How to plan Christmas with a newborn and a nearly three-year-old

[BeTaupeBear]

I was after advise for how to manage Christmas this year- i know its early!
I will have a nearly 3 year old and im pregnant with a due date early December.
If i go overdue/ need induction i will have a repeat c section if not im hoping to give birth vaginally but we will have to see!
My family and my husbands family both live locally.
I am trying to gage how much i can plan/ what a good day would look like.
It would be nice to see people but also im sure ill be knackered!
I dont find my in laws the easiest either which isnt helpful post partum

I had a 3 year old and twins on the 11th December unexpected as they were 6 weeks early. We have always had Christmas dinner with just me DH and kids. If parents want to pop in they are welcome in the morning or afternoon. DH organised most of the shopping and had a lot of help from my Mum and Dad.
My DH cooks Christmas dinner so I just concentrated on looking after the children. The twins just slept in their moses baskets between feeds so the elder one had most of the attention for the day so didn't feel left out.

We used to always traipse around at Christmas and when DD1 was a newborn we said we weren't doing it anymore. We just wanted to chill at home for one day and not have to get kids in the car driving between family members.

We now see one set of family for Christmas Eve and the other for Boxing Day and have a chilled out Christmas Day where we don't go anywhere. Occasionally we have family members or friends pop round for a drink on the evening of Christmas Day but other years it has just been the four of us and it's lovely.

I prefer it because it spreads out the celebrations and I feel like we get three Christmases!

In terms of food with four of you and such a young baby I'd keep it really simple and buy it all pre done from Cook or M&S so things can just be put in or out of the oven. Keep it easy.

I would visit one family Christmas Eve / Boxing Day if you don’t have a c section and feeling ok. And have Christmas Day alone chilling.

If you have a rough birth or c section stay at home with no visits. One family can visit in the morning for 1-2 hours and the other in the afternoon of Christmas Day. You have m dinner alone and husband does it. You can make this easy by having ready made roasts / Califlower cheese etc.

Limit visits and you doing anything. It’s all on husband and family to help / chip in

At Christmas with DS when he was a newborn we told local family that they were welcome to come and visit in the morning if they wanted (no issue if not - happy to make plans with them for another time!) but that we would be having Christmas dinner ourselves in the afternoon and just enjoying a quiet Christmas 🤷🏻‍♀️

I bought all M&S food that was already in foil trays and just flung it all in the oven ☺️ DH and I ate dinner in our PJs watching Christmas movies and just soaking up all the newborn cuddles ☺️ (and cluster feeding DS until I felt like my nipples were going to fall off but we’ll forget all about that part 😅🤣)