmas and won't need so many childfriendly facilities anymore.
Can you invite some of them up for New Year maybe? Then some more of them up for a proper Scottish Burns night? If you don't have room, have a look to find a cheap B&B or holiday cottage.

I stopped all the visiting for Xmas when ds1 started getting a bit more clued up about Santa.Having to secretly pack up presents and stocking fillers in black bin bags on top of the usual mountains of luggage andd then dragging it to the other end of the country is my idea of hell on earth.
Now we have three boys and a dog it is just impossible.
Now,Mil comes to us ,unless she is in Oz visiting her other son and his family, and we go up to mine for a couple of days between Xmas and New Year.
We have Xmas Eve and Xmas Day in our own house and that's the rule.
Surely yours can let you have one year off at least?

thanks ladies, i think i just needed some reassurance that it was not a wicked thing to do!!
i too hate packing with a passion!! not wishing to sound ungrateful for all the lovely presssies we are given but the idea of spending 4 days out of 6 travelling for hours in the car after having unpacked for overnight and then re-packed the presents we are giving and have received, collecting up the lego or whatever toy ds has been given that comes in 300+ pieces.. it is enough to give me an attack of the vapours!
good suggestion about inviting them up for hogmanay or burns Stocking, our tiny wee house would not be up to the visitors but we have many a good b&b locally. they may not take us up on the offer but then at least we have shown willing..

We too are staying at home our families live near us but always us that have to drag our kids out and away from their toys so for the1st year we have decided that we will only visit after we have had our dinner and let the kids enjoy their day.

good for you peridot, i think it is less stressful for everyone just to do things at a leisurely pace and not to HAVE to be somewhere by a certain time.
(i have SO talked myself into staying at home for xmas!! better break the news to the PIL and then take cover..Actually bugger that, let DH break the news..)

We were supposed to be going out with PIL for meal on Christmas day. Have left it to dh to break the news to his mum will probably put all the blame on me!! LOL

Just hated the fact that kids had to rush opening pressies not get to play with them and then be out the house from midday till late at night, thankfully not this year.
Enjoy Christmas whatever you do bobobobs.