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Christmas

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Christmas day dilemma

5 replies

Wishfulthinking83 · 14/11/2018 09:57

Every year my whole family goes to my aunts for Christmas day, I have done alternate years for the last few years since I got married so we spend one year with my family and one with DH family.
This year we bought our first house and the plan has always been that this year (which is a year I would have spent with DH family) if we were settled in our new home we would have christmas day at home with my parents his parents and our 2 younger siblings.
However sadly my granddad passed away in March and now I am being made to feel guilty for not spending Christmas day at my aunts house. It was a very traumatic bereavement dealt with very badly by the whole family my DM has been off work with depression since it happened and cant face a christmas at my aunts with all the memories it entails. Are we being un-supportive to my nan and extended family by sticking to our guns and having christmas day without them at ours? We will visit boxing day or christmas eve but the day itself we want to do something different and not sit around being miserable all day, the tradition of being there had been wearing thin anyway and the current situation just makes it even worse !

OP posts:
hidinginthenightgarden · 14/11/2018 10:01

If your mum doesn’t want to go then that’s that. You can’t make her spend Xmas on her own to suit the rest of the family- tell them you are caring for your mum and giving her a quiet Xmas.

RemyRelax · 14/11/2018 10:57

Stick to the original plan. You need to be supportive of your Mum. Your Aunt isn’t on her own so that’s not an issue.

Wishfulthinking83 · 14/11/2018 11:20

thank you , that's what i thought my Nan will still go to my aunts with the rest of the extended family so no one will be alone. I am going to stand firm and stick to what is best for my mum and myself. We will light a candle and raise a toast to my grandad but i don't want the whole day to be spent "reminiscing" about what he would have been doing at all points of the day. we all miss him terribly but mums mental well being is more important right now.

OP posts:
BiddyPop · 15/11/2018 15:55

You were due to not be at DAunts' house anyway.

You have a plan that involves your DM and DF, DMIL and DFIL, and "closer" extended family. Which was all set up in advance of the bereavement, by the sounds of things.

The family, as a whole, is having trouble coping with the bereavement anyway. So there will be fall-out regardless.

DM, whose DF has died, WANTS to go to your house.

YOU (and DH presumably), still want to host in your own house.

So you go ahead and host, let DAunt know soon that that continues to be the plan, and that you are doing it this way as this is what your DM wants and what you want.

You can let her know you will visit, on 24th, 26th or some other day that suits, or offer to host another gathering of just your DM's side of the family including DAunt and DGM, on another day, if that suits.

You can also reassure DAunt that you will be making plenty of time to remember DGF on the day, and that includes ...(stopping in Church for a prayer, calling to graveyard for a few quiet moments, adding his name to grace before meals, having a special thing to remind you of him somewhere around the house....) or whatever else you and DM feel would be a good way to mark his absence on the day.

You can also express the wish that you hope they can have a peaceful Christmas, with their own remembrances of DGF on the day, as on other days. And acknowledge that it will be very different this year in lots of ways, (so it possibly is nice, in a way, that you will be doing some things differently yourselves - but that may be a step too far for DAunt to hear).

(I possibly wouldn't mention trying to make some happiness for your younger DSiblings, even though you probably will be trying to do that, as it may be too much for DAunt to hear).

Talk to your DM first, but let DAunt know soon before she can start putting pressure on you, that you are looking forward to doing it yourself and hosting everyone, and that it will be sad but also making sure she knows that life must go on at the same time.

DoveSecret · 17/11/2018 07:41

Stick to your guns!

Ive been in situations where you have Christmas to please others and its never your Christmas. When my lot were teeny kids DH drove to pick up aunt to take her to MILS. We never got to do things our way. Now MIL and aunt have died we fo our Christmas. And not meaning to sound awful but its bloody lovely. It was miserable for DH having to run for others.

So do your thing and break with that tradition of going to and fro every other year. Or you never will.

I often wonder how many families are doing Christmas just to please others.

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