Christmas reality

[Rainydayss]

First Christmas this year just me and DD after separated with DH. Everywhere I look, TV, social media etc there is happy big families sitting around a big table for lunch, boardgames and lots of fun.
Is this a true representation of the majority?
I feel sad I won't have that and I crave the big family and company. Plus also worried I'm not enough for DD on the day as she loves having people visiting.

I have a 'all her geese are swans' friend (an expression my late DM loved ), and oh, how she endlessly crowed about the wonderful family Christmases spent at her PIL's amazing rambling country cottage, all her DH's DBs and DS's there, with spouses and tousle haired munchkins, running around! Like, 19-20 people.

But, as time went on, the cracks appeared. The badly behaved cousins. The lazy SIL. The drunken outbursts. The inability to get up from your seat once you were wedged in for the 2 hour duration of Christmas Dinner. The 1 hour duration of the 'goodbyes'.

Nope.

Wearing there are 4 people in my family; plus my single, late middle-aged DB. That's it.

I've more or less given up hosting 'things' in December as everyone lets you down as they'll always prioritise that sister (who they bitch about the rest of the year) over your party, at the last minute.

We just get on with it, our way.

This year who we have here depends on my MiL , she's very frail and spent yesterday in hospital because she couldn't get out of bed. She's up today but is on very strong painkillers. My eldest son is with them , he's cooking tonight . If she's not feeling strong on Monday when he's due to come home he'll stay there for Christmas as none of us drive and there's no way we could get there in an emergency.

Other than that we have the 2 of us plus my daughter,son in law and grandson. We'll have a good day because my grandson is hilarious.