Have been off Mumsnet for a while. Is there a feeling sorry for yourself about Christmas thread because you have to do it all and accommodate all your relatives who want to see the gds despite the fact that it just means constant running around for y...

[DaphneHarvey]

If so, I'd like to post on it.

If not, anyone experiencing same as me, please post here. Some of your horror stories might make me feel better about mine .

There's loads of them, (usually in AIBU) am accomodating relatives this year but, feel fine about it, have pissed my dh off though, who only wanted it to be us and the dcs.

was there last year. ds got up, opened his pressiesand we dashed off to mils. then my dads. then boxing day at my mums. and they STILL fecking moaned!

this year we are staying at home!

Not about relatives or DH's being a pita, but my woes might qualify! I've got jury service for the whole of Xmas fortnight!

Blimey Maureen, that makes me feel better already. Very sorry for you though. Am ed that the courts are doing business then.

Feel its impossible to do Christmas without pissing someone off and this year I have mostly decided that I will be the one to be pissed off.

When I am old and grey I have vowed sworn and promised that I will never ever put my dcs under pressure to take me into account as well when making their horribly complicated Christmas plans. Will be off to Tenerife or some such with a group of my single old lady friends I sincerely hope.

Surely you've got the bank holidays off, Maureen? Even the courts can't work then, can they?

Yeah I've got the bank holidays off, but I just can't seem to get my head around Christmas at all. You know how you work up to things and think, 'well, I'll just get that over and done with' well I can't really, because I'll still have to go back after Boxing Day.

We've had a fab system working for 15 years now. Every other year we spend with out best mates. We call it happy christmas and un-happy Christmas! Just to add insult to injury, its un-happy Christmas this year, so my mother and her sharp tongue and sheer miserableness (is that a word, do you think!) is coming for the day.

Do you have in-laws who want a look-in too Maureen? Or is it just your mother one year then best mates the next?

Seems like a lovely arrangement to me [sighs, jealously].

My nightmare has started already. My BiL is sat here on the sofa, cracking his joints incessantly and whispering to himself. While DD was having a major tantrum today (after we went out to get tree to involve miserable BiL in family Xmas spirit) my parents and aunt and uncle invited themselves over to see DD, DH and I ended shouting at each other over me inviting them (like I had a choice ...uncle says "that baby always cries when I come to see him"....really? Why is that do you think?

Nope! No in-laws! Well, I have them, but they're not interested in being with their dgd or ds and his wife! Suits me, I'm not keen on them anyway!

Oooooh, let me join too! We have our Christmas Day on Boxing Day now. Apparently it's more important for other people to spend time with our 3 dds (dd1 3.2 and dts 5 months) than it is for us on Christmas Day.

We go to my Mams since my Dad died she'd be alone otherwise, which I don't mind doing, but MIL asks every year would we go to her - knowing full well I won't leave my mam on her own and MIL's got abbout 13 people round at hers anyway. Then gets all huffy and offended when we say no. She even told us our first Christmas in our own house would be "sad and lonely just the two of you".

I think next year I'll be putting my foot down and Mam can come to us rather than us carting 3 little ones around and MIL can wait until Boxing Day.

Is that selfish? It will be perceived as selfish though won't it?

roll on happy Christmas 2008 Maureenmlove - top babysitter! she didn't even drink the wine I left her, she must be sickening for something...

Or eat your biscuits! I want your keyboard, its much better than mine! Its faster if that makes sense!

Bibi, you must put your foot down! I bet they stayed in their house at Christma when they had little ones. Its just not fair to get them up early enough to open all their pressies and then say, 'well actually, you haven't got time to play with them, coz we're going out!'

really snappy thread title, daphne

You know, our family Christmases got a lot easier after we finally realised that if people want to see us so much at Christmas, they can get off their arses and come and see us. If they have fewer or younger children than us, we'll make the effort, If not (childless relies and gps) they can see us at home. Kids have their own toys and are not in the car for hours on end. 'Tis liberating, truly liberating...