sorry this is so long.
We're getting our dds christened on easter sunday and really looking forward to it. we're having immediate family (parents, dh's brother and his 2 kids and my auntie & cousin) plus godparents (5 of them), all their kids and some more of our mates. we've also invited dd1's childminder and her old one too. so far. so boring...
MIL and PIL are perfectly pleasant and lovely, although MIL is a big fusspot and I'm not really a fussy type of person so she gets on my wick a bit from time to time but her heart is definitely in the right place. MIL and PIL have some friends, a couple, who live quite a way away but each time we've met them we've got on really well, they're a lovely couple. At the end of last year the chap from this couple was diagnosed with bowel cancer and he's had a real struggle coping with the treatment and he was in hospital from christmas until about 4 weeks ago. He's gradually getting better from the op and chemo etc but obviously has been under lots of strain, as has his wife. Dh and I thought that we'd love to invite them to the christening if he was well enough and MIL said that since they mentioned it to him, he's rallied and is really determined to come down. It'll be the first time they've been anywhere since christmas and they're both looking forward to it.
however, MIL has a best best friend who she's known all her life. Best friend is fine but bf's husband is UNBEARABLE - a real bore, very loud, very arrogant, dominates every conversation and dh and i can't bear him. PIL came round yesterday and said that MIL has been fussing about how to tell her bf she's not invited to the christening in the light of this other couple having been invited. PIL asked if we would be so kind as to invite MIL's bf and husband to stop MIL mithering so we said yes, reluctantly. PIL knows we can't stand this bloke but he said he appreciated the gesture. WE then saw MIL last night and she thanked us but kept going on that it wouldn't have been fair to invite the other couple but not her bf as bf's feeling would have been hurt. I was a bit drunk last night and actually said 'well at the end of the day, it's our children being christened and we've invited people who are important to us and the dds and your bf would just have had to understand'. MIL looked a bit confused and upset so i said 'but it's ok, your bf and husband can come of course'.
I know i've been very ungracious about it. I've got to get on with things now though because i'm feeling cross about having this awful bloke at the party.