No house guests this year and its a revelation!

[paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking]

Came home from work this afternoon and for the first time in 13 years we have no one staying with us for Christmas. I thought I'd find it a bit quiet without all the hustle and bustle of preparing and its definitely taken me until now to feel Christmassy but...its great!

No endless bags and shoes dumped everywhere, no thinking about meals various relatives will eat, no changing bedding and shifting mattresses and camp beds, no telling my DC off because I think I should. DC are chilled and excited just because its Christmas, not because family are going on and on about it to them. We've let quite a few traditions go by the wayside and done way less than normal. The house looks lovely and twinkly and calm and I'm so enjoying it.

We never have any dramas and our various visitors are always lovely and pitch in but having thought I loved hosting, I think I'm going to find it hard when normal service resumes next year.

What a lovely post, paddling! I hope you and your family really enjoy your fantastic, chilled Christmas on your own.

Same here, I'm not hosting anything this year and we are eating out on Christmas day for the first time ever. Everyone is chilled out, have spent way less than usual and feel under no pressure to run around doing half the stuff we usually do at Christmas.

I only finished work today. I have left all Christmas prep to dh and I must say - I recommend it.

We have only my parents coming and they are easy-oasy about everything so I feel utterly calm.

If we've forgotten something - who cares?

We never really have house guests over Xmas day. No room for anyone to stay anyway, 1 year we had my mum and we have my sil if she isn't working but they tend to be fairly easy. This year though it's just the 5 of us.

We are having a different Christmas this year too. We usually have 4 Christmas dinner invites, because the kids are often on shift over the holiday. This year it is just one dinner on Christmas Day. I am looking forward to it so much. Off to youngest sons who has the two youngest GKs.

(Not that I am complaining about eating so many Christmas dinners, just makes it seem more special somehow this year)

Fabulous- enjoy every moment!

We have done this for the last 6 years. Do was really ill just before Christmas and I cancelled our guests. Since then circumstances have changed for all of us and it's just me, dp and 2 dcs.

I love it. The house is reasonably tidy and clean but not visitor gleaming. Dinner will be easy and done when we want it. I do pop out for a couple of hours to visit my mum but that's it!

House is full nyd and I love that too but without the pressure and chaos of Christmas day.

God, yes, I do Christmas like a Duracell Bunny on speed for most of December - we are very big on Christmas trips and activities - but Christmas Eve it slows down and stops. We have no guests, as we've done all our visiting and socialising earlier in the month and we have no family living close by. There's just the four of us, time off work, no plans to do anything except cosy up at home or go on dog walks until the New Year. No crazy cleaning required, and jammies are the preferred attire. Hurrah.