My Mum had a hysterectomy, though vaginally not abdominally so done under a local. Sadly, my grandad died just before the op and the funeral was arranged for 2 days post-op. We were worrying about her missing the funeral and how hard it would be for her and all the time she was discharging herself and getting a train 300 miles across the country to the funeral.
She took things slowly and didn't drive for about 6 weeks but was okay to cook and walk after a few days. I even caught her hoovering on day 6. She is stubborn as a mule though. She said in all seriousness that the D&C she had weeks beforehand was much, much worse in terms of recovery.
As an aside, she has been so much healthier since the hysterectomy. She had ongoing gynae problems, fibroids, terribly heavy and long periods, cysts etc. Her hair, skin, energy levels, positivity etc improved enormously. And her migraines went which after having 3 day long migraines every fortnight or so was a blessed relief.
She's still on hrt on a low dose so the menopause is slowly taking over but she is so much happier post-op.
Definitely have her for Christmas and spoil her. Tell her it's not just the op, you want to spend time with her at Christmas. Insist.