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Christmas

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Original poster

Dh's weird Christmas family traditions?

111 replies

deaconblue · 06/12/2006 22:26

What weird traditions do your husbands/partners' families have? I now have to buy extra presents for the tree to give to us on Christmas Eve thanks to Dh!

OP posts:
octobermum · 07/12/2006 13:03

Dh family have all presents piled up in near piles one per person. I don't like this as it seems to me to formal and no fun.

MIL dosen't like cooking but always does to much, eg turkey, bacon wrapped sausages, ham and roast & bolied potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, broccoli all put on when potatoes are put into oven except brussels which are cooked for 40mins then reheated in microwave before serving and yorkshire pudding, followed by christmas pudding and triffle then mince pies. This is all served at 1pm then at 5pm she is asking if anyone wants tea and sandwiches and the get upset because no one is hungry.

octobermum · 07/12/2006 13:03

Dh family have all presents piled up in near piles one per person. I don't like this as it seems to me to formal and no fun.

MIL dosen't like cooking but always does to much, eg turkey, bacon wrapped sausages, ham and roast & bolied potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, broccoli all put on when potatoes are put into oven except brussels which are cooked for 40mins then reheated in microwave before serving and yorkshire pudding, followed by christmas pudding and triffle then mince pies. This is all served at 1pm then at 5pm she is asking if anyone wants tea and sandwiches and the get upset because no one is hungry.

octobermum · 07/12/2006 13:03

Dh family have all presents piled up in near piles one per person. I don't like this as it seems to me to formal and no fun.

MIL dosen't like cooking but always does to much, eg turkey, bacon wrapped sausages, ham and roast & bolied potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, broccoli all put on when potatoes are put into oven except brussels which are cooked for 40mins then reheated in microwave before serving and yorkshire pudding, followed by christmas pudding and triffle then mince pies. This is all served at 1pm then at 5pm she is asking if anyone wants tea and sandwiches and the get upset because no one is hungry.

octobermum · 07/12/2006 13:05

Sorry pc went a bit funny

Tommy · 07/12/2006 13:10

I can never understand why the ILs don't pull their crackers until after lunch

I thought it was the law that you all had to wear your hat throughout lunch

RosaLuxembourg · 07/12/2006 13:12

DH's family do the one present at a time thing but with the addition that MIL sits there with a bin bag for the discarded wrapping paper and a pencil and paper to write down what the present was and who from for the thank you letters. DH now does this too (the letters, not the bin bag) and though I appreciate that it saves the pain of trying to remember who gave what when you get around to the thank yous, I do feel it is the teensiest bit control freaky.

NOELallie · 07/12/2006 13:49

Ah. Now you see Rosa I would do that. I'm all for making things easier. But unfortunately I've usually had too much too drink by then And Dh can't be bothered.

themulledSNOWMANneredjanitor · 07/12/2006 14:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
deaconblue · 07/12/2006 15:28

Ooh so glad I started this thread. So many funny traditions. Why is it that in laws Christmases are crap but your own family's are wonderful?

OP posts:
sunnysideup · 07/12/2006 15:33

Wheezing with laughter at NoelAllie and meowmix....toe curlingly awful!!! But gut wrenchingly familiar, some of it

wrappingpaperBOwZZAndribbons · 07/12/2006 15:35

My ILs have potato croquettes for Christmas dinner. Now this is not a problem, they also have roasties and the rest of the usual festive meal. But it is bizarre.

SpicymulledSheraz · 07/12/2006 15:42

Oh this is do funny, my in laws are so dull and never get excited about anything even Christmas. I have not spent Xmas with them for 4 yrs now. They just sit and watch TV all day. Last week they drove 100 miles to see us and sat and watched Countdown, din't even speak to DS's - was fuming. Now my family of course are perfect in every way..

mammaduck · 07/12/2006 15:43

I do the pen and paper thing for presents.

Never considered it to be control-freaky.

Feel quite put out by that suggestion.

themulledSNOWMANneredjanitor · 07/12/2006 15:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wrappingpaperBOwZZAndribbons · 07/12/2006 15:57

still think potato croquettes beat courgettes.

bundle · 07/12/2006 15:57

what's wrong with courgettes?

dh's family open their presents in the afternoon. talk about willpower...

Original poster
deaconblue · 07/12/2006 15:57

wtf indeed! My in laws don't understand the importance of buying a food mountain for Christmas. At their house no cake, nibbles, after dinner mints, nuts, crisps etc etc. I end up very hungry and very miserable. Have decided to never go there again and will always host, that way plenty of grub

OP posts:
TerrbileTwos · 07/12/2006 16:42

shopping bags - how can it be christmas if you don't have the equivalent of an EEC stock pile of food bursting out of every corner of your kitchen? Are your in-laws German by any chance? i only ask because ex-inlaws were very much in this strange vein of Christmas on the 24th Dec at 4pm in the afternoon (after mil had finished work) and then it was some christmas fairy who brought the tree and all the presents.......

themulledSNOWMANneredjanitor · 07/12/2006 16:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Stockingsofdinosaurs · 07/12/2006 17:56

One of us kids usually did the 'list' once we could write, we used to fight over the job!
I think I'll probably be a binbag mum too, I disapprove of wrapping paper (but have used it this year) so I don't want to be wading through it all morning feeling guilty.

kickassangel · 07/12/2006 18:10

OMG I've just realised that when we have Christmas with my family, we do things how they want, and do what dh's parents want when they come to us! [fschock]
will speak to dh tonight, am going to INVENT our own Christmas traditions, just to annoy everybody!

kickassangel · 07/12/2006 18:11

OMG I've just realised that when we have Christmas with my family, we do things how they want, and do what dh's parents want when they come to us! [fschock]
will speak to dh tonight, am going to INVENT our own Christmas traditions, just to annoy everybody!

kickassangel · 07/12/2006 18:11

...

gothicsanta · 07/12/2006 18:17

haven't a clue never do christmas with them

dmo · 07/12/2006 18:21

we let our boys (9 and 10) open their socking and they play with the toys in there (all tat btw) all morning, they always get a football in the stocking so when dh puts the dinner in the oven (yes dh always cooks ) we go to the park with the balls etc
we then come home eat dinner pull crackers etc then we go into the living room and open all their big presents, then we veg
we dont have any visitors on christmas day and we dont visit anyone +